The Stepfather is a 2009 American horror thriller film and a remake of the 1987 thriller film of the same name. The film was directed by Nelson McCormick and stars Penn Badgley, Dylan Walsh and Sela Ward. The original was directed by Joseph Ruben and shot from a script by Donald Westlake. The films are loosely based on the crimes of John List.

Plot

The film opens as Grady Edwards (Dylan Walsh) transforms himself in a bathroom. He shaves off his beard, dyes his hair, and removes his brown contact lenses. He goes downstairs with his luggage and fixes himself peanut butter toast and coffee. As he leaves the house, the camera reveals the bodies of his wife and her three children.

Susan Harding (Sela Ward) is shopping in a grocery store with her youngest children where she meets Grady, who introduces himself as David Harris, a man who lost his wife and daughter in a car accident. He charms her, and six months later, they are engaged to be married. Susan's eldest son, Michael (Penn Badgley) returns home from military school and is wary of the situation. David invites him down to the basement, where he has installed locked cabinets, and tries to befriend Michael over tequila shots.

The Stepfather or Stepdad can be:

Film

Music

The Stepfather is a 1987 American horror thriller film directed by Joseph Ruben, and starring Terry O'Quinn, Jill Schoelen, and Shelley Hack. O'Quinn stars as Henry Morrison, a identity-assuming serial killer who remarries a widow with her teenage daughter. After previously killing his family and changing his identity, his killing spree continues after his daughter turns suspicious about him. It is loosely based on the life of mass murderer John List, although the plot is more commonly associated with slasher films of the era than a true story. The film was written by Donald E. Westlake, from a story by Westlake, Carolyn Lefcourt and Brian Garfield.

Although production started and ended in 1985 in British Columbia over 40 days, the film was not released until January 1987. Upon its release, the film has became a moderate success, grossing $2.4 million at the box office. The film has received very positive reviews, with many praising O'Quinn's role. The film has since gained a cult following, and was followed by two sequels, released in 1989 and 1992, and a remake, also called The Stepfather, which was released on October 16, 2009.

Stepfather II also known as Stepfather 2: Make Room for Daddy, is a 1989 psychological thriller film directed by Jeff Burr from a screenplay written by John Auerbach. It is the sequel to the first Stepfather (1987) and stars Terry O'Quinn as the title character. The cast includes Meg Foster, Caroline Williams and Jonathan Brandis.

Plot

After surviving being shot and stabbed at the end of the previous film, Jerry Blake is institutionalized in Puget Sound, Washington. Blake escapes the institution after murdering his psychiatrist and a guard. After robbing and murdering a traveling salesman, Blake checks into a hotel, alters his appearance, assumes the identity of deceased psychiatrist Gene F. Clifford, and travels to Palm Meadows, Los Angeles.

Arriving in Palm Meadows, Gene meets Carol Grayland and leases a house across the street from her and her 13-year-old son, Todd. During a session with the wives of the neighborhood, Gene learns Carol's husband, Philip, left his family the previous year. Gene begins courting Carol, eventually winning over her and Todd. Gene's plan to marry Carol is soon complicated when Phil returns, wanting to reconcile with his wife. Needing Phil out of the way, Gene persuades Carol to send him over for a meeting, during which Gene kills him with a broken bottle, covering up Phil's disappearance afterwards by making it look as though he simply ran off again. With Phil gone, Gene and Carol arrange to get married.