History YMMV / TheStepfather

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* JerkassWoobie: The stepfather, in the original at least. He's absolutely sincere in his desire to build a "perfect family" and genuinely heartbroken when his relationship with Susan and Stephanie starts to fall apart. It's hard not to sympathize with him somewhat, at least until he completely snaps and decides that MurderIsTheBestSolution. The [[Film/TheStepfather2009 2009 remake]] averts it by making him a complete asshole with no redeeming or sympathetic features.

* SoBadItsGood: ''Stepfather III'' is considered the poorest of the films, where everybody seems to have TookALevelInDumbass in regards to similar characters in previous films, and the stepfather himself comes off as less of a charming sociopath and more of an obviously crazy lunatic, but people still find it entertaining in an ironic way for the same reasons. The one genuinely good thing people seem to like is Robert Wightman as the stepfather, as while he's no Creator/TerryOQuinn, he still gives a good performance.

* {{Squick}}: ''Stepfather III'' used actual plastic surgery footage for when the stepfather gets his face altered.

* AlternateCharacteraInterpretation: Why did the Stepfather continue to live a relatively secular lifestyle when many highly religious communities would have given him much more power over the household? Was he afraid he couldn't fake religious sincerity? Was he concerned about the lack of single women in groups that ostracized divorcees? Was he just unwilling to accept the constraints on his behavior a religious community would bring?

* CompleteMonster: Unlike the criminally insane original, the stepfather in the 2009 remake is a {{narcissist}}, who [[SerialKiller murders families he joins]] when they fail to meet his expectations. Already having killed at least two previous families, including their young children, the stepfather seduces single mother, Susan Harding and becomes engaged to her. Killing anyone who delves into his past to keep up his façade, the stepfather murders Susan's elderly neighbor, her ex-husband and her sister. After Susan's eldest son, Michael, discovers the stepfather's murderous past, he declares the Harding family has failed him and tries to kill them all before moving on.
* JerkassWoobie: The stepfather, in the original at least. He's absolutely sincere in his desire to build a "perfect family" and genuinely heartbroken when his relationship with Susan and Stephanie starts to fall apart. It's hard not to sympathize with him somewhat, at least until he completely snaps and decides that MurderIsTheBestSolution. The remake averts it by making him a complete asshole with no redeeming or sympathetic features.
* HilariousInHindsight: In the remake, seeing Creator/PennBadgley suspicious of his serial killer stepfather becomes hilarious after watching ''Series/{{You|2018}}'', where he is now the one desperately trying to allay suspicion from his love interests' family and friends.
* {{Narm}}:
** The "turn the volume down" line from the remake.
** The "Who Am I Here?" scene in the remake is [[LaserGuidedKarma extremely funnier]] when he goes after the dumbass who just pieces together that he was a murderer after being told repeatedly about his suspiciousness.
%% ZCE ** ''Stepfather III'' is overflowing with it.

* SoBadItsGood: ''Stepfather III'' is considered the poorest of the films, where everybody seems to have TookALevelInDumbass in regards to similar characters in previous films, and the stepfather himself comes off as less of a charming sociopath and more of an obviously crazy lunatic, but people still find it entertaining in an ironic way for the same reasons. The one genuinely good thing people seem to like is Robert Wightman as the stepfather, as while he's no Creator/TerryOQuinn, he still gives a good perfomance.
* SoOkayItsAverage: ''Stepfather II'', and the remake.

* WhatAnIdiot: Susan in the remake, [[TooDumbToLive big time!]] You'd expect her to notice something's off with her fiance when the warning signs came up, as obvious as a blaring alarm, but nope. She just swats them off. It's to the point where you'd ''want'' her to die.
** Doubly so for Amber Heard's character, who you couldn't be blamed for thinking was on the killer's side all along, the way she adamantly dismisses every one of her boyfriend's mounting list of obvious reasons to distrust his stepfather.