Suspense in The Stepfather

The Stepfather is a 2009 thriller film directed by Nelson McCormick, it is a remake of a 1987 film of the same name, the film follows a character 'The Stepfather' as he befriends and enters relationships with divorced women only to murder the entire family later on. The film is a good example of a thriller film containing many elements and devices specific to the genre.

I noticed three particularly 'Thrilling' scenes within the film; firstly. When the stepfather enters the neighbours house to kill the old woman who is living there, the False Plateau device in which is viewer is led to think that the climax of a suspenseful moment is about to be reached when in-fact the real climax is a few shots or seconds later, The woman turns around and the viewers at this point from the use of sound and camera shots assume the stepfather is going to be behind her when instead it is one of her cats, when she turns back around the stepfather is there and pushes her down the stairs.

(UNFINISHED)