THE STEPFATHER (1987) – Episode 197 – Decades of Horror 1980s
Decades of Horror | Horror News Radio
Release Date: 01/10/2022
Decades of Horror | Horror News Radio
“How are you farin’, my fine, strapping babes? A-teethin’, are ya? Well, you’re very sweet and quiet, babes, not to be shriekin’ about it.” All toothy critters gotta teethe. Join this episode’s Grue-Crew – Doc Rotten, Daphne Monary-Ernsdorff, Chad Hunt, Bill Mulligan, and Jeff Mohr – as they take in another dose of stop-motion animation with (1960). Decades of Horror: The Classic Era Episode 217 – Dinosaurus! (1960) Join the Crew on the Gruesome Magazine YouTube channel! Subscribe today! And click the alert to get notified of new content! ANNOUNCEMENT...
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“Yeah. I killed my mama. One night – it was my 14th birthday – she was drunk, and we had an argument. She hit me with a whiskey bottle. I shot her. I shot her dead.” “I thought you said you stabbed her.” “Oh yeah. That’s right. I stabbed her.” Sheesh. Keep your stories straight. Join your faithful Grue Crew – Crystal Cleveland, Bill Mulligan, Chad Hunt, and Jeff Mohr – as they discuss John McNaughton’s landmark film (1986). Decades of Horror 1980s Episode 298 – Henry: Portrait of a Serial Killer (1986) Join the Crew on the Gruesome Magazine...
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“A wolf remains a wolf, even if it has not eaten your sheep.” Hmm. What if it has not eaten a cow? Join your faithful Grue Crew – Doc Rotten, Bill Mulligan, Chad Hunt, and Jeff Mohr – as they take to space via Disney’s (1979). Decades of Horror 1970s Episode 254 – The Black Hole (1979) Join the Crew on the Gruesome Magazine YouTube channel! Subscribe today! And click the alert to get notified of new content! ANNOUNCEMENT Decades of Horror 1970s is partnering with THE CLASSIC SCI-FI MOVIE CHANNEL, THE CLASSIC HORROR MOVIE CHANNEL, and WICKED HORROR TV CHANNEL...
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“Did you know that there are ways to raise the dead?” Of course. Don’t you watch horror movies? Join this episode’s Grue-Crew – Doc Rotten, Daphne Monary-Ernsdorff, Chad Hunt, Bill Mulligan, and Jeff Mohr – as they take a stroll through the (1967). Decades of Horror: The Classic Era Episode 216 – Torture Garden (1967) Join the Crew on the Gruesome Magazine YouTube channel! Subscribe today! And click the alert to get notified of new content! ANNOUNCEMENT Decades of Horror The Classic Era is partnering with THE CLASSIC SCI-FI MOVIE CHANNEL, THE CLASSIC HORROR...
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“By the pricking of my thumbs, something wicked this way comes.” Wait a minute. Is that what it means when your thumbs are pricking? Join your faithful Grue Crew – Crystal Cleveland, Bill Mulligan, Chad Hunt, and Jeff Mohr – as they visit Dark’s Pandemonium Carnival in Green Town, Illinois, via Disney’s (1983) from Ray Bradbury’s novel and screenplay. Decades of Horror 1980s Episode 297 – Something Wicked This Way Comes (1983) Join the Crew on the Gruesome Magazine YouTube channel! Subscribe today! Click the alert to get notified of new content! ...
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“What is real? Are you certain you know what reality is? How do you know that at this second you aren’t asleep in your beds dreaming that you are here in this theater? Ah, yes… it all seems too real.” Are you sure this guy is a wizard? Join your faithful Grue Crew – Doc Rotten, Bill Mulligan, Chad Hunt, and Jeff Mohr – as they brave the world of Herschell Gordon Lewis with (1970). Decades of Horror 1970s Episode 253 – The Wizard of Gore (1970) Join the Crew on the Gruesome Magazine YouTube channel! Subscribe today! And click the alert to get notified of new...
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“Women! They let ’em vote, smoke, and drive – even put ’em in pants! But what do you get? A Democrat for president! A lot of smoke up your chimney! Russian roulette on the highway! You can’t even tell brother from sister unless you meet ’em head-on.” Don’t worry. This neanderthal doesn’t last long. Join this episode’s Grue-Crew – Doc Rotten, Daphne Monary-Ernsdorff, Chad Hunt, Bill Mulligan, and Jeff Mohr – as they visit the bizarre world of Russ Meyer in (1965). Decades of Horror: The Classic Era Episode 215 – Faster, Pussycat! Kill! Kill! (1965)...
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“You’re all gonna die in there! All of you! You are gonna die!” Well, for heaven’s sake, we all die. Join your faithful Grue Crew – Crystal Cleveland, Bill Mulligan, Chad Hunt, and Jeff Mohr – as they check out (1986), the sequel to the Spielberg-Hooper blockbuster. Decades of Horror 1980s Episode 296 – Poltergeist II: The Other Side (1986) Join the Crew on the Gruesome Magazine YouTube channel! Subscribe today! Click the alert to get notified of new content! ANNOUNCEMENT Decades of Horror The Classic Era is partnering with THE CLASSIC SCI-FI MOVIE CHANNEL,...
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“The dead of night exists in all of us, and no one knows at what strange, unexpected moment it will make itself known. And so tonight, for your entertainment, three tales: one of mystery, one of imagination, and one of terror.” Yay! Break out the popcorn! Join your faithful Grue Crew – Doc Rotten, Bill Mulligan, Chad Hunt, and Jeff Mohr – as they stay another night in TV-land and cuddle up with Dan Curtis’s (1977). Decades of Horror 1970s Episode 252 – Dead of Night (1977) Join the Crew on the Gruesome Magazine YouTube channel! Subscribe today! And click the...
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“I don’t mind dying, but I hate the preliminaries.” Join this episode’s Grue-Crew – Doc Rotten, Daphne Monary-Ernsdorff, Chad Hunt, Bill Mulligan, and Jeff Mohr – as they make a trip to an old dark house, or rather an old dark castle with (1940). Decades of Horror: The Classic Era Episode 214 – The Ghost Breakers (1940) Join the Crew on the Gruesome Magazine YouTube channel! Subscribe today! And click the alert to get notified of new content! ANNOUNCEMENT Decades of Horror The Classic Era is partnering with THE CLASSIC SCI-FI MOVIE CHANNEL, THE CLASSIC...
info_outline“All we need is a little order around here.” And Jerry Blake is just the guy to make that happen! Join your faithful Grue-Crew - Chad Hunt, Bill Mulligan, and Jeff Mohr along with Vanessa Thompson - as they revel in Terry O’Quinn’s stellar performance in The Stepfather (1987).
Decades of Horror 1980s
Episode 197 – The Stepfather (1987)
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After murdering his entire family, a man marries a widow with a teenage daughter in another town and prepares to do it all over again.
- Director: Joseph Ruben
- Writer: Donald E. Westlake; (story) Carolyn Lefcourt, Donald E. Westlake, Brian Garfield
- Selected cast:
- Terry O'Quinn as Jerry Blake / Henry Morrison / Bill Hodgkins / The Stepfather
- Jill Schoelen as Stephanie Maine
- Shelley Hack as Susan Maine
- Charles Lanyer as Dr. A. Bondurant
- Stephen Shellen as Jim Ogilvie
- Stephen E. Miller as Al Brennan
- Robyn Stevan as Karen
- Jeff Schultz as Paul Baker
- Lindsay Bourne as Art Teacher
- Anna Hagan as Mrs. Leitner
- Gillian Barber as Annie Barnes
- Blu Mankuma as Lieutenant Jack Wall
The Stepfather is Bill’s pick and he is still super impressed by Terry O’Quinn’s performance in the title role, a character who is one step ahead of every other character in the film. What makes it even more chilling for Bill is that the story could really happen and indeed, it did. Chad is also wowed by O’Quinn’s performance which includes everything from subtle touches to all-out, over-the-top insanity. Crystal wasn’t available for this episode but Decades of Horror 1980s alumnus, Vanessa, stepped up to participate. She loves the opening scene and recognizes O’Quinn’s fantastic, unhinged performance as the driving force in The Stepfather, a film that is very uncomfortable to watch and puts the viewer on edge in a subtle way. Much to Jeff’s liking, The Stepfather puts its big reveal in the opening scene, leaving the audience in suspense while the other characters are unsuspecting of the potential violence and evil they are facing. Of course, he, too, loves the nuances and outright insanity of O’Quinn’s performance.
The Decades of Horror 1980s Grue-Crew are universally impressed with The Stepfather and highly recommend a watch, whether for the first time or a rewatch. As of this writing, The Stepfather is available for streaming from Shudder, Kanopy, and Peacock as well as other streaming services, and on physical media as a Blu-ray from Shout! Factory.
Every two weeks, Gruesome Magazine’s Decades of Horror 1980s podcast will cover another horror film from the 1980s. The next episode’s film, chosen by Crystal, will be Halloween III: Season of the Witch (1982).
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