It's
Easter Sunday and everyone is celebrating
it including a recently divorced mother
Christine Davis (Priscilla Barnes)
with her son Andy (David Tom) who was
crippled in a wheelchair due to an
accident. Christine meets up with a
newcomer to the peaceful town Keith
Grant (Robert Wightman) who is
volunteering out for the Easter dance in
which she seems to fall in love with
later on but her ex-boyfriend Mark
Wraynal (Stephen Mendal) can't seem to
accept the fact that their relationship
is over in which he stalks her house or
anywhere she goes.
However, Keith seemed to have slaughtered
him and buried him in a garden of the
church as he is an escapee from a mental
hospital who has killed families in which
he has had relationships with and weren't
satified with them. But this time has had
plastic surgery to change his idenitity.
He ends up marrying Christine but Andy
doesn't seem to adjust to him and finding
him to be a little strange in which he
tries to get help from the family friend
Father Brennan (John Ingle) even if
he denies doing so.
It seems that Keith is not happy with his
new family and may go to do his slaying
deeds once again or anyone who tries to
alienate his family.
The story starts
off as the demented killer in a hood and
doesn't explain what happened previously
like the first sequel did and having a
plastic surgery but yet this still worked
out great as the story becomes incredibly
myserious and you don't know what the
killer looks like afterwards in which
anyone after this could be the psycho.
What a classic horror start indeed.
Then the next day is Easter with a priest
named Father Brennan helping out put a
costume on a newcomer named Keith Grant
in which this looks so peaceful to
someone who seems to be shy and someone
trying to do a good deed. It just makes
you want to get into it and thinking
about your everyday life hoping to have
happiness in your life.
Then there's a moment with an Easter
dance as a single mother named Christine
Davis asking Keith to dance with her as
he seems all alone and having no one to
ask him in which I found all of this
believeable and well written into the
plot. But yet you know that Keith is the
family killer. However watching this you
kinda wonder if he seems like the type of
person who will snap and go on another
killing spree since he seemed too
innocent.
But yet this peaceful moment suddenly
stops when Christine's ex boyfriend
enters the dance and tries to talk to her
and not knowing to let go. There's some
other times too when he tries to talk to
her by stalking her or watching her at
her house which makes you wonder if maybe
he will be the psychotic killer since he
seems driven to have her. This brings a
nice twist to the story really making you
wonder who the killer actually is but
then we find out it's Keith who is after
he does a deadly deed to him for being so
nasty towards him.
Keith was never successful at getting
married since he shows his true colors to
the other single mothers before the
wedding happens but suddenly the wedding
really happens and you think to yourself
that this family is in for alot of
problems.
There's alot of nicely written dialogues
between the minister Father Brennan and
the troubled child in a wheelchair Andy
Davis and while watching their
relationship with one another you feel
like jumping into the film and be a part
of their lives that this looked so good.
Plus you wish that Keith would leave this
preacher alone too no matter how demented
he is.
Then we do see Keith taking stuff out on
chopped wood or at his greenhouse which
he did in the previous films while doing
carpentry work showing his demented
attitude along with his traditional
whistling after he has killed someone in
which you defimetely know that this film
was based off the first two without a
doubt. Plus there's news reports talking
about the sanitarium where he escaped
which adds a great touch to the sequel.
Of course what's also effective was that
Keith can't cope with Andy being in a
wheelchair and wants to toss a football
with him but he seems hopeless as Andy
really shows his hatred towards him for
loading pressure onto him maniopulating
him to walk out of his wheelchair. This
really touches on realistic looks at some
dysfunctional stepdad's who can't accept
their stepson to who they really are as
well as trying to have a baby and not
succeeding. You keep watching wondering
if he is going to kill this family since
it's still not the perfect family that he
wanted as he seems to have an affair with
a new single mom moving into the town.
Alot of this psychs you out.
Then there's a moment with Andy watching
his reality crime news show trying to
take a picture of the screen that shows
the killer while staying at his father's
place and being called for dinner. It
really makes you want to watch this since
he wants to look for proof but is being
distracted while doing so.
Then there's great moments on Andy
scanning the photo and trying to match it
with Keith's photo. You just cringe
thinking that Keith will storm into the
room and do something nasty to him.
But then something happens to Father
Brennan which is incredibly disturbing to
watch as well as Keith telling Andy about
it and taking his computer away from him
to spend family time which makes you
think to yourself "What an
asshole!" Especially when he acts
full of life on Father's Day when the
funeral ceremony happens.
The near ending looked terrific taking
place at night during a thunder storm at
the greenhouse with a struggle against
Keith battling against the survivors.
There's a great horror feel to all of
this.
Bottom line is this was greatly well done
and taken in a bit of a different
direction compared to the first two but
in a great way. It has a real ending so
this killer won't come back unlike other
films such as A Nightmare On Elm
Street, Friday the 13th
or Halloween with the
killers always returning no matter what.
This piece proved to be a true trilogy
having a horror film finally coming to an
end unlike most slasher flicks. This is
worth checking out too.
The acting is
terrific as always for a film like this.
Robert Wightman (Keith Grant) steps
in to play the demented stepfather killer
in which he comes across way more
innocent and charming too. Plus he looked
very geeky looking in which you think to
yourself if he will go insane. He
certainly changes that around when he
does end up killing someone in which he
looks truly intimidating when he brings
out his intensity.
There's a moment with him screaming out in anger and chopping
firewood which looked highly energised. Does well in a scene at his plant factory by going ballistic which
looked energetically performed with him
wrecking stuff.
A good angered and insane expression on
his face during an argument. Also showed off good evil expressions in certain parts of the story too. Shows off great blocking when he forcefully whacks someone's head against a steering wheel which looked believeably brutal and intense. Also knew on how to act full of life at a breakfast table after two of his fellow actors are grieving on fathers day in which he really knew on how to act like he's completely nuts. A good moment with him acting
like a jerk towards his fellow actress at
his work place at night making out she's
at fault for an incident as this looked
incredibly believeable on a scumbag
leading someone on.He was gifted for this
part in my mind and a true character
actor indeed.
Priscilla Barnes (Christine Davis)
really brought on her role as a nice
caring divorced family woman showing no
judgements and having a good faith in
life. I almost didn't recognise her from
TV's Three's Company
that she pulled off a totally different
role in this one. She certainly studied
this part incredibly well with her mellow
attitude. A great aggressive freaking out
reaction when she
spots someone on the ground
injured.
David Tom (Andy Davis) was great as
a troubled preteen in a wheelchair as he
shows a good mischievious personality
along with showing good aggressions when
he needed to. He also really comes into
character with whatever happens in the
story. Plus knew on how to act emotional
and full of energy with his
characteristics too. Plus was realistic with his teary eyed expressions after hearing a devastating news on someone. A nice speech with him getting emotional at a funeral
which looked very convincing and strongly
done with a good emotional attitude.
John Ingle (Father Brennan) lived to
oplay a preacher in which he shows a real
fatherly good hearted behavior along with
a great sense of humor. He made his part
incredibly likeable and someone you could
talk to if you were troubled. A great
panicking reactions while a car bumps
into him while he's driving. He was
another gifted actor I found in this
film. He portrayed this so well that you
hope no harm would come to him.
Season Hubley (Jennifer Ashley)
really came well in her supporting role
as the mistress in the film in which she
does well with her pushy behavior and
really getting into her part nicely. She
does remind you as one of those
passionate types who needs some love in
her life. A good demanding moment with her towards her fellow actor at the
greenhouse on when they will live
together
Although this actor had a small role I
thought I'd mention him which is Stephen
Mendel (Mark Wraynal) really comes
across wonderfully as someone who can't
let go of someone in which he shows great
aggressions and a dominant attitude. You
kinda wonder if he could be a psychotic
killer too. A good energetic moment on him trying to talk to Barnes at her
work place with her trying to brush him
off which looked a bit tense. A nice aggressive moment with him approaching his fellow actor and getting
threatening and insulting towards him in
which this
moment looked psychologically performed and
intimidating too.
A guys face is
whacked by a shovel with flesh torn off
his chin and other areas. Later on blood
is splurted out without showing anything
graphic.
A person is bloodily stabbed by a metal
rake
A priest's head is mangled
Blood splatters out of a wood shredder
There's terrific
traditional haunting organ playing during
the beginning of this film in which
sounded very high pitched icy sounding
and incredibly powerful too. There's also
nice peaceful music as always from the Stepfather
films during the peaceful romantic
moments with lush synthesizer playing.
There's also some cheesy classical
suspenseful synthesizer sounds for when
this maniac is going to come in for the
kill here and there too but it really
fits the scene's regardless composed by Pat
Regan. |