Intertextuality

Intertextuality is the shaping of text meanings by other text.
With thriller films the film Psycho set the benchmark on how most thriller films are conducted now. 

Since the making of this film most films have copied the following:

The size, and shape of the knife

The white shower curtains 

The running of the shower

The white tiled background

The sliding down from the tiles of the victim 

In the stepfather you will see some of the features from psycho. The stepfather is one of many past and present thrillers that have used intertextuality from pschyo, the features used are almost compulsory for thrillers now.