The Stepfather 2, 1989
Following on the heels of the first film, Jerry (Terry O'Quinn) is incarcerated in a mental-health facility. After a laughably easy escape, Jerry goes back on the prowl, quickly setting his sights on Carol (Meg Foster) and her son, Todd (Jonathan Brandis). But will Jerry find the perfect family without bloodshed this time? Of course not.
First, thumbs up for watching two films in a row that feature Meg Foster.
I was really pleasantly surprised by the first
Stepfather film, largely due to O'Quinn's performance. His performance in this film is still pretty good and anchors the whole thing, but the script for this one chooses to lean a lot more into comedy. This does land at times (such as a baffled Jerry viewing a VHS dating-by-mail tape), but I can't help feeling that the movie would have been much stronger if it had put some of that energy into developing the relationships.
The most dynamic aspect of the film is the contentious relationship between Jerry (who is going by the stolen identity of a man named Gene) and Carol's best friend, Matty (Caroline Williams). Matty becomes suspicious of "Gene" very early on, and the only real suspense in the film comes from her investigations into him. With one exception, Matty's behavior feels most realistic. We know, of course, that Jerry is a murderer, but from Matty's point of view, he's at worst someone faking his identity. She knows he's a creep, but she has no idea the extent or danger.
By contrast, Carol and Todd are disappointingly one-dimensional. There is very little chemistry between Carol and "Gene", and while he is nice to her son, it doesn't feel right that she jumps into a relationship (and marriage!) so quickly. She is the character who most seems to make choices because the script demands it, and as a result it feels very hollow. Todd is also mainly used as a plot device, which stands in contrast to the much more active and emotional role of the daughter in the first film.
This one was . . . fine. The thing I liked most about the first movie--Jerry slowly going really insane as he tried to balance his multiple identities--isn't at all a part of this one. Not that I wanted an exact repeat, but the central focus on Carol and Todd just doesn't generate much energy. Still, for a horror sequel not too bad!