All the remake news I can take!
Hell Hath No Fury like a Child of the 80s scorned. I yanked some hair out when I heard “The Hitcher” was getting remade, tugged at some strands when the “Tron” redo was announced, and pulled some more out when it was announced, that “Halloween” was being remade. Just how much can my hair, take?!
Fans of the classic 80s thriller “The Stepfather” – which featured “Lost” star Terry O’Quinn in one of the finest, and most memorable, roles of his career – will have mixed feelings about Screen Gems’ plan to redo the film. I know I do. Thing is, the film isn’t that old. Sure, it was made in 1987, but it holds up brilliantly. O’Quinn’s performance is still as frightening to watch as it ever were, and the story is still as tight as a timid debutante at an end of the year formal. If you’ve never seen it, rent it out, you’ll be sweating more than a pig on ‘free Bacon’ Tuesday at Hungry Jacks.
The flick was directed by Joseph Ruben, who went on to do genre classics like “Sleeping with the Enemy” and “The Good Son” - I believe he was also behind that ridiculous conspiracy-theory esque thriller, “The Forgotten”, from a few years back. OK, the sequels were pretty average – especially the third one, which didn’t even star O’Quinn – but that first one? Gold. For what it was, it was remarkably well done, and it probably cost about a week’s worth of college tuition to make.
According to Variety, Greg Mooradian and Maverick Films will produce the new version, which will again centre on a seemingly all-round nice guy who charms the pants – literally – of a single mother, until he’s got the ultimate hold on the family. The kid smells something foul…. Daddy grabs an axe. Rampage ensues. It was based on a true story.
Here’s hoping they include O’Quinn, in some fashion, in the new movie. Maybe he can play the cop that’s hot on the ‘Stepfather’s’ tail? I think the fans would be grateful for the nod. Screen Gems’ are doing a couple of remakes at the moment. They’re also currently working on bringing Alex Murphy back to the big screen – in a “Robocop” redo.
"When the day comes we have to go to war against Utah, we're really going to kick ass, y'know?"