THE STEPFATHER

Unraveling: Terry O'Quinn

THE STEPFATHER (1987). Director: Joseph Ruben. 

A man who calls himself Jerry Blake (Terry O'Quinn) is married to a lovely woman named Susan (Shelley Hack) and is stepfather to a teenage girl named Stephanie (Jill Schoelen of Billionaire Boys Club). Widowed Susan is starry-eyed in love, while Stephanie is much more wary of her new "dad." Neither of them know -- as we do -- that "Jerry" slaughtered his previous family and changed his appearance and identity. When Stephanie finds out about the horrible murders in another town, and that the perpetrator is still on the loose, she determines to discover exactly who "Jerry Blake" really is -- if she lives that long. 

Jill Schoelen and Terry O'Quinn

The Stepfather -- scripted by Donald E. Westlake -- is an absorbing suspense film that is greatly bolstered by the performances, especially that of O'Quinn. who makes a highly compelling sociopath. Jerry also has to deal with Steph's psychiatrist, Dr. Bondurant (Charles Lanyer) -- and deal with him he does! -- and Jim Ogilvie (Stephen Shellen), the brother of Jerry's last, dear departed wife. The film builds to a very dramatic and explosive climax. If there is one problem with the movie, it's that there are an awful lot of loose ends and the police seem incredibly inept. This was followed by two sequels and was remade in 2009. 

Verdict: A cut above a slasher flick. ***.       

SILVER BULLET

SILVER BULLET (aka Stephen King's Silver Bullet/1985). Director: Daniel Attias.

In the small town of Tarkers Mills, a "maniac" is on the loose, targeting young and old, tearing people literally to pieces. Young Marty (Corey Haim), who is in a wheelchair, inadvertently discovers the identity of the person who can transform into a werewolf, and has to do what he can to protect himself and his family, including his sister, Jane (Megan Follows) and fairly obnoxious Uncle Red (Gary Busey of The Firm). With this premise there's no reason why Silver Bullet shouldn't have emerged as an edge-of-your-seat terrifying suspense film and mystery, but there's way too much of the comparatively boring kid and his family, minimizing the tension despite a couple of exciting and scary sequences. Stephen King's screenplay, based on his book "Cycle of the Werewolf," features characters that often act stupidly, as well as moments of sheer illogic. Busey's irritating presence is no help, although there are good performances in the film: Haim is notable as the kid; Everett McGill makes a mild impression as the town's minister; Terry O'Quinn [Black Widow] is fine as the sheriff; but Kent Broadhurst really scores as the father of a murdered boy -- his reaction when he finds his son's body (the pieces of which which are not shown) is very powerfully played. Lawrence Tierney [Bodyguard] has a small role as a bartender who meets a grim end. Carlo Rambaldi's creature FX are mostly first-rate.

Verdict: So-so werewolf movie with some good scenes and interesting elements. **1/2.

BLACK WIDOW (1987)

Theresa Russell

BLACK WIDOW (1987). Director: Bob Rafelson.

Catharine (Theresa Russell) has made a career of marrying and murdering a number of wealthy men, and has gotten away with it. However, a Justice Department employee named Alexandra (Debra Winger) thinks she has uncovered Catharine's deadly game and bucks her superiors to go after the woman. People think that Alexandra has become obsessed. Catharine takes on various identities as she pursues her victims, and Alexandra eventually does the same, relocating to Hawaii under an assumed name so she can finally meet and even bond with her prey. Now it's a battle of wits and it's hard to tell who will win out in the end. Black Widow is a very entertaining picture with good performances -- Russell is especially effective -- even if Rafelson's direction is pedestrian and the score mediocre. The movie resembles a somewhat more expensive Lifetime crime thriller. Homoerotic undertones in the "relationship" between the two women go unexplored and seem unnecessary anyway. D. W. Moffett, Terry O'Quinn, Rutyana Alda, Dennis Hopper, Lois Smith, Nicole Williamson, Sami Frey, and Diane Ladd all have supporting parts, but the stand-out in the cast is James Hong as the lazy and amusing private eye, Shin. Cher was offered the role of Catharine but turned it down, which is good because Russell was more suited to the role. One wishes that we got to know a bit more about Alexandra, but perhaps the point was that she had no real life outside of her work. Nowadays the two leading ladies of this film, who are in their sixties, do mostly television work. Not to be confused with The Black Widow serial of 1947 (not that it would be!), or the 1954 Black Widow with Ginger Rogers, among others.

Verdict: This lacks real bite and intensity but it has a good plot and some very good acting. ***.