The Stepfather | Anatomy of a Franchise #4

[@InPraiseofShadows]

Hey everybody! Thanks for watching, I love doing these franchise videos and I hope to do more soon, which ones would you like to see added to the list? I think I'm going to do a newer one next time to switch it up a bit, maybe Final Destination? Thanks, and hope you have a great week, and happy Father's Day!

[@AstroArchive]

so many you could do evil dead, phantasm, rameos dead franchise but you have to include the tie in history of return of the living dead and fulci's zombie franchise also texas chainsaw massacre nightmare on elm street and friday the 13th puppet master. re-animator and godzilla would be good too you got so many good ones you could do

[@AstroArchive]

demons would be another good one very complex franchise history would love to know more about that one

[@InPraiseofShadows]

Night of the living dead is one that I really really want to do, but if I did it would have to be 3-4 videos because the details of the spins offs and everything is just a lot to cover, but that is one that is a 100% for the future sometime. Also Phantasm, probably in November. I have to do that one this year because it’s the 40th anniversary and I want to do it before the year is over. Nightmare and Friday the 13th are the ones that I want to do, but I’m really worried to because they are so well loved and there are great documentaries that already exist on those franchise. But I still want to do them and probably will sometime. I haven’t posted in a long time now, but there’s a new video this week that I’m really really excited for. I’ve been off making a 3 part series, and this week’s video is the first of those, it’s similar to my clown video except a bigger sub genre and looking at it more in depth than I did in that one, so I hope people dig that. The franchise and sub genre videos are by far my favorite to work on because there so much to cover and I like discovering new things through that, so no matter what those will always be a main stay on my channel and I want them to be what I’m known for in the future. By the end of all this I want to have covered every major and most minor horror franchise except for a few that I’m not really into haha

[@AstroArchive]

@@InPraiseofShadows would be quite an undertaking but would totally be worth it

[@gabrielp9646]

@@InPraiseofShadows "The most nuance serial killer in movie history..." Piece of advice, young man: Go watch the movie M. (Fritz Lang, 1931). Like, go watch it NOW... xDxD

[@casieatthe393]

The idea of the wives ignoring huge red flags is actually pretty realistic. The hard part about developing relationships is when you start to see huge red flags right in the beginning a lot of people in your life will try to tell you it’s “too soon” “give him a chance” and “don’t be paranoid” . This isn’t every person but I have found this is why later it’s not a stretch to not pay attention to red flags.

[@johnorulzu]

Yeah... Seen first hand that some wives and women ignore red flags and act like their new relationship is 100% fine.

[@sleepyburr]

And also, abusive/dangerous relationships are just generally difficult to get out of for a lot of people, whether out of fear of retribution, learned helplessness/Stockholm syndrome, or difficulty admitting that this thing you've invested yourself in is actually bad for you.

[@Darkstar1484]

@@sleepyburr Agreed, I think part of it too is that at least the first movie (and to a lesser extent the second one) showed him being methodical so he probably had a 'type' that her pursued often which would be less likely to confront his behaviors. That being said the trick is that there need to be other ways that the behavior is shown rather than just being oblivious

[@gabby3036]

I think the show "Prodigal Son" did a good job with this concept (SPOILER WARNING): A relatively early storyline has the son questioning whether his mother knew about his father's activities - a kind of "how could she *not* know"; alongside some suspicious behavior that, while totally explainable, can look sinister given the context. In the end, he gets his hands on a tape of his mother's interview with the police following his father's arrest, where she does admit - painfully, in tears - that she knew *something* was going on. She walks through all the red flags: he was coming home at odd hours, smelling like cheap perfume, making excuses, etc. *But she thought it was another woman, that he was having an affair.* It's an example of Occam's Razor, mixed with a healthy dose of sticking your fingers in your ears and going "lahlahlahlahlah" - cause why would you ever consider your partner is actually a killer? It's the more mundane possibilities that are too painful and better left ignored (especially as a single woman with a child, believing they're "lucky" to have found a partner). And even as the red flags escalate - like the boiling frog - you put up with more and more. Abusive relationships, built on physical and emotional manipulation/intimidation, can often start with similar "cultivation". And I also think that, in this situation of watching the Stepfather films and thinking "How can these people be so oblivious?", we have a serious case of dramatic irony (I was gonna use "guilty knowledge", but the definition in my head was *not* the actual definition of the phrase - and yes, I did look it up to be sure lawl; that's just the kind of quality you can expect from a Gabby Comment™). And while we the audience is made aware from the very first minutes of the film that this man is dangerous and to scrutinize his behavior, that's not true for the other characters - and that dramatic irony is purposeful, the very definition of Hitchcock's "Bomb Under the Table" recipe for suspense. That's what makes the moments of quiet, pedestrian normality so edge-of-your-seat, ass-puckering - as In Praise of Shadows pointed out. The Stepfather is a bomb under that dinner table - and the audience is the only one who knows. Given both of these elements, I think we can give the women in these films our suspension of disbelief and even maybe stretch into the realm of verisimilitude.

[@chrishambrick892]

I love your channel Casie

[@madvlasters2836]

Arguably one of my favorite scenes in horror has to be the kitchen scene in the original when Susan finds out Jerry left his job and he forget who he is. So much tension and an absolutely terrifying psuedo-jump scare when Jerry out of nowhere slams the phone in to Susan's face.

[@eea9374]

This was really great. The Stepfather was always one of those 80’s horror movies that really turned the Regan era nuclear family trope on its head in a disturbing but creative way. Also, I completely forgot about the awful third movie until you mentioned the wood chipper scene. That’s the only thing I remembered from the whole thing.

[@InPraiseofShadows]

Thank you, I appreciate it! Yeah even though it’s pretty bad I still love the third one just because of how fun it is. And the ending actually is probably the best part of it, I just like how campy it is really, it knew what it was haha but for sure, I’ve always loved the first movie for how it acts within it’s setting, I feel like the time period has a lot going on within the film for sure.

[@sedevacante0027]

I'm 41 and clearly remember watching and rewatching The Stepfather on Showtime frequently for years. A perfect horror movie that has a lot of rewatch able power. It was on all the time for years along with the sequels. Terry O'Quinn rocked it.

[@angelluna9599]

More terrifying after reading about the John List murders, which inspired the original film.

[@RD-lt3ht]

No, he doesn't want LOVE, he wants his IDEAL of "family" perfectly fulfilled: at best, the Stepfather himself can only give the most extreme form of "conditional" love, which isn't real love at all in my book. Or maybe he really "loves" order and structure, with people and a facsimile of love to flesh-out that craved structure -- only as a concomitant in fulfilling his real needs.

[@the-NightStar]

I think you hit the nail on the head, rather than the video itself. The "stepfather" of the title is trying to strive for an unrealistic idea of perfection, this is not a man with the capacity or ability to love. This is a movie about a deranged human being that is trying to wear the mask of a non-sociopath, frustrated that he cannot capture the same family everyone else has that he thinks is idea, without the main ingredient: the capacity for love. Thus I think this video falls entirely apart because In Praise Of Shadows doesn't understand the main concept. This man IS a beast, for as much as this video is trying to say that he's a normal human being. He's not. He's every bit the murderous beast that is wearing the skin of a man, who camouflages very well, but can't hide his murderous animal inside him as much as he tries. Because the fundamental empathy that one needs does not exist in him.

[@jamesperry9197]

I realize you probably wanted him to go more in depth, but he literally says this around 29:00

[@Xehanort10]

He bases his obsessive idea of the perfect family on the old 50's shows he watches.

[@williamdavis671]

Isn't all love conditional love? I mean if you say you love someone unconditionally and then they spend 15 years torturing you and everyone else you love, do you still love them? If you found out your spouse of however many years beats puppies in their spare time would you still love them? I realize that these are exaggerated examples, but I'm simply trying to make a point. Some people's conditions are more realistic than others, but everyone has conditions.

[@RD-lt3ht]

William Davis Maybe, but The Stepfather...HIS "conditions" cancel out real love. If YOU were beaten with a hammer almost to the point of death (a stranger saved you, called the cops say), by a loved one, would you still believe their "I love yous"?

[@NNA1958]

The beginning of the original “Stepfather” will forever be the most eeriest scene in horror! It still gets me, and I’ve seen that movie several times. John List would be proud... 🥴

[@bacwoodsgospel6879]

Seems the filmmakers were inspired by him

[@bacwoodsgospel6879]

He even cleans up a bit .. I'll bet he adjusted the temp to slow the decaying process..🤯

[@samuelsolomon7330]

I think what separates the firat film's opening with the remake's is how the remake just shows off the bodies of the dead family throughout the scene while the original doesn't show the bodies until he starts to leave. The original feels like a setup and payoff that is crucial to the story, where the remake feels like a scene from a parody.

[@MissAlmostFine]

The neighbor recognizing "The Stepfather" on AMW subplot in the remake is likely a reference to how the real life inspiration of this movie killer was caught. John List was caught by his neighbor recognizing a sculpted bust of him on the show decades after he murdered his family.

[@venompower64]

I'm a fan of Ebert's reviews and body of work, but I love how you said, "he hates fun things." That's really nailing it on the head. There's so much irony that the man who wrote Beyond the Valley of the Dolls hates almost any kind of schlock entertainment.

[@akiameko1984]

"Hannibal Lecter would be caught in weeks". Um, wasn't one of the biggest complaints about the second movie that Lecter was so congenial, shy, and unassuming that it was impossible to believe he was the same man as in the first one? And then a major complaint about the show was (hypocritically) that Mads Mikkelsen has too imposing an appearance to pull that off? Yeah, Lecter's thing was that he only showed his true colours to people he was thinking about killing, then backing off if he changed his mind. In the books, he even used the kind of temper his uncle had to say that that was what his family got like when they were defensive. The novel Silence of the Lambs was written by a criminologist, that's why his behaviour is so believable that they had to add things like him having six fingers on one hand to offset it.

[@snorpenbass4196]

Nah, Lecter was a popular socialite who entertained the local celebrities and wrote famous essays and books. He was nowhere near shy or unassuming - his pride is what allowed him to get caught. The movie/TV versions are all different, too. Hopkins version is more over the top, the Cox version is cold and calculating, the Mikkelsen version is like Lucifer himself.

[@g.sergiusfidenas6650]

I have not read the novels but Hannibal, the character, in the adaptations is kind of a mess, so much BS has been added to his "lore" that he is more like a comic book character than one should exist in a relatively realistic story.

[@theflashgordon193]

@@g.sergiusfidenas6650 lmao

[@johnmartinez631]

I agree, that’s why I don’t agree with the video to much

[@Bizarro69]

Get off Lector's knob, mate.

[@jroc00725]

Man I love this channel

[@azcrazybull1276]

Love the Stepfather movies. My dad used to quote him when I was a kid: We need some ORDER around here!” 😂

[@bobbyb6053]

If my stepfather was the guy who wrote stepfather, i'd run away from home as fast as possible. 22:35 'There is this really bizarre friendship between the 60-something preacher and the little boy and they both really like murder mysteries. It has the funniest sex scene i've propably ever seen...' Gotta split stuff like that up in the script ;)

[@TheTheninjagummybear]

Ew, why is that wink-worthy?

[@bobbyb6053]

@@TheTheninjagummybear Because that's not actually what happens in the movie but the script for this video makes it look like it is.

[@Kimikosnoh]

Stay consistent with this! Commentary, editing, and voice over were perfect. Thanks for the vid! ❤️

[@gluserty]

I consider "The Stepfather" more of a psychological thriller with some horrifying moments.

[@hadara69]

I'm class of '87 and I had a MASSIVE crush on that step-daughter back then. Watching this reminds me of why I found her so utterly fascinating. Never saw her in anything else after this, which is a shame. Never knew the screenwriter was a pulp novelist. Makes sense!

[@hadara69]

@@markrowlett6921 Oh right! I think I did see that, actually. So cringe though! Freddy Kruger doing bad Shakespeare. Yea, she was something else.

[@hudsonsirheshicks2653]

Stepfather is absolutely brilliant as is Quinn, but to call it a franchise isn’t fair considering the sequels just should never of happened lol. I’m glad you appreciate the film, too. More people need to see this

[@Largentina.]

Whether the sequels should or shouldn't have happened has nothing to do with something being a franchise. A film with multiple sequels is a franchise regardless of the quality of it's sequels.

[@bryanrizzo9377]

When Stephanie is listening to Pat Benatars "Run Between the Raindrops" in her room I would imagine thats a picture of her real father on the nightstand right next to her. I understand and feel that pain and depression.

[@bmsquared]

You've got a new subscriber in me. Your vids are informative, entertaining and professionally made. I shall be looking forward to each new video eagerly

[@InPraiseofShadows]

Thank you so much that means a lot to me. I’ve got a lot of fun stuff coming up for the Halloween season that I’m excited about so I hope you like it!

[@sandroilpelato7153]

Am I the only one that gets some serious Kira Yoshikage vibes from Terry O'Quinn's performance ? Jerry Blake just wants a quiet life....

[@ryanjavierortega8513]

sandro ilpelato What daT be?

[@dragonheart1236]

@@ryanjavierortega8513 Yoshikage Kira is a character from the anime/manga JoJo's Bizarre Adventure. He is a serial character with a.... Different fetish, and prefers to not stand out. His goal is to simply live a quiet life, while also indulging in his dark habits

[@theflashgordon193]

Yeah I think Araki take inspiration from this movie too. In the 3rd movie he even change is face like in jojo. he insert himself in this family and the setpdaughter figure out his identity ect ... Same plot

[@dolphin2046]

My name is Yoshikage Kira. I'm 33 years old. My house is in the northeast section of Morioh , where all the villas are, and I am not married. I work as an employee for the Kame Yu department stores, and I get home every day by 8 PM at the latest. I don't smoke, but I occasionally drink. I'm in bed by 11 PM, and make sure I get eight hours of sleep, no matter what. After having a glass of warm milk and doing about twenty minutes of stretches before going to bed, I usually have no problems sleeping until morning. Just like a baby, I wake up without any fatigue or stress in the morning. I was told there were no issues at my last check-up. I'm trying to explain that I'm a person who wishes to live a very quiet life. I take care not to trouble myself with any enemies, like winning and losing, that would cause me to lose sleep at night. That is how I deal with society, and I know that is what brings me happiness. Although, if I were to fight I wouldn't lose to anyone

[@mitchellshuttleworth3204]

This was a really good video, as with all of your videos you put in alot of detail. But you forgot to mention the real life inspiration for the Stepfather figure. Yes, this franchise was based off the real life Killer, John List who was a very successful accountant. Unfortunately he was let go from his bank and never told his family, who were living in this gorgeous 18 room mansion. Every morning he would get out of the house under the guise of going to work but in Reality he was desperately trying to find work. Eventually List snapped after months of unsuccessful job hunting and alot of debt. He murdered his entire family, wife, three kids and elderly mother using a hand gun. List was also a neat freak so he took the bodies and placed them in a corner of the house before scrubbing the floor, walls and everything clean. He then told the neighbors, kids' school and family friends that he and his family were going to stay with his wife's sick mother for a few weeks, then he drained all the savings, put a hold on the mail and then vanished. He was never found after the murders, only the bodies of his family were discovered by police after the neighbors reported something suspicious. List even took all the photos of the family pictures and cute himself out so that the cops wouldn't know what he look like. Years later in 1989 on a true crime show, America's most wanted a forensic Pathologist was brought in to do a sculpture of what John List would look like 18 years after he killed his family. A neighbor in Dener, Colorado, recognized the sculpture and it looked almost exact like they're friend Robert Clark who List had made his new identity with after moving around the country. This man had a brand new family and had been living in Denver ever since until his arrest and conviction for five accounts of murder. He would later die of pneumonia at the age of 82. I know this is pretty long but I wanted to really hammer it in that sometimes when it comes to horror movies art imitates life. Again, great job with the video. I'm looking forward to seeing more!

[@user-jn1wm3tb8v]

As someone who has been in relationships with parents and has been a stepmother the idea that someone you thought you knew and had a family had a whole other family who he murdered...terrifying

[@DainDenham]

Great film analysis like always. Your knowledge on film is incredible. Love your videos

[@InPraiseofShadows]

Haha thanks! This one was fun for me to make, even though I knew it probably wouldn’t be a giant hit I wanted to work on it. I think I’m going to do a few shorter videos next in the next few weeks before I tackle another big project again though, but by the end of summer I at least want to do another franchise video and another video like the clown one where I look at a certain type of monster across the decades, thanks for always watching!

[@mightybitchy]

IMDB travia.

[@OneOctaveLower]

Your talk at about 24:00 regarding how bad remakes can help to reinforce what makes the original work so well, might be one of the most insightful comments i've ever heard in the circle of movie criticism. Just discovered the channel (And i know it's a year late to comment), but i'm a huge fan already.

[@InPraiseofShadows]

Oh thanks! I appreciate that, glad you found the channel.

[@saladman420]

Damn I’ve never heard of this movie until I saw your vid. I can’t believe you don’t have more subscribers. Your vids are interesting and I could listen to you talk about anything

[@themadlad8540]

His video isn't well done he misses alot of stuff.

[@elmaistrodeteotihuacan]

@@themadlad8540 he focuses on certain points he finds that relate to the overall idea and concepts that made the first film work and the others not so much, these videos aren't meant to give you a summary of the films, that would be completely pointless

[@officialnezquick]

Finally I found a video talking about one of my favorite horror movies. The opening scene still gives me chills 10 years after I first saw it!

[@KelniusTV]

Uh... when I play stuff on my TV, I sit the box up facing me. That way, if I forget to put the disc back in the case, the next person to use the TV can find it easily.

[@bryanrizzo9377]

This is one of my favorite horror classics from the 80s and I enjoy part 2 as well. Everyone gave a great performance including Jill Schoelen as the very sweet but troubled daughter and also stepdaughter of Terry O Quinns character. I also like Jill Shoelen in Popcorn which came out 4 years later.

[@burtbiggum499]

This type of murderer is known as a “family annihilator” and there are real cases of this happening.

[@VashXTrigun]

"Makes me nostalgic for a time that I never lived in", "It is able to make me reminisce and commune with a time that I don't actually know." I hear you, I have the same feelings with Japanese '80s Citypop music. A different kind of medium and genre than movies or horror, but still.

[@emilyvilleneuve9315]

One of the few other films that really gets the viewer into the mind of the killer the way you describe is Maniac (2012). Both films open showing you the brutality of what this person can do, yet as the narrative goes on you do feel sorry for them. What I love about the Maniac Remake is how it's nearly entirety in the POV of the psychopath. The film makes you see what's going on in their mind and forces you to watch the immense brutality with no escape. Maniac (2012) is one of very few horror films that make me feel uncomfortable watching it (Last House on the Left 1972 is another), but I love it for that. P.S. I'd love to see a Re-Animator retrospective.

[@theoneupwarrior94]

Your videos are always VERY well written and researched. I love learning about all this horror history. You're doin the lord's work maboi, great job keep going dude!

[@InPraiseofShadows]

Thanks, I appreciate it!

[@michaelmoran9720]

Love the Anatomy series. Please make more!

[@InPraiseofShadows]

Thanks! There’s a new video on Friday and it’s not one of those, but the video after that one should come really soon and that is on the Tremors movies. I plan on hopefully doing at least four at year in that series from here on.

[@sr6826]

You have a wonderfully expressive and aurally pleasing voice. I love finding more horror video essayists like you.

[@hawkticus_history_corner]

The Stepfather is a Slasher movie, though its more of the slow burn variety. He'd be more of the Charmer style, where he gets what he wants with smooth talking and a pleasant smile. Slasher is a pretty broad umbrella

[@danielthrasher1738]

A note on Roger Ebert in what I otherwise consider an exceptional video: 2 1/2 stars out of 4 was not indicative of hatred on his part. It was his most common score, indicating a mixed or midling response to a film. And he did use language to imply his feeling were mixed. "Uneven but haunting" etc. I've read alot of Ebert. He made actual hatred known, and passionately. I also feel the accusation of him not liking fun things is a bit off. He loved and collaborated with Russ Meyer, thought The Producers was the funniest damn thing he'd ever seen, and gave Shoot Em Up 3 1/2 stars out of 4. Anyway, great vid :) just discovered your work through Super Eyepatch Wolf and I'm tearing through each video with every free moment. Edit: Will also be checking these films out soon!

[@leejohn5485]

The most beautiful shots in movie history. Love those videos too.

[@WalterLiddy]

This is a good reminder to revisit the film. I haven't seen it since it's VHS release, but I remember being struck by how much more interesting it was than ostensibly comparable horror films of the time.

[@blacknbougie8021]

I just saw this movie for the first time last month and I loved it. I'm an 80's baby,so I'm not sure how I missed it growing up but I def enjoyed the nostalgia of it. Your analysis of it is quite thought provoking to say the least.

[@TheKingRobot]

loved this series. I could've sworn there was a part 4 but it may have just been my wishes lol

[@QazwerDave]

Hannibal only turned that way after being imprisoned. Before that, he was presisely like this man.

[@stevenfraser81]

FUN FACT: Tina Fey quotes the "Who am I here?" line, then namechecks the Stepfather on the bonus features for 30 rock season 7, while doing a set tour! Really happy thet you covered the sequels too. Stepfather 2 is definitely very underrated!

[@dustymingus2599]

Just watched this movie for research on a script I'm writing... So glad I saw this gem.

[@levischorpioen]

I'd love to see a video like this about the Saw franchise!

[@phil7144]

Same

[@kevinrhea7332]

Or xmas themed slashers just sayin

[@caracarter5946]

What I’ve learned through this series is that the Weinsteins honestly had no clue what they were doing when it came to horror and they probably should have left well enough alone

[@pomponi0]

This sounds like the inspiration for Kira from Jojo's Bizarre Adventure

[@dragonheart1236]

I don't know the dates of which came first, but yeah, the two are very similar

[@talkinghoorse6936]

Considering how much Araki loves classic horror movies, I believe it.

[@theflashgordon193]

agree

[@masterzoroark6664]

This opening you described really reminds me of Yoshikage Kira from Jojo part 4, the arc where Yoshikage kills father of a kid and takes his place to hide from protagonists. And the same arc contains the Groundhog's day loop for one of the character

[@damianstarks3338]

I remember this movie franchise thanks for bringing it to my attention again.

[@zacattack3532]

Great video man, I've loved these movies since I was little.

[@InPraiseofShadows]

Thanks man, same here haha the first movie has always been on of my favorites my whole life and I knew I wanted to make a video on it for a while now

[@wyatt8724]

I love your anatomy of a franchise videos! I hope you might do Human Centipede, even though there’s less of them.

[@Irma_Vep]

Love your channel, just found it and been watching all your content. Subscribed right after I saw your Dolls video. Keep it up! 🖤

[@fedoratheexplorar2143]

I've never really cared about the Stepfather movies but this vid definitely made me very interested. Even the second and third movies look really good to me, even if with the third one its just how entertaining and cheesy it is. I am a huge Leprechaun fan and ever since you have said that Leprechaun is your favourite horror series I always wanted to have you cover those series. It would also be interesting for you to state your thoughts on Sleepaway Camp, Basket Case and the 2006 Rubber movie but if I had to name the most desired series I would love you to cover it is Nightmare on Elm Street. If you want to cover something more modern, I would very much like to see your thoughts on the Saw series. Loving your videos and the exceptional way you paint those films as always.

[@InPraiseofShadows]

Thank you! I hope you like the Stepfather Movie, as silly as the third one is I still love it just because of how fun it is haha. I actually got halfway through making the Leprechaun video back for St. Patrick's Day and I got sick and couldn't finish it in time, so its been sitting that way on my hard drive for a while now, but it will for sure come some time for sure, I even have the thumbnail finished for it and everything. I love Rubber and Basket Case a lot, and I definitely want to do a Sleepaway Camp one soon as well along with Pantasm because this year is the 40th anniversary of the first one. Nightmare on Elm Street is a big one that I need to do right but will do sometime. I need to spread the larger more well known franchises out so that the end of this series isn't just a bunch of small franchises like this one haha but that will definitely be made in this series at some point. Thanks you for always watching, I'm glad you've been digging them!

[@fedoratheexplorar2143]

@@InPraiseofShadows Very glad to have discovered you but its also kind of sad to see you so small and not getting a lot of views. Still, who knows, you may have your breakout. What are your thoughts on the Saw movies?

[@InPraiseofShadows]

@@fedoratheexplorar2143 haha yeah I hope it eventually does pick up, I'm happy with how things are at the moment because I am still growing but I can't say that it wouldn't be nice to have a big jump. I had one back in September and that helped out a lot, so I honestly think another one like that could be all I needed to gain a lot more traction with subs and views and such. As for Saw, I'm a little mixed. I do like the first two movies, but for the most part I'm not super big into the really violent movies from this time period like that and Hostel, but I might still do something with them one day. It's not that they bother me, I just don't really like how grim they are. I love super violent comedy horror though, like Dead Alive and such. I know a ton of people are really into them but they never really clicked with me personally for the most part, although I have seen them all I think except for Jigsaw from like 2 years ago.

[@reddnacpil4420]

this channel is what ive been waiting for in YT

[@Xehanort10]

The Stepfather from the original series killed families for not living up to his delusion of the perfect one but the Stepfather from the remake seemed like he was just marrying into different families then killing them for the hell of it.

[@DavesArtRoom]

Perhaps you connect with this movie so much because although it is in the 80’s; it is also timeless in substance.

[@jesternario]

I don't know why, but "the dead blink" sounds like a weird, and potentially fun zombie film.

[@mysticthemanakete]

It didn't get murder story bad, but BOY do I have an entire stepfather horror story of my own. He was emotionally abusive to me enough that I felt unwelcome in my mother's own home, tried to isolate her as much as possible from friends and loved ones (especially since he deliberately bought automatic gear-shift cars she didn't know how to drive and his house was in a shitty area in terms of public transport), and was actually sexually abusive to a relative of mine. Worst part is, he got away with it after he abused the legal age of consent (16 here in the UK, which the victim was at the time) by claiming that there WAS consent, meaning the case was pretty much dropped despite all the evidence of his crimes, and he actually showed up at an event that he KNEW my mother and I were likely to attend earlier this year, trying to manipulate people into believing his version of events. Apparently it was the second year running he'd done this as well, but we weren't there the year before. Luckily nobody listened to his bs. Just goes to show that sometimes, if you get a gut feeling that something is just wrong with a relationship like this - where you keep trying and trying and it feels like you only get the kind of parental affection you hope to receive when they've already driven you to tears - that maybe you need to listen to it. There was just SO MUCH ELSE wrong with that guy I've not gone into here, and I'd probably better not or it would basically take me all night to write this comment.

[@paysonterhune290]

I was class of 1985...you really missed out...New Wave, the Satanic Panic, hair metal on the Sunset Strip....

[@ValleyMermaid]

This movie is terrifying! So well done! Excellent film that truly should fit in multiple genres, drama, thriller, horror....

[@bobd9116]

I love stuff like this! Big fan of this franchise!

[@absoluteaficionado515]

"[...], because the sheer emotional based terror of knowing someone who isn't actually who they say they are is exponentially more upsetting than actually watching them do what they do in the shadows." Ha, this hits close to home. I used to love someone for the good I wanted to see in there and which she wanted me to believe in, but in the end she had next to none thereof. It was absolutely horrible to realize, that I am in fact not in love with an emotionally unstable, but ultimately warm and loving woman - rather she was an unfaithful, drama-craving and -producing heartless manipulator who tried to eradicate my personality and replace it with that of a generic and obedient showpiece pet, while I had accepted her in her entirety, except for the drama. That went on for 2&1/2 years. Don't trust people with personality disorders, you will suffer. The more extreme it is, the less capable of healthy relationships they are.

[@odalvarado]

I thought in SF2 she just woke up when he brought the wine, or he could have said he went across the street to his house for it...

[@GhettoFabulousLorch]

> The men in these situations would have been caught in weeks > Shows clips from Henry: Portrait of a Serial Killer > A movie about a real life serial killer (Henry Lee Lucas) Granted, the movie is more a "portrait" of if he actually committed all of the murders he confessed to.

[@cesartheunknown9709]

I'm not completely sure because I found this information a long ago, but the movie es based on Henry Lee Lucas, not about him

[@millerkatz1463]

They didn't catch John List after a few weeks... "On November 9, 1971, a quiet, unassuming accountant in New Jersey committed a horrifying crime. After his three teenage children had left for school, John List crept into the kitchen and shot his wife of twenty years in the back of the head. He then climbed the stairs to his mother’s suite, and kissed her before shooting her in the face. Once he’d put his grisly plan into action, List reportedly felt he couldn’t back out. He cleaned the home, moved the body of his wife to the empty ballroom, where he’d laid sleeping bags on the floor, and then began to write. List stopped the family’s milk, mail, and newspaper deliveries. He sent letters to his children’s schools and part-time jobs, explaining that they would be out of town for an undetermined amount of time to deal with a family emergency. He closed both his own and his mother’s bank accounts. This god-fearing, deeply religious man then wrote a five-page letter to his pastor, explaining the reason behind the murders. Once that was done, he had nothing to do but wait. And eat lunch. His sixteen-year-old daughter Patricia was the first to come home from school. As she walked inside the house, she was shot in the back of the head. List did the same to his 13-year-old son, Frederick, and then drove to his eldest son’s school to watch him play a soccer game. When they returned home, List murdered his last remaining child, but unlike the others, John Jr. didn’t go quietly. His body jerked as List emptied a 9 millimeter and a .22 into him. John Jr. was shot multiple times in the chest and face. “I don’t know whether it was only because he was still jerking that I wanted to make sure that he didn’t suffer, or that it was sort of a way of relieving tension, after having completed what I felt was my assignment for the day,” List said. After more cleaning (List was nothing if not methodical), it was time for dinner. List said that he ate a peaceful, untroubled meal while his murdered family bled onto the sleeping bags in the ballroom. (His mother was left upstairs with a towel over her face, as her body was too heavy for this mild-mannered monster to move.) What many people find incredible is that List then went to bed and “slept like a baby,” as if he hadn’t a care in the world. The next day, he turned down the thermostat, switched on all the lights in the house, and turned the radio to his favorite classical music station. No one saw John List again for eighteen years. His crimes were discovered a month later, when neighbors noticed the house lights were going out one by one and called the police. List was finally brought to justice, thanks to the TV series America’s Most Wanted. The show’s producers had commissioned a bust of what List would look like nearly two decades after his terrible crime. Ironically, List was a big fan of the show, and even saw part of the episode that featured him. He was surprised by how much the bust resembled him, but otherwise he wasn’t concerned. List was arrested at his accounting job in Virginia when a neighbor recognized the so-called “Bob Clark” as the man the FBI were looking for. Even after police confirmed that “Clark’s” fingerprints were a match for List’s, List continued to insist that they had the wrong man. Confronted with evidence from the crime scene and the police’s knowledge of List’s scars and other unique physical characteristics, he eventually confessed. Chillingly, List had managed to create a completely new life. He was remarried to a divorcee, Delores Miller, and reportedly happy. Thankfully the couple didn’t have children. So what would lead a Sunday School teacher to shoot his children, wife, and mother in cold blood? List apparently had trouble keeping a job. There was something about him that just didn’t fit, and he was fired or laid off again and again. Meanwhile, the bills kept piling up. He had two mortgages on his Victorian house. He’d been stealing money from his mother’s account. While he claimed in his infamous five-page letter that the 1970s were a “sinful time,” and that he killed his family to save their souls so they could go to heaven, his financial difficulties likely had a lot more to do with it. His wife had contracted syphilis from her first husband, and the disease was affecting her brain, leading List to resent her and feel he’d been “tricked” into marrying her too young. He also no doubt resented his overbearing, controlling mother, who insisted on living with them. All these pressures combined made List crack. www.jhmoncrieff.com/murder-at-the-movies-the-true-story-behind-the-stepfather/

[@eliwilder9657]

a stepfather tv show could be fucking classic. could kinda be a response to stranger things as well. i can imagine them incorporating the teen mystery trope more by having the daughter and her freinds do some Nancy drew type shit to discover the true identity of the father over 8 or so episodes.

[@mattebertmusic8135]

You blowin up....great work.

[@InPraiseofShadows]

Thanks!

[@MarvelFanboy-ff1zq]

I want a stepfather tv show, with at least 2 seasons

[@ron_ald69]

it's crazy, Robert Wightman was the new actor in 2 cases of absolutely hated replacements, first replacing Richard Thomas as John-Boy, then replacing Terry O'Quinn. There's something to be said for being second string, I guess!

[@SonnyBLightSun]

The beginning of The Stepfather 1987 should be the beginning of an X Files episode.

[@masterzoroark6664]

Also. Whenever i hear about Weinsteens (Veinsteins?) I go "Oh, Hello there"

[@pheresy1367]

I remember watching this franchise in the 80s while it aired on cable television. It totally got under my skin. My take on the Stepfather character is different than yours. I didn't perceive him as someone with a "defect" and was ACTUALLY searching for and needing love (as you put it), but rather as someone incapable of love and who only fetishized the role of being a "father" along with all the props that come with it. The most scary aspect of HIM is that he was a complete fraud as a parent and husband but could EASILY remained hidden in plain sight. This is due to her being "in need" and that the culture of American suburbia makes it easy for someone like him to blend in. He was only playing the role of "stepfather", and was bereft of any motivation that would drive someone to actually get married and become a caring family man. Just like a child who has mastered "playing house" but lethal to anyone who disrupts his "play time". He didn't regard people in his new life as being "actual living beings", but only as props for his game which could only culminate in their deaths after deciding he was done playing with them. It's disturbing to acknowledge that most can be fooled by a good sustained act. That is scary to me. The movie portrayed it in a way that was so believable. None of this was far-fetched. We even had a president during this time that was an ACTUAL actor who exuded an air of "caring authority", competence, and great leadership. He became the ultimate father figure. For a majority of Americans, that was more than enough to be considered a "great president".

[@annadau8612]

Please do a video essay on Psycho and its sequels!!

[@LucyLioness100]

That would be quite fascinating for those who are completely unaware that “Psycho” got 3 sequels. And the sequels aren’t really that bad

[@rxtsec1]

Lost is my favorite tv show and the part of Locke/MiB was specifically written for him & this movie was what made them want him

[@jeanetteivy5229]

Listen to that little voice within. We all have it but we tend to ignore it, until we can't. But then...it's too late.

[@myoriginalname]

Took me a good few seconds to realize he is John Locke from Lost.

[@Pocketrocket-pj1us]

1:10 I was lucky enough to pick up an original version of that poster, back in 1990! I had a stepfather who was abusive to my sister and I. So when watched the film it becade an instant classic. Currently, the framed poster is in my Movie, Man(son) Cave

[@MrGemHunter]

Damn those darn Weinsteens I wonder if they did anything else bad?

[@dbzelite2099]

So in stepfather 3 the mother of the son that's in a wheelchair says that the kid has been too 9 different Doctors and they all say the same thing, that he should be able to walk, it's just a psychological issue that he can't, that is why jerry Blake tries to get him out of the wheelchair. In the remake, jerry Blake's finance has two lesbian friends (not sisters) one owns a real estate business, and the blonde is her partner, she dosnt hire a private investor but she does try to dig up some dirt on Jerry by contacting the ex husband of her friends kids inwhich Jerry learns this as he has killed the ex husband and has his phone.

[@ValleyMermaid]

So well said!!!

[@TheValhalla1989]

22:56 I can hear the music build up as the kids stands up out of the chair.

[@ethanyoder9953]

So Terry O' Quinn was in this and Pin? I didn't realize he was a horror icon.

[@themarkiscookin]

Wait a minute who am I here

[@kialoves2543]

Let me be another to confirm that, for me, the 80s was definitely a great time to be a kid.

[@jasonmack2569]

I never saw the remake but it would seem to me that by adding all the additional characters, you lose the feeling of isolation. In the original Stephanie has no one that can 100% confirm her suspensions. That feeling of being on your own really added to the suspense for me.

[@millerkatz1463]

This is true. Also making the protagonist a hulking 17 year old who looked like he could have been cast as the stepfather himself in a few years traded the vulnerability we identify in Stephanie and her mother for an army brat who looks like he could waste the Stepfather with one punch. That's just one of almost every flaw. Sela Ward deserved a better script.

[@shawnmarla9663]

Stepfather is an amazing movie series very underrated

[@zttev]

Comet aired these recently, I knew there was something off about Stepfather 2. I thought it was funny how each ending leads directly to the start of the next, but he was basically Michael Myers so he can't be killed.

[@andysalter7192]

I never saw Jerry as just wanting love but can't due to a deep flaw , I always saw it as he is looking for the perfect Norman Rockwell 50s style family due to his broken abusive childhood ( father issues mostly) and if he sees any imperfections in his new Families or it all gets to complicated he simply moves on. But awesome retrospective!

[@AndyC3.0]

I remember growing up watching this movie I felt like everybody who had a stepfather was suspicious of them lol this movie scared the crap out of a lot of kids The Stepfather was diabolical.

[@Тапи-щ7н]

I don‘t understand why people love and respect Roger Ebert so much, he hated lots of movies I would consider good today and totally missed points of movies that were trying to say something, like fight club. It was supposed to be a commentary on how men have lost their purpose in society and roger ebert dismisses it as just a fighting movie.

[@jerrym1218]

Then again he did direct and wrote a movie called “Beyond the valley of the dolls” the man had very strange tastes. It might have been a parody movie, but if it wasn’t, then I don’t know what Roger Ebert was trying to say when he directed and wrote “Beyond the valley of the dolls”.

[@Lazrael32]

Supposedly, he didn't even see a lot of the movies. He would send one of his staff. Then base his review off of their summary. He was really popular just because he and his cohosts would argue I thnk.

[@Xehanort10]

Critics are supposed to be unbiased but Siskel and Ebert's "We hate horror films and want them banned because we don't like them" thing was pathetic.

[@ludovicoc7046]

@@jerrym1218 Um, The film was directed by Russ Meyer and co-written by Meyer and Roger Ebert.

[@jerrym1218]

@ludovicoC- so he was a co-writer of Beyond the valley of the dolls? Thank you for clearing that up, I knew I remembered seeing his name on the credits of the film back in the day, and it was a strange movie lol, even though it was probably a parody type movie of its time.

[@kingcatfish733]

Just started binging your content and you talk about puppet master quite frequently. I had forgotten about seeing those movies so many years ago. I don't yet know if this comment to this video will fit beyond being about anatomy of a franchise. But please, I'd love to see you do the anatomy of puppet master. Good work and thanks for the entertainment

[@InPraiseofShadows]

Thanks for watching them, and absolutely, I really want to do Puppet Master as one of those videos. My main goal is to by the end of my time on KZbin to do a video for every major and most minor franchises. So Puppet Master will definitely be in that group for sure.

[@kingcatfish733]

@@InPraiseofShadows excellent! I can't wait. I remember staying up late at a weirdly young age and caught most of them and some phantasm haha.

[@jonathanc4166]

This is a really good psychological thriller. It's not a slasher like some label it as. The second one was not as good but it had a lot of dark humor in it.

[@WallyTony]

I used to have a standup display from this movie as a kid.

[@ChristophersRants]

Great essay!

[@emilyrose7484]

Terry O'Quinn is one the best castings in horror from this era

[@DatsWhatXiSaid]

Psycho 2 also goes a similar route to Stepfather 2, an actual continuation story. And Normal Bates is legally sane in the beginning, so there's no breakout, thus his subsequent breakdown really blurs reality and madness. It was clearly a lower quality movie, but the script had some very interesting angles.

[@AcbLynn132]

Still hav the VHS. This movie was so dope

[@Metroidhandler]

Great video✌️

[@Adam-qv2bd]

The world was awesome in the late 80s, in WA state. Taping songs off the radio, Nintendo was huge. Simpler life.

[@radicalpineappleproduction8839]

I prop up a game on the TV stand, and also usually with movies I think it looks cool

[@MatthewAdamAda]

Jeepers creepers was one of the scariest beginnings of a movie in the daylight