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  Specs
  • Full Frame
  Languages
  • English: Dolby Digital Stereo
  Subtitles
  • None
  Extras
  • 4 Teaser trailer - Cinema Paradiso, The Last Seduction, My Beautiful Laundrette, Keep The River On Your Right
  • Theatrical trailer

The Stepfather

Umbrella Entertainment/AV Channel . R4 . COLOR . 91 mins . M15+ . PAL

  Feature
Contract

The years are not always kind. If a film was made in the forties it is considered a classic, fifties films are nostalgic, sixties films are hip and anything made in the seventies is suddenly brimming with artistic credibility. Then why do we really only accuse a film of having ‘dated’ if it was made in the eighties? We’ve probably progressed far enough to cast aside the Kajagoogoos of that decade and start searching again for buried treasure.

When The Stepfather was released in 1987, it was applauded as a fresh and subtle new thriller to rival Hitchcock (like we haven’t heard that one before!). Now, fifteen years down the track, all subtlety has been abandoned and the film has been relegated to simple slasher fare. The images on the cover show the blood-spattered stepdaddy in question amidst various knife motifs beneath the tagline, ‘Daddy’s home and he’s NOT very happy’. It’s all about as subtle as a lump of two by four to the head, which is a damn shame really, considering the fact that the film probably deserves a little more respect.

Jerry Blake (Terry O’Quinn) is new to the town of Oakridge and before long has landed a plumb job selling real estate for American Eagle Realty. Successful, charming and completely off his loaf, Jerry is obsessed with the idea of the perfect family and tends to express any disappointment with said family by hacking said family to pieces.

Having turned his last two families into family-size pizza (astoundingly the case is closed after only a year – time for a motivational talk down at the old stationhouse methinks), third time is a charm for Jerry as he moves in with Wife #3, Susan (Former Angel of Charlie, Shelley Hack). Completing the happy family is Susan’s rebellious teenage daughter (boy, is she asking for it), Stephanie (Jill Schoelen). As Stephanie begins to suspect that her new Papa is not all that he seems, the family unit begins to disintegrate along with Jerry’s noodle-like grip on sanity. If that’s not enough, things are further complicated by Jim Ogilve (Stephen Shellen), the obsessive brother of Dead Wife #2 who is hell bent on seeing Jerry brought to justice (though it must be said at this point that Jim is arguably the most awkwardly ineffective seeker of vengeance in the history of film).

Although there are some reasonable performances amongst the supporting cast (Schoelen and Hack are fine – Shellen is not) the golden knife award must go to family man, Terry O’Quinn. As an everyman on the edge, O’Quinn is perfect in the role and not only nails his role as a brutal psychopath (man, can he swing a piece of lumber), but provides a sinister, and beautifully underplayed take on the All-American family man.

The direction of Joseph Rubens (Sleeping With the Enemy, The Good Son) is nothing if not formulaic and pretty much uses most of the tricks common with thrillers of the era (excessive rear lighting and plenty of smoke – either that or Oakridge has a severe dust problem) and it is this direction that not so much dates the film, but certainly serves as a reminder as to when it was made.

All things considered, The Stepfather still provides enough intrigue and genuine suspense to hook the viewer and provides the genre with one of its more memorable characters. So remember boys and girls, next time Mum brings home a new boyfriend, research his background thoroughly and don’t trust him for even a second.

At the very least it should give you yet another reason to dislike real estate agents.

  Video
Contract

There’s nothing to complain about here. Given that The Stepfather was shot on a modest budget, the picture quality is excellent. Though the film does sport a ‘made-for-television’ appearance throughout, the end result is that the transfer is crisp and certainly detailed and what haze or misted effects do exist are more due to the films production as mentioned earlier rather than a problem with the transfer.

Occasionally there are minor examples of aliasing but these are few and are, in the greater diabolical scheme of things, barely noticeable. The colours throughout the film are natural enough but there is slight bleeding in certain scenes, particularly those shot outdoors (let’s face it, colours aren’t the only thing that bleed around Oakridge). At any rate, these problems are barely worthy of mention at all, let alone of any real hindrance to viewing. All in all, a slashing good transfer.

The Stepfather is presented in an aspect ratio of 1.33:1 and is not 16x9 enhanced.

  Audio
Contract

Like any film that concerns suspense and things that go bump in the night, The Stepfather would have benefited greatly from surround sound. Well, bad luck because you get none of that here, but the good news is that the Dolby Digital 2.0 track is rich enough to take you to the edge of your seat anyway.

The dialogue is clear and easy to understand at all times which is a handy thing given that our Jerry is prone to muttering maniacally to himself when alone. I didn’t notice any problems with syncing and am sleeping soundly at night knowing that others won’t either.

There is, unfortunately, a down side to having a decent sound presentation. Far, far worse than being clubbed across the head by your stepfather is being forced to listen to the film’s dreadful musical score. I know orchestras don’t come cheap, but the over-synthesised pap from Patrick Horaz almost sent me into a homicidal frenzy of my own. At times where we could have been enjoying some of the The Stepfather’s more atmospheric moments, the jarring soundtrack barges in like a fat-o-gram at a christening – loud, awkward and completely unwelcome.

  Extras
Contract

There's not much in the way of extras, I’m afraid. First of all you get a trailer for The Stepfather, which, although it certainly makes the film seem very worthwhile, contains a handful of spoilers, and is probably best left unwatched until after the film.

Under the, er, umbrella of ‘Umbrella Propaganda’, there are four poor quality trailers to fine quality films. They are: Cinema Paradiso, The Last Seduction, My Beautiful Laundrette and Keep The River On Your Right.

Due to the appalling sound and picture quality of the trailers, the good people at Umbrella aren’t doing themselves any favours here – especially considering that the trailers are of poorer quality than the transfers on the actual discs in question.

Bad, bad Umbrella. Very disappointing…

  Overall  
Contract

If you need a little suspense in your life and are prepared to overlook some of the film’s more noticeable flaws, The Stepfather still manages to stand out in a genre that has dished out more than its fair share of atrocities.

Oh, and children? I hope you realise I was joking when I said not to trust Mum’s new boyfriend.

We all know that he loves you and Mummy very, very much... just don’t do anything to disappoint him.


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      And I quote...
    "They sure don’t make stepfathers like Mike Brady anymore..."
    - Peter O'Connor
      Review Equipment
    • DVD Player:
          Sony DVP-725
    • TV:
          Sony WEGA 80cm
    • Receiver:
          Sony STR-DA50ES
    • Speakers:
          Accusound ASC160
    • Centre Speaker:
          Accusound ASC160
    • Surrounds:
          Accusound ASC160
    • Subwoofer:
          Accusound SW150
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