The Stepfather - Inspired by the John Emil List Murders

Inspired By A True Story

December 7, 1971. Five bodies have been discovered in a New Jersey mansion. They have all been brutally murdered. But the husband and father is nowhere to be found.

In 1987, Lost’s Terry O’Quinn starred in a film revolving around a serial killer in search of the ideal American family. A man who would kill anyone whom dare challenge his vision of perfection.

Be careful who parents your children because The Stepfather was inspired by a true story.

Welcome to Inspired By A True Story, a podcast where every two weeks, our award-winning hosts and film critics discuss the genuine details that have inspired some of the most memorable true crime movies around. Each episode will break down the crime or crimes that inspired a specific film, and then discuss how factual that film is, versus how much is simply Hollywood magic.

In 1987's The Stepfather, Terry O’Quinn stars as Jerry Blake, a man constantly in search of the perfect family. He claims to be a moral, upstanding, value driven man… but there is something hiding behind his eyes. Jerry marries widows or divorcees who already have children, and as soon as his vision of perfect is lost, Jerry murders them, flees town, and starts all over again. His newest project is Susan, and her daughter Stephanie is getting a bit too difficult to deal with.

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