The original The Stepfather (1987) is a low-key psychological thriller with a strong central performance from Terry O’Quinn as the title character. He plays a seemingly perfect family man who, beneath the surface, is anything but. His character drifts from family to family, murdering them when they fail to meet his twisted idea of domestic perfection. O’Quinn absolutely carries the film—his switch from charming to terrifying is what makes it work. The rest of the movie, however, struggles to keep up with him. The pacing is uneven, and some of the supporting characters feel a bit underdeveloped. It has a creepy premise and moments of genuine tension, but the execution isn’t always as sharp as it could be. Still, it’s a solid thriller with a memorable villain at its core.
The 2009 remake updates the story with a sleeker look and more modern pacing. Dylan Walsh steps into the role of the stepfather, and while he doesn’t quite have the same unsettling presence as O’Quinn, he delivers a decent performance. The film plays things a bit safer, leaning more into teen thriller territory with a stronger focus on the son, played by Penn Badgley. There’s more action, more drama, and it’s definitely more polished. What it loses in creepiness, it gains in accessibility—it moves faster, looks better, and generally feels more consistent, even if it’s not as psychologically intense as the original.
Interestingly, this is one of those rare cases where the remake just edges out the original—not because it’s deeper or smarter, but because it’s more balanced as a whole. The original had the better lead performance, but the remake feels like a more complete film overall.
Winner: The Stepfather (2009)
About The Author
