Reception
During its opening weekend, The Stepfather grossed around $260,587; it was released in 148 movie theatres and earned a total domestic gross of $2,488,740. Film critic Roger Ebert from the Chicago Sun Times gave the movie 2.5 stars, and commented:
| “ | Violence itself seems to sell at the box office, even when it's divorced from any context. Maybe that's what the filmmakers were thinking. What often happens, though, is that in an otherwise flawed film there are a couple of things that are wonderful. The Stepfather has one wonderful element: Terry O'Quinn's performance. | ” |
On "Combustible Celluloid", the movie ranked 3 out of 4 stars, with reviewer Jeffrey M. Anderson commenting:
| “ | Joseph Ruben directs competently but perhaps not as playfully as the material could have used, but O'Quinn gets in a few prime moments, such as the startling one in which he forgets which persona he's currently occupying. Nevertheless, The Stepfather is still a high water mark of 1980s horror/suspense. | ” |
For his performance, O'Quinn was nominated for both a Saturn and an Independent Spirit Award. Director Ruben was honored with the Critics award at the 1988 Cognac Festival. The film was also nominated for the International Fantasy Film Award for Best Film at the 1990 Fantasporto and included in Bravo's 100 Scariest Movie Moments on spot #70.
It is also now considered a cult film.
Read more about this topic: The Stepfather (1987 film)
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