screen captures of Shelley
from a UK VHS promotional video
about her 1987 movie The Stepfather
Shelley appeared in the 1987 horror flick/psychological thriller The Stepfather which has since become a cult classic and a favorite of many around the world. In the movie, she played Susan Maine, a woman who married the main character Jerry (Terry O'Quinn in the title role) and tired to look past the cracks she began to notice about him. Jill Schoelen played Stephanie, Susan's daughter by her first marriage. Shelley didn't have to audition because director Joseph Ruben thought she was easy on the eyes and had a naturalness that was perfect for the role. He had seen her previously in Martin Scorsese's The King of Comedy and was impressed by her performance. He had no second thoughts in casting her for this film.
screen captures of Shelley
from a UK VHS promotional video
about her 1987 movie The Stepfather
Shelley appeared in a the UK VHS promotional video for the film where she was interviewed about the movie. In the interview, she revealed how she approached her role as Susan Maine. Upon reading the script, she initially thought Susan was a silly character (How come she never noticed what a creep Jerry is?) But as she thought more about it, she realized that many people were like Susan. Many people chose to overlook the obvious, blatant flaws in their partners. She also revealed how she reacted when she first saw the finished film and shared a few anecdotes from filming it in Canada. She talked about Terry O'Quinn and Jill Schoelen - how much they got along and how much fun they had doing the movie. Watch it at:
The Stepfather (1987) UK Promotional Video
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ms8nzH66Zww
The cover of Entertainment Weekly that featured
the "The 25 Scariest Movies of All Time," July 1999
In 1999, the film was listed by Entertainment Weekly magazine as one of the "The 25 Scariest Movies of All Time." The list was composed of films that made an impact and paved the way for other scary movies that followed them. "Funny-scary and grim-scary, smart-scary and schlocky-scary," they were all included. And the list went as follows:
1 The Exorcist (1973) Directed by William Friedkin
2 The Texas Chainsaw Massacre (1974) Directed by Tobe Hooper
3 Alien (1979) Directed by Ridley Scott
4 The Silence Of The Lambs (1991) Directed by Jonathan Demme
5 Halloween (1978) Directed by John Carpenter
6 Jaws (1975) Directed by Steven Spielberg
7 Psycho (1960) Directed by Alfred Hitchcock
8 Seven (1995) Directed by David Fincher
9 The Shining (1980) Directed by Stanley Kubrick
10 Rosemary's Baby (1968) Directed by Roman Polanski
11 A Nightmare On Elm Street (1984) Directed by Wes Craven
12 The Thing (1982) Directed by John Carpenter
13 Night Of The Living Dead (1968) Directed by George A. Romero
14 The Omen (1976) Directed by Richard Donner
15 Carrie (1976) Directed by Brian De Palma
16 Henry: Portrait Of A Serial Killer (1990) Directed by John McNaughton
17 Phantasm (1979) Directed by Don Coscarelli
18 Suspiria (1977) Directed by Dario Argento
19 The Hitcher (1986) Directed by Robert Harmon
20 Dead Ringers (1988) Directed by David Cronenberg
21 Near Dark (1987) Directed by Kathryn Bigelow
22 The Stepfather (1987) Directed by Joseph Ruben
23 Lost Highway (1997) Directed by David Lynch
24 Freaks (1932) Directed by Tod Browning
25 The Vanishing (1988) Directed by George Sluizer
