Stepfather 3

Four years after the events of Stepfather II, Gene F. Clifford escapes from the Puget Sound institution. He seeks a surgeon to alter his appearance and start a new, concealed life. This marks the beginning of his identity-shifting plan.

Clifford kills the surgeon by slitting his throat with a saw and makes his way to Deer View. There he assumes the identity Keith Grant, secures a cottage, and lands a job at a nursery. The murder clears the path for his transformed existence.

Keith meets Christine Davis and her son Andy, who uses a wheelchair after an accident. The two begin dating, and Christine’s household gradually accepts him as part of the family. This marks the beginning of Keith’s attempt at normalcy.

A former boyfriend of Christine warns Keith to back off, but Keith kills him with a shovel and buries the body in the garden. The murder establishes Keith’s ruthless streak early in the relationship and guarantees Christine’s continued dependence on him.

Keith and Christine marry, though Andy remains wary of their new family dynamic. The marriage intensifies Keith’s need to control his surroundings and keep up appearances. The family veneer becomes central to his plan for stability.

Andy's father Steve offers him the chance to spend the summer with his family and attend a school for the gifted. Andy accepts despite Keith's protests. The summer split foreshadows the tension between Keith’s dual lives and Andy’s curiosity.

Keith begins courting Jennifer Ashley, continuing his pattern of alternating relationships to mask his crimes. This parallel relationship heightens the danger of Keith’s web of secrets. The new romance adds pressure to Christine’s suspicions.

Keith murders his boss with a rake after Thompson teases him about infidelity. The killing demonstrates Keith’s willingness to eliminate anyone who challenges his control or exposes his lies. The act escalates the danger surrounding his double life.

Keith returns home with an axe to kill Christine, but Andy returns and disrupts his plan. He also slips into calling Andy 'Nicky,' which puzzles Christine, though Keith offers a vague explanation. The near-miss deepens the family tension.

Jennifer meets Christine while enrolling Nicky in school, and Christine is struck by the name 'Nicky' paired with a remote-road cottage clue. This hints at Keith’s possible former dwelling and unsettles Christine further. The parallel lives threaten to collide.

Keith spots Jennifer with Nicky at the school and panics, later denying any knowledge of Jennifer. The sight exposes his careful façade and raises Christine’s suspicions. The proximity of his two worlds becomes increasingly dangerous.

Andy asks Father Ernest Brennan to help uncover Keith’s past, knowing he can’t fight alone. Brennan agrees and attends dinner, where Andy slips Keith’s fork to obtain fingerprints for investigation. The plan marks a turning point in exposing Keith.

Keith realizes Brennan has seen him with Jennifer and asks questions about his past, then follows the priest home and drives him off the road to stage an accident. He also discovers the fork Brennan obtained, which links him to the family’s secrets. The chase tightens the noose around Keith.

Keith rushes to the nursery and calls Jennifer, who cancels her meeting with Christine. He reveals he is married and intends to kill Jennifer by feeding her into a chipper. The plan shows Keith’s expansion of violence to protect his lies.

Christine and Andy confront Keith in the nursery; a brutal struggle leaves Keith hanging over the chipper. Andy pushes him into the machine, but the chipper jams; Jennifer cuts the power to stop it. Keith is ultimately torn to pieces, and Andy and Christine survive as Heather’s day ends, with Andy declaring 'Happy Father's Day' before they depart.