The Stepfather is a 1987 American psychological horror film[3] directed by Joseph Ruben and starring Terry O'Quinn, Jill Schoelen, and Shelley Hack.

O'Quinn stars as an identity-assuming serial killer who marries a widow with a teenage daughter.

Having killed his previous family and changed his identity, his murderous tendencies continue after his stepdaughter becomes suspicious of him.

Henry Morrison washes off blood in a bathroom, changes his appearance, puts his belongings into a suitcase, and leaves through the front door of his house, nonchalantly passing the butchered remains of his family.

One year later, Henry—now a real estate agent named Jerry Blake—has married the widow Susan Maine and is living in a suburb of Seattle.

Meanwhile, Jim Ogilvie, the brother of Jerry's murdered wife, runs an article about his sister's death in the newspaper and attempts to find the man who killed her.

Curious about Stephanie's stepfather, who has refused to meet him, Dr. Bondurant makes an appointment with Jerry under an assumed name, saying he wants to buy a house.

Jerry later informs Stephanie of Bondurant's death, claiming he was in a car accident, and succeeds in bonding with her.

However, Jerry's newfound relationship with his stepdaughter is cut short when he catches her kissing her boyfriend Paul.

Realizing his mistake, Jerry bashes Susan on the head with the phone and pushes her down the basement stairs.

[8] Film critic Roger Ebert with the Chicago Sun-Times gave the movie 2.5 stars out of 4 and wrote, "Violence itself seems to sell at the box office, even when it's divorced from any context.

O'Quinn came in third place in the voting for the 1987 National Society of Film Critics Award for Best Actor.

The TV movie Stepfather III was released in 1992, with the title character played by another actor.