A made-for-TV sequel that has no business being even half as fun as it is, "Stepfather 3" finds The Stepfather/Keith Grant (Robert Wightman, replacing Terry O'Quinn) escaping from custody, undergoing plastic surgery and heading to California, where he soon shacks up with single mother Christine (Priscilla Barnes) and her wheelchair-bound son Andy (David Tom), who we know will be another in his long line of failed attempts at familial bliss. In many ways this movie epitomizes a type of early to mid-90s cheesy TV horror movie, from its comedic kill scenes, to its bad acting, to its sweaty but boob-free sex scene, to it's grand (but not really) finale in which the plucky kid who was onto his new stepdad from the start gets to complete his hero arc in wonderfully unlikely fashion. Basically, it's a bad movie that ticks all the right boxes for anyone nostalgic for this era, which means me. At first I was disappointed that Terry O'Quinn didn't return but Robert Wightman, wooden though his acting is, actually fits perfectly into the role as written, blandly ingratiating himself with his new family -- as well other potential candidates when things start going south with his initial marks -- before hamming it up in scenes where he dispatches anyone getting in his way. I like what Priscilla Barnes and David Tom bring to the table, too, even when they're very unconvincing during the movie's more dramatic scenes. One for the "so bad it's good" canon, "Stepfather 3" surpasses low expectations.
