Stepfather II

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Stepfather II

R

1989

1h 26m

Horror

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Tomatometer

Popcornmeter

22%

Tomatometer

9 Reviews

35%

Popcornmeter

2,500+ Ratings

After cheating death by surviving being both stabbed and shot, psychotic killer Jerry (Terry O'Quinn) is placed in a mental institution, but he soon murders his doctor and escapes. Taking on a dead man's identity, he moves to an upscale neighborhood in Los Angeles and sets his sights on local woman Carol (Meg Foster), slowly winning her heart. Carol's son, Todd (Jonathan Brandis), grows suspicious of his mom's new lover, however, and tensions reach the boiling point at the couple's wedding.

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Nick Schager

Lessons of Darkness

Rarely has a sequel followed its predecessor's exact template like this thoroughly imitative follow-up.

Rated: C-

May 20, 2011

Full Review

Paul Lê

Bloody Disgusting

The movie is not even remotely close to being the black sheep of the Stepfather family.

Rated: 3/5

Nov 5, 2024

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Calum Baker

Radio Times

A plot that teeters on so many improbabilities, all the way up to its murderous wedding reception, needs more than O'Quinn's priceless expression when his breakfast snaps, crackles and pops.

Rated: 2/5

Jan 25, 2024

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Brian Eggert

Deep Focus Review

This brand of bad movie is unique because even while being bad, it allows the viewer to relish its awfulness and transform the experience into something enjoyable. This doesn’t happen often, but when it does, you should savor it.

Rated: 3/4

Aug 30, 2023

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Bill Cosford

Miami Herald

One of the defining characteristics of modem horror films is that no villain is ever truly dead, at least until the revenue curve is flat. And so comes Stepfather II.

Rated: 2/4

Aug 18, 2021

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David Nusair

Reel Film Reviews

...a tiresome sequel that boasts little worth recommending aside from Terry O'Quinn's expectedly electrifying performance.

Rated: 2/4

Nov 25, 2009

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Caleb L

A sequel that really only works because of just how good Terry O'Quinn is.

Rated 3.5 out of 5 stars

10/08/25

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Craig W.

Not nearly as good as the first one, but ok

Rated 3 out of 5 stars

09/09/25

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Madam D

Not as good as the original, but better than I thought it would be.

Rated 2.5 out of 5 stars

02/22/25

Full Review

Alec B

In a way it is more ambitious than its predecessor (trying to get into O'Quinn's head more is a great idea) but that doesn't translate into a better movie. Ultimately the problem is that the setup requires too many unbelievable situations and scenarios.

Rated 2 out of 5 stars

01/10/24

Full Review

Damien T

Now this is one of my favourite Horror films, Stepfather II. Terry O'Quinn's, Meg Foster's and Jonathan Brandis' performances were wonderful for me, along with Jim Manzie's score which I liked better than the original Stepfather film. The screenplay was also decent for me, but I was happy that I saw some gore in this film. I think that the director Jeff Burr did a pretty good job at this film. I'll give this film 5 out of 5 stars, and an average "A" grade. I recommend this film as well to people who are fans of Terry O'Quinn or the Stepfather films!

Rated 5 out of 5 stars

10/07/23

Full Review

Saso Q

The original Stepfather series and this entry in particular are criminally underrated cinematic statements, in my opinion. For they are nothing less than crystalline indictments of Conservativism; precise and definitive portraits of Conservatism as emotional illness. In this sense they are more effective than political argumentation, as they depict with tremendous clarity and precision -- not to mention great sense of humor -- the consequences and repercussions of the obsessive love of family values, the incapacity for flexibility and tolerating frustration... all the inevitable incongruences and imperfections in relating to the will of the other. This man, the protagonist, is an idealist, a Platonic optimist, a traditionalist, and as such given to outright expressions of the Death Instinct when things don't go the right way, the patriarchal way. This is to say, the conservative loves creation so much he is willing to kill in order to stop creativity. This is the final desperate cry of the Father, captured brilliantly in this lively filmic meditation on the terminal, lethal equation of societal collapse with change.

Rated 4 out of 5 stars

09/27/23

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Jeff Burr

Director

Terry O'Quinn

The Stepfather

Meg Foster

Carol Grayland

Caroline Williams

Matty Crimmins

Jonathan Brandis

Todd Grayland

Henry Brown

Dr. Joseph Danvers

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Synopsis

After cheating death by surviving being both stabbed and shot, psychotic killer Jerry (Terry O'Quinn) is placed in a mental institution, but he soon murders his doctor and escapes. Taking on a dead man's identity, he moves to an upscale neighborhood in Los Angeles and sets his sights on local woman Carol (Meg Foster), slowly winning her heart. Carol's son, Todd (Jonathan Brandis), grows suspicious of his mom's new lover, however, and tensions reach the boiling point at the couple's wedding.

Director: Jeff Burr
Producer: William Burr, Darin Scott
Screenwriter: John Auerbach
Distributor: Millimeter Films
Production Co: Incorporated Television Company, Millimeter Films, Part II Productions
Rating: R
Genre: Horror
Original Language: English
Release Date (Theaters): Nov 3, 1989, Limited
Release Date (Streaming): Apr 26, 2018
Box Office (Gross USA): $255.3K
Runtime: 1h 26m

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