Stepfather (1987)

The Stepfather follows a seemingly mild-mannered man who is obsessed with the idea of a perfect family. After brutally murdering his previous wife and stepchild when they failed to meet his expectations, he assumes a new identity and moves to a different town to try again. There, he marries a widow and takes on the role of stepfather to her teenage daughter. On the surface, hes polite, hardworking, and eager to bond, but beneath that calm exterior is a volatile need for control. The daughter grows increasingly suspicious of his behavior, especially as his mask starts to slip and small details about his past dont add up. Her instincts tell her something is off, but no one around her seems to take her concerns seriously. As she digs deeper, the cracks in his carefully built persona widen, and it becomes clear that hes hiding something dangerous. The closer she gets to the truth, the more unstable he becomes, and it all leads to a tense and violent confrontation as his carefully maintained lie falls apart.