baumgart@esquire.dpw.com (The Phantom) (11/22/89)
THE STEPFATHER 2:
MAKE ROOM FOR DADDY
A Review in the Public Domain
by The Phantom
(baumgart@esquire.dpw.com)
First, the Phantom must apologize for leaving his phans in the lurch these
past three weeks. STEPFATHER 2 was released almost two weeks ago, and it was
only the bad taste left in the Phantom's mouth by seeing Robert Englund portray
his namesake in PHANTOM OF THE OPERA that prevented him from attending
STEPFATHER 2 on opening night.
(Because PHANTOM OF THE OPERA is, in the Phantom's opinion, a complete
waste of time, he refers his phans to Mark Leeper's review for details, as well
as reasons why it should be avoided even after it hits your local
Blockbusters.)
But the good news is that STEPFATHER 2 is as good as PHANTOM was bad. For
those who haven't seen the original STEPFATHER, you should make a special point
of picking it up on video. Even the usually stingy Leonard Maltin gives it
three stars; in the Phantom's opinion, it's really worth four -- he thinks it's
in the same league as THE HAUNTING and INVASION OF THE BODY SNATCHERS.
Both the original STEPFATHER and the current sequel are based on a
character who on the surface is the perfect husband and father, a Mr. Rogers
who can cook and teach little Timmy how to play ball. Perfect, that is, until
things don't go according to his very strict and exact plans. Then ... well,
the Phantom is sure you can conjure up the scenario. But STEPFATHER 2 is not a
splatter film; although there are some bloody scenes, it's really more of a
thriller than a run-of-the-mill slash and trash film.
And what a very good thriller it is. After a somewhat slow opening set in
a mental hospital, the pace really picks up and the Phantom found himself
completely absorbed in the story. Although STEPFATHER 2 suffers to some small
degree from sequelitis, and although the director Jeff Burr does not have the
same light touch and feel for atmospherics as did Joseph Ruben (the director of
the original, who most recently was involved with TRUE BELIEVER), STEPFATHER 2
works well both as a sequel and as a film in its own right. There's no need to
see the original to understand the plot of the sequel; and in fact those who
see the current installment before renting the original will most likely enjoy
it even more, since they won't be able to compare it to its admittedly more
able predecessor.
The plot of STEPFATHER 2 will be familiar to those who have seen the
original: After escaping from the mental hospital in which he's been serving
his sentence for the grisly results of the first film, our friendly domestic
fiend moves to southern California and sets up practice as a psychiatrist,
specializing in group counseling for women (how very convenient). He also very
conveniently moves in across the street from a recent widow and her son, and
spends the majority of the film ingratiating himself with them and, finally,
marrying and becoming a stepfather yet again.
Lest the Phantom make all this out to be routine and predictable, he
should say that while the plot of STEPFATHER 2 is simple (as was the plot of
the first), it is very well executed and usually stays a step ahead of its
audience -- no mean trick when everyone knows the film's outcome even before
buying their popcorn. It is also refreshing to see that a horror film can be
made without having to rely on artificial plot twists and unbelievable actions;
after SHOCKER, the Phantom had his doubts.
The acting, dialogue, and cinematography are all quite good, and Terry
O'Quinn's performance as the stepfather is a standout -- his screen presence is
once again very disturbing, and in fact he seems as born to this role as
Anthony Perkins is to playing Norman Bates. As an added bonus, Jim Manzie's
score is excellent and adds noticeably to the suspense throughout the film. A
good score can sometimes save a terrible film, but it will always enhance a
good one, and with STEPFATHER 2 (as with HALLOWEEN) the latter is most
definitely the case.
What more can the Phantom say? He paid full price and doesn't regret it
-- truly, what more glowing tribute could there be? Take time and see this one
while it's still playing at a theater near you, before its effect is reduced to
19" and it has to compete with your answering machine.
The Phantom also urges any of his phans who may have missed the original
to rush out to their local Blockbusters and rent it; it is truly a classic,
although even its most generous phan would have to call it a little-known
sleeper.
And to those who missed STEPFATHER 2 because of the Phantom's rather tardy
review, he apologizes profusely and sentences himself to watching all 97 FRIDAY
THE 13TH sequels, one after the other, until he is reduced to an quivering,
inarticulate, knee-jerk social critic. Then he'll be ready to write articles
about the great human cost of horror films and their effect on our children and
on our society for the Sunday New York Times Arts and Leisure section. Even
Clive Barker couldn't dream up a more agonizing punishment....
: The Phantom
: baumgart@esquire.dpw.com
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