Movies Like The Stepfather (1987)

The Stepfather is a 1987 horror, thriller film from Joseph Ruben with a MovieMagicScore of 6.5/10. Here are 20 similar films, ranked by real viewer ratings — starting with Stepfather 2 and Stepfather 3.

Horror Thriller

Stepfather 2

1989

"Stepfather" Jerry Blake escapes an insane asylum and winds up in another town, this time impersonating a marriage counselor. With a future wife and new stepson who love him, Blake eliminates anyone who stands in his way to building the perfect family.

5.5

MagicScore

Stepfather 3

1992

After escaping a Puget Sound institution, "Stepfather" Gene Clifford alters his appearance with plastic surgery and takes on another new identity: Keith Grant. Moving to Deer View, California, Keith falls for a divorced school principal, arousing the suspicions of her wheelchair-bound, computer-savvy son.

5.3

MagicScore

Psycho

1960

When larcenous real estate clerk Marion Crane goes on the lam with a wad of cash and hopes of starting a new life, she ends up at the notorious Bates Motel, where manager Norman Bates cares for his housebound mother.

8.4

MagicScore

He Knows You're Alone

1980

A reluctant bride-to-be is stalked by a serial killer who only kills brides and the people around them. While her friends get whacked one by one, a hard-boiled renegade cop whose bride had been killed years before tries to hunt the killer down before it is too late.

5.0

MagicScore

Thesis

1996

While doing a thesis about violence, Ángela finds a snuff video where a girl is tortured to death. Soon she discovers that the girl was a former student at her college...

7.5

MagicScore

Nightmare at Shadow Woods

1987

Twins Todd and Terry seem like sweet boys -- that is, until one of them takes an axe to the face of a fellow patron at the local drive-in.

5.8

MagicScore

The Initiation

1984

An amnesiac sorority member who has been plagued by a recurring nightmare is stalked alongside other coeds by a killer in a deserted department store where they are completing a hazing ritual.

5.4

MagicScore

The Call

2013

Jordan Turner is an experienced 911 operator but when she makes an error in judgment and a call ends badly, Jordan is rattled and unsure if she can continue. But when teenager Casey Welson is abducted in the back of a man's car and calls 911, Jordan is the one called upon to use all of her experience, insights and quick thinking to help Casey escape, and not just to save her, but to make sure the man is brought to justice.

6.8

MagicScore

Prevenge

2017

A pregnant widow, believing herself to be guided by her unborn child, embarks on a homicidal rampage.

5.5

MagicScore

#10

They're Playing with Fire

1984

A married college professor decides to seduce her student, whom she hired as a handyman for her yacht. The hesitant student succumbs to his buxom professor, but their romance is interrupted by her corrupt husband and a masked murderer.

5.1

MagicScore

#11

The 'Burbs

1989

When secretive new neighbors move in next door, suburbanite Ray Peterson and his friends let their paranoia get the best of them as they start to suspect the newcomers of evildoings and commence an investigation. But it's hardly how Ray, who much prefers drinking beer, reading his newspaper and watching a ball game on the tube expected to spend his vacation.

6.8

MagicScore

#12

Hell Fest

2018

On Halloween night at a horror theme park, a costumed killer begins slaying innocent patrons who believe that it's all part of the festivities.

5.7

MagicScore

#13

The Cat o' Nine Tails

1971

A newsman works with a blind puzzle-solver to uncover a deadly conspiracy linked to a genetic research facility.

6.7

MagicScore

#14

Madman

1981

Madman Marz, an old folklore legend who murdered his family before escaping into the woods, is inadvertently summoned to a campsite to finish the spree he started decades ago.

5.0

MagicScore

#15

Don't Answer the Phone!

1980

A Vietnam veteran that spends his days photographing pretty girls, and his nights strangling them, sets sights on the patients of a radio psychiatrist.

4.5

MagicScore

#16

M

1931

In this classic German thriller, Hans Beckert, a serial killer who preys on children, becomes the focus of a massive Berlin police manhunt. Beckert's heinous crimes are so repellant and disruptive to city life that he is even targeted by others in the seedy underworld network. With both cops and criminals in pursuit, the murderer soon realizes that people are on his trail, sending him into a tense, panicked attempt to escape justice.

8.1

MagicScore

#17

The Good Son

1993

A young boy stays with his aunt and uncle, and befriends his cousin who's the same age. But his cousin begins showing increasing signs of psychotic behavior.

6.8

MagicScore

#18

Orphan: First Kill

2022

After escaping from an Estonian psychiatric facility, Leena Klammer travels to America by impersonating Esther, the missing daughter of a wealthy family. But when her mask starts to slip, she is put against a mother who will protect her family from the murderous “child” at any cost.

6.6

MagicScore

#19

Don't Torture a Duckling

1972

A reporter and a promiscuous young woman try to solve a series of child killings in a remote southern Italian town rife with superstition and a distrust of outsiders.

7.3

MagicScore

#20

Snuff

1976

The followers of a charismatic cult leader set out to murder a pregnant actress.

3.0

MagicScore

Frequently asked

What are the best movies like The Stepfather?

The top films similar to The Stepfather by MovieMagicScore are Stepfather 2 (5.5), Stepfather 3 (5.3), Psycho (8.4). Each shares horror/thriller themes and is ranked by real viewer ratings, not critics or studios.

Is The Stepfather worth watching?

The Stepfather holds a MovieMagicScore of 6.5/10 from 353 viewer ratings.

What kind of movie is The Stepfather?

The Stepfather (1987) is a horror, thriller film directed by Joseph Ruben, starring Terry O'Quinn, Jill Schoelen, Shelley Hack.

Where can I find more recommendations like The Stepfather?

Browse the full ranked list above, or explore more horror recommendations on MovieMagicScore, where every list is ordered by genuine viewer ratings.

Keep exploring

Movies like Stepfather 2 Movies like Stepfather 3 Movies like Psycho Movies like He Knows You're Alone Movies like Thesis Movies like Nightmare at Shadow Woods

About movies like The Stepfather

This ranked list pairs The Stepfather (1987), a horror and thriller film from Joseph Ruben, with similar titles by genre, theme and cast overlap (fans of Terry O'Quinn take note). Unlike critic-driven sites, every position here is ordered by MovieMagicScore — a rating built only from real viewers, with no studio marketing or paid placement. Scores update as more people rate, so the list stays current.

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