The Stepfather
1987 · 89 min · Director: Joseph Ruben
Show plot summary (may contain spoilers)
A family-values man named Jerry Blake (Terry O'Quinn) marries widows and divorcées with children in search of the perfect family. As soon as his new family members show signs of being human and not robots who will march unquestioningly to his tune, his dreams of domestic bliss begin to crumble, and he kills them. Then he alters his appearance, assumes a new identity, and skips to another town to begin the deadly ritual all over again. He marries Susan Maine (Shelley Hack), who sees him as the ideal surrogate father for her teenage daughter Stephanie (Jill Schoelen), and he is soon up to his old tricks when she proves to be too much of a troublesome teen to handle.
Emotional fingerprint
The Stepfather (1987) — Movie. Top emotional signals: Fear 38%, Tension 25%, Anxiety 18%. Source: AI estimate. Shares describe emotional signal, not percentages of people. Your experience may differ. How we measure
- Fear38%
- Tension25%
- Anxiety18%
- Disturbing12%
- Relief7%
AI estimate · no viewer votes yet
How we measure
AI estimate
Share of emotional signal, not the percentage of people or a probability of enjoyment.
Each viewer contributes one response, split equally across their selected emotions. When available, an automated estimate supplies a prior that is blended with those responses. Counts include distinct viewers, not automated estimates or archived anonymous votes. Fewer than 3 viewers is an early estimate; more responses do not guarantee certainty.
Why it feels this way
The strongest emotional signals are Fear, Tension, Anxiety. Genres: Thriller, Horror. AI estimate.
Is it worth watching?
Consider this title if you are looking for Fear, Tension and Anxiety. Its IMDb rating of 6.7/10 suggests a generally positive audience reception. For these leading emotions, its Feel Score is 70/100.
How did it make you feel?
Votes are saved to the fingerprint once you’re signed in.
Pick up to three · 0/3
Emotional journey
- Tension
- Fear
- Curiosity
Not enough subtitle evidence
No dominant emotion
Dominant emotion: Joy
Dominant emotion: Sadness
Dominant emotion: Curiosity
Dominant emotion: Tension
Dominant emotion: Fear
Dominant emotion
| % | Approximate minute | Dominant emotion | Overall intensity | Tension | Fear | Curiosity |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2.5 % | ≈ 2′ | Not enough subtitle evidence | Not enough subtitle evidence | Not enough subtitle evidence | Not enough subtitle evidence | Not enough subtitle evidence |
| 7.5 % | ≈ 7′ | Joy | 48 % | 15 % | 2 % | 15 % |
| 12.5 % | ≈ 11′ | Sadness | 49 % | 30 % | 9 % | 16 % |
| 17.5 % | ≈ 16′ | Sadness | 54 % | 43 % | 21 % | 29 % |
| 22.5 % | ≈ 20′ | Curiosity | 59 % | 49 % | 30 % | 43 % |
| 27.5 % | ≈ 24′ | Tension | 61 % | 57 % | 36 % | 41 % |
| 32.5 % | ≈ 29′ | Tension | 59 % | 57 % | 36 % | 39 % |
| 37.5 % | ≈ 33′ | Tension | 54 % | 51 % | 31 % | 43 % |
| 42.5 % | ≈ 38′ | Tension | 53 % | 51 % | 30 % | 46 % |
| 47.5 % | ≈ 42′ | Tension | 57 % | 56 % | 36 % | 41 % |
| 52.5 % | ≈ 47′ | Tension | 68 % | 56 % | 41 % | 29 % |
| 57.5 % | ≈ 51′ | Sadness | 64 % | 36 % | 25 % | 18 % |
| 62.5 % | ≈ 56′ | Joy | 55 % | 28 % | 14 % | 15 % |
| 67.5 % | ≈ 60′ | Tension | 58 % | 43 % | 22 % | 20 % |
| 72.5 % | ≈ 65′ | Not enough subtitle evidence | Not enough subtitle evidence | Not enough subtitle evidence | Not enough subtitle evidence | Not enough subtitle evidence |
| 77.5 % | ≈ 69′ | Curiosity | 45 % | 38 % | 20 % | 40 % |
| 82.5 % | ≈ 73′ | Tension | 64 % | 60 % | 44 % | 39 % |
| 87.5 % | ≈ 78′ | Fear | 85 % | 81 % | 75 % | 25 % |
| 92.5 % | ≈ 82′ | Fear | 93 % | 88 % | 88 % | 13 % |
| 97.5 % | ≈ 87′ | Not enough subtitle evidence | Not enough subtitle evidence | Not enough subtitle evidence | Not enough subtitle evidence | Not enough subtitle evidence |
AI reading of the film’s English subtitles (dialogue and sound cues) — not viewer votes. How we measure ↗
Afterward Reveal viewer responses · may contain spoilers
Viewer responses about feelings after the title ended, separate from feelings while watching. No AI estimates.
0 responses so far
Feeling details appear after at least 3 viewers respond, to protect privacy.
Cast
Dr. Bondurant
Karen
Paul Baker
Art Teacher
Mrs. Leitner
Receptionist
Mr. Anderson
Mrs. Anderson
Cindy Anderson
Mr. Stark
Details
- Directed by
- Joseph Ruben
- Written by
- Brian Garfield, Carolyn Lefcourt, Donald E. Westlake, Brian Garfield
- Type
- Movies
- Released
- 1987
- Runtime
- 89 min
- Country
- United Kingdom, United States
- Ratings
- Feels mostly
- Fear
- Data updated
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