The Stepfather (1987) was loosely based on John List, a New Jersey accountant who murdered his family in November 1971 and disappeared. He was found nearly eighteen years later living under an alias when his neighbor recognized him on America's Most Wanted: America Fights Back (1988) and reported it to the Police.
Terry O'Quinn, the star of The Stepfather (1987), was offered a cameo role in this movie, but he turned it down.
A scene in the trailer, in which a buzzsaw swings back and forth a few inches away from a character's face, was cut for pacing reasons, but it had already been used in multiple advertising materials before it was trimmed from the final release.
Braeden Lemasters, who played Penn Badgley's younger brother in this movie, played Badgley's younger self in Easy A (2010).
The original R-rated 1987 movie featured a young step-daughter and a nude scene where she took a shower. The PG-13 remake changed it to a young step-son, but no nudity.