Shelley with Terry O'Quinn
in a promo pic for The Stepfather, 1987
Halloween is just a few days away and what better way to celebrate the holiday than to snuggle up with someone and watch horror films. In 1987, Shelley starred in the horror classic The Stepfather. It was directed by Joseph Ruben and had Terry O'Quinn in the title role. Terry played Jerry Blake (the stepfather), a man who has a knack for marrying into the "perfect" family and then killing the family off when he realizes that the family isn't "perfect" after all. Shelley played Susan Maine, the woman who marries Jerry and is willing look past the cracks on Jerry's carefully-constructed façade. Jill Schoelen played Stephanie, Susan's daughter by her first marriage. Stephanie doesn't like Jerry, finds him creepy and is determined to find out who he really is. The story was penned by Carolyn Lefcourt, Brian Garfield and Donald E. Westlake, who got screenplay credit. It was loosely based on on the story of John List, the New Jersey man who killed his own family in 1971 and then disappeared.
a writeup about The Stepfather
from 1987
Shelley was cast by the film's director Joseph Ruben who was impressed by her work in Martin Scorsese's The King of Comedy. "Shelley didn't have to test," said Ruben, "Shelley got it really off King of Comedy, because I thought she was just so believable and natural and easy. She doesn't strain on camera. And I was just knocked out by her in that movie." The film was shot on location in Canada and when it was released, Shelley told Channel Surfing: Charlie's Angels that she sneaked in alone when the film was being shown in theaters and got pretty scared with what she saw. Shelley received glowing reviews for her performance in this cult classic. The film is currently out on DVD and Blu-ray format. It is also available in various streaming platforms. It's great movie to watch for this coming Halloween, a Halloween must-see.
Shelley with Jill Schoelen
in a promo pic for The Stepfather, 1987
