Stepfather III – Fast Forward Theater
The psycho stepfather, previously played by Lost’s Terry O’Quinn, is back after having his face surgically altered. This time he’s married to a woman with a child in a wheelchair. He goes on a killing spree once again.
Director: Guy Magar
Starring: Robert Wightman (The Waltons), Priscilla Barnes (Three’s Company, The Devil’s Rejects), David Tom (Veronica Mars), John Ingle (Heathers, RoboCop 2)
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Reviews
The Classic “Hard to Find” Horror Movie [5/5]
This particular movie in the Stepfather series is kind of comical (like part 2). The actor portrays a “dorky” or “square” sort of a guy who is really a psychopath. This crazy guy receives plastic surgery to keep his cover and he moves to some “cornball” suburban neighborhood. He takes a job working as a gardener for some fat, trashy looking dude.
Of course, this psychopath does the whole Catholic church bit and tries to be normal and meets a new woman. He eventually marries this woman who also has a son. He tries to connect with the son but the son thinks the guy is a total nerd. Things soon go awry with this new family because Keith the “loony” (main character) has some weird “perfect family” image.On one of his gardening routes he meets another woman (now we have Keith the “player”) where he engages into some more intimate social contact. His boss catches on to this new deal and confronts the psychopath (the dialogue during this scene is absolutely hilarious and eventful). The boss soon realizes he made a mistake when he finds a rake swung into his chest and abdomen simultaneously. He looks like a pansy gardener but is really a vicious killer (what an original idea?!). I am sure you can guess what kind of organic material he uses for growing his flowers!
Anyways, there are a series of events that take place (the priest suddenly found dead, the two woman finding out about each other, the smart stepson on his “sleuthing” adventure, etc.) that all lead to a classic chaotic ending. I am an extreme horror fan and have spanned all elements of gore and mystification(some laced with comical “corniness,” such as this flick, without detracting from the psychopathic intensity). This movie pops up in my mind much of the time and is so hard to find…unless your using amazon. Rent it or buy it if you can…you will not be disappointed if your a true horror fan!
– Erik Behringer
Fails as a sequel to the solid original, but on it’s own it’s a bad movie lover’s dream [5/10]
Will Hollywood ever learn? They just churn out sequel after sequel, even to films that don’t need them. Too be fair some turn out to be winners, but then some are purely and simply junk. ‘Stepfather II’ doesn’t hold a candle to the first film, which was fine on it’s own, but that didn’t stop them from taking the series any further. Made for TV, part III is another unnecessary sequel that is ultimately a cheap reproduction of the first film, but at the same time it’s so deliciously bad that it’s kind of fun to watch.
Pros: Cast does it’s best with the tired material. Great score, better than you’d expect from a movie of this caliber. Fast paced. Some good and really bloody kills. A couple good ideas here that keep this from being a total rehash. If you’re like me and you enjoy a good cheesy slasher movie then you should get some pleasure out of this one because it’s pretty silly and unintentionally humorous at times. Beautiful location. An ending you won’t soon forget.
Cons: Clocking in at 107 minutes, this movie goes on too long. Some clumsy plotting and silly dialogue. No suspense. Totally predictable. Recycles the formula of the first two without changing much. Robert Wightman is no substitute for Terry O’Quinn.
Final thoughts: Looks like the makers of this film didn’t learn from the mistakes of the last one. Like II this is more of a slasher film than a thriller like the original. But if you watch it without comparing it to the first you may have some fun with this ridiculous, but entertaining ride.
– sgtking