When Lost returns this Tuesday for the beginning of the end of the series, one of the biggest questions that has to be answered concerns John Locke. Is he dead or not? Has he been dead all along and someone/something else was taking his place? What is the real story of John and why was he chosen for the role he has on the island and off?

Well, part of the fascination with Locke is the way Terry O'Quinn has played the character. O'Quinn is a dynamic and compelling actor. And if you want to get a great look at just how good Terry is, take a look at the recently released reissue of a small, independent film he made in 1987 called The Stepfather. The DVD presents a much younger Terry O'Quinn -- he was 35 at the time -- as Jerry Blake. And Bill Hodges. And Henry Morrison.

He's a man obsessed with the image of family, but once in a family situation, he cannot tolerate when things are out of order. The film begins with him changing his entire look because he has just killed his family -- wife and children -- and is moving on to marry into another perfect family.

Obsession. Family. Order. Those words also apply to the John Locke character, a man who's done things that skirt the border of rational behavior. If you like how Terry is as Locke, you'll be fascinated with The Stepfather. He's an actor who can toe the line between madness and genius brilliantly, using his eyes and expressions to convey so much more than merely what the character is saying.

Here's a look at the trailer from The Stepfather so you can get a glimpse of Terry's dynamic performance.



And just in case you don't remember how Terry used that lethal gaze in Lost, a clip from last season.



By the way, don't confuse Terry's The Stepfather -- directed by Joseph Ruben -- with the remake that Dylan Walsh did in 2009. Stick with the original; it's creepy good, very much more a Hitchcock thriller than a slasher movie. It was written by Brian Garfield (Death Wish) with Donald E. Westlake (The Grifters) and implies much more horror than it shows.

And for the chance to see Terry O'Quinn giving one of his best pre-Locke performances, get the Shout Factory DVD of The Stepfather.