Underrated slasher and series

This was a particular slasher, released in the final years of the slasher phenomenon, that went forward without its original star killer, Terry O'Quinn. To this day, it's re-casting has mixed reactions among fans. Some major and minor characters from various movies series and shows have been re-cast, but there's something about the re-casting of the stepfather character that stands out among the re-casted characters over time. To some, the movie is terrible compared to the other two films, and even the second film with Terry O'Quinn still isn't very good. I disagree on both counts,, they are unique sequels to one of the few original slashers to come out of the 1979-1993 slasherfest started by "Halloween/Friday The 13th." And in turn, the first "Stepfather" film is hardly another such slasher rip-off. But the sequels are sort of guilty of behaving more as slashers than the original thriller.

I remember looking at the horror movies at the local mom & pop convenience in the mid-to-late `90's. Among those forbidden/overlooked movies, that I knew my parents would never let me rent, was "Stepfather III." Having never heard of the first two films, it's cover art both fascinated and scared me a little. Dark lighting revealing the evil stepfather holding a bloody shovel. Can't remember how many quotes were on the back, but one stuck out - "**** like a rollercoaster ride!" In the years to follow, upon collecting movie review books and learning everything about movies, that quote sounds questionable. But I believe now someone at the time truly may have enjoyed the film that much.

Around the late `90s and early 2000's, got around to see the first two "Stepfather" films. Was lucky enough to twice catch "Stepfather II" as the Million Dollar Movie on at midnight on Saturday/Sundays. Miss the Million Dollar Movie events with random movies playing. The first film is very good and stands out. The second film is naturally a step down, but still very enjoyable. In the original, we see Terry O'quinn already married into one family with a stepdaughter questioning his every move. In the sequel, his profile have been exposed to the outside world, and we join him as he works on a new widow/divorcee with a child. Witnessing the pre-marriage phase of his plan this time was a fresh idea. And this time, for another nice change of pace, it was the widow/divorcee's girlfriend seeing right through him.

It would be by 2009, when I got around to getting my hands on a VHS copy of "Stepfather III" from ebay. And a few years later, grabbed an unofficial DVD from a convention.

The first responsibility of "Stepfather III" is to convincingly re-cast the part, and they did it the only way possible - he gets plastic surgery from un underground doctor. It could be considered an blatant and obvious attempt to take advantage of the first two films after Terry O'Quinn walked away, but it is handled as well as possible. His new face isn't just left alone. He marries into another family, this time with quadraplegic stepson with detective smarts. This time, the kid is the one questioning the stepfather. But that's not all. To keep the premise even more fresh, he meets another widow/divorcee with a son. He starts working on this second would-be family, and juggles two families at once. And he's not always sure which family he wants to stick with. Perhaps he rushed into the first one and should have waited for the other widow/divorcee to come along. This added subplot is what makes "Stepfather III" stand out to me. It is also what gives the movie a long running time than usual, but that's okay.

With the premise stretched out as far as possible, it is still another step down from the original and from the first sequel. But it is still a decent "Stepfather" entry and slasher. The first sequel was cheesier than the original, and it cannot be denied that this third one is another step cheesier. It's cheesier tone is the first thing that differs fans and critics. Either its enough cheese for them, or it's too much. It is cheesy, but also very enjoyable and fairly suspenseful. That is helped in part by an effective score as well as Robert Wightman's performance as the new face of the stepfather. This is also where fans and critics differ. Some like him, but some don't, and that may determine how much they enjoy the movie. Perhaps that saying is true, a movie is as good as its villain. I liked the villain in this, and so do other fans out there and on this board.

Regarding Robert Wightman's turn as the new face of the stepfather, it could be said that he was more desperate by this point in the timeline. His charade has been exposed, he escaped from an asylum twice, and by now he's more desperate, shaky and careful to return to status quo. But what is his status quo? His whole routine is tragically never-ending. He is old-fashioned in his beliefs and an extreme perfectionist. When one family disappoints him, which is going to happen, he murders them and moves on to another. Terry O'Quinn handled this tick confidently in the original film, and a little desperately in the sequel once he was. It was up to Wightman to take that tick both somewhat confidently (with his new face), but also somewhat carefully as to not repeat his same mistakes...which he does, making him become more desperate in his final appearance. The whole charade is a tragic downfall once he was caught, and plastic surgery would not necessarily help him change his own habits and mistakes. Wightman's turn in capturing the stepfather's final downfall is effective here.

As a slasher, it is gory and violent, but it continues to keep up with the tradition of a low bodycount. Perhaps the low bodycount can be felt with the more complex plot and longer running time. But I'm glad it didn't resort to having too many supporting characters being grinded up in the mulch machine. In turn, it would have been too cartoonish and unbelievable. And lastly, the filmmakers knew when to quit, and knew how far to take this franchise. This is the rare sequel to absolutely, no-questions-asked, 100% conclude the series with full closure. It's over. Whether you liked this new movie and it's new "Stepfather" actor or not, this was it. The final old-school "Stepfather" film. And for me, it remains above-average and very enjoyable.

There is one more unintended dimension to the film, something I already mentioned in another thread. This film was released a year before "Late Night with Conan O'Brien" would come on TV. I didn't notice this in the 90's as I didn't watch late night TV yet. But if you look at the cover art and notice in several scenes through out "Stepfather III," it's hard not to notice Robert Wightman's resemblance to Conan O'Brien. This does not reflect badly on the movie and Wightman's performance, and I hope that other thread wasn't perceived as offensive. You don't always see it, but Wightman does look a lot like O'Brien at times. It is almost like watching Conan O'Brien in a horror movie. It's unintentionally entertaining in that sense, but the comparison remains strictly an afterthought when taking in all of the film's qualities. It is still a cheesier but still suspenseful "Stepfather" film.