I never quite understood the hype around the first Stepfather. It shows up on a lot of Top 50 horror lists like Entertainment Weekly. I find the second one to be far more realistic and truer to my own experience with my stepfather. The scene at the wedding was harrowing and definitely conjured up some of my past trauma, the sign of a good stepfather movie. The third one is even more realistic and relatable for me, especially the scene with the woodchipper, but that's a whole other story. In short, this is a strong underrated sequel and better than the original.

"Stepfather II" (creepily sub-titled "Make Room For Daddy") knows he isn't the original. He knows you probably won't care for him as much as the one that came before him. But he would like to try. Maybe if you just spent some time with him, you'd grow to appreciate that he is not in any way or form trying to replace his predecessor but that he's always there for you if you need him.With that in mind, the low-budget sequel to the surprise slasher/thriller flick, "The Stepfather" is a noticeable yet serviceable step-down from the original. Director Jeff Burr, who would go on to helm other horror sequels like "Leatherface: The Texas Chainsaw Massacre III" and "Pumpkinhead II: Blood Wings" does a pretty decent job of keeping "Stepfather II" from being too much of a step-down in quality. While the suspense from the original is all but gone, the film moves at a nice pace that compliments its somewhat contrived feeling. You might not be surprised or shocked while watching the film, but you'll never find yourself counting the minutes until it's over, either.It helps that the film boasts a solid cast. Leading the pack is the indispensable Terry O'Quinn, returning to the titular role. O'Quinn is given many an opportunity to expand on the character and have a little fun with it, and boy, does he. One line in particular -- the disgusted "I even had sex with you, for God's sake!" -- hinges completely on his deadpan delivery and his commitment to the character. Meg Foster plays his would-be wife, and as with anything she's appeared in, she's a pleasure to watch and classes up the whole affair in the process. A young Jonathan Brandis plays the hapless and clueless kid to perfection, while Caroline Williams entertains as the suspicious and somewhat obnoxious best-friend and neighbor, making the perfect foil for O'Quinn.The film was born in the era of mindless yet enjoyable slasher sequels and it shows. There is a lot of extra violence and gore that was shoe-horned in at the last minute, much to the dismay of the director, and often the film plays for cheap thrills whenever possible. But while it is nowhere near as effective as its predecessor, it is an enjoyable and breezy 89 minutes just the same. Worth seeing just to see Terry O'Quinn do his thing once more (he would be replaced in the mostly unseen third installment) and certainly of interest to any fan of '80s horror just the same. If you make room for daddy,"Stepfather II" promises not to disappoint.

As far as inevitable and unnecessary sequels go, the adequately acted and directed "Stepfather II: Make Room for Daddy" suffers from the fact that we've seen all of this before and will know everything that we can expect. This simply fails to bring anything new to the table. The main reason why it would work (and earn an extra point) is because the filmmakers were able to bring back the original Stepfather, the great Terry O'Quinn, to once again obsess over his search for the "perfect" family and idealized suburban life.As we see from the opening, our merry psycho has survived being shot and stabbed (naturally) and been sent to the nuthouse. Wouldn't you know it: he figures out a method of escaping and hightails it for a different area, and quickly gets up to all of his old tricks. Masquerading this time as a psychiatrist, he sets his sights on real estate agent Carol Grayland (Meg Foster), the single mother of a son named Todd (Jonathan Brandis). Assuming the identity of a "Gene Clifford", he worms his way into their lives.Too much of this is utterly predictable, including characters who seem intelligent but end up acting completely stupid. Director Jeff Burr, whose other horror sequel credits include "Pumpkinhead II" and "Texas Chainsaw Massacre III", does manage to create some suspense, and creates a few amusing touches here and there. He does the best he can with the uninspired script.Foster and Brandis are reasonably appealing, and Caroline Williams of "The Texas Chainsaw Massacre 2" fame offers an engaging presence in the supporting role of Carols' concerned friend Matty who's suspicious of Gene; Mitchell Laurance is appropriately smarmy in his brief turn as the unreliable ex-husband / father.Dedicated horror fans may derive some entertainment out of this; others are advised to stay away.Followed by another sequel, "Stepfather III" sans O'Quinn; this movies' premiere coincided with the arrest of real-life murderer John List, whose story inspired the script for the first movie.Six out of 10.

At first, in maybe the first hour or so, I thought this film as on par with the original. But then the flaws started rolling in. Granted, the first film has flaws, but this one has far more. For one, The Stepfather should have changed his appearance better, as he looked exactly as he did in the first film (someone could have recognized him from pictures on the news, or in the papers). Second off, what was with Carol's friend being so suspicious of The Stepfather? She had NO reason to, yet she suspected him of being a fake. There was simply no reason for her to have those suspicions, as he did nothing to provoke those suspicions out of her. It was just thrown in there to replicate how the daughter found out about him in the first film. It just was ridiculous. Other problems include nobody not finding the dead ex husband's body (eventually the guts of the body would have been seen), and the fact the wife somehow remembered some wine The Stepfather bought her a while back. Also, how he killed that guy in the beginning in broad daylight. It was all just too forced & unbelievable. The original felt more realistic in that sense. Any way, complaints aside, this film is pretty enjoyable, and O'Quinn gives an excellent performance yet again, but unlike it's predecessor, this film ends up being a routine slasher due to a pretty weak script. I give it a 6/10.