The Stepfather

Genre : DVD ( DVD )
Release : 2010/02/09
Price : $18.99

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The Stepfather is one of those movies that telegraphs its ending almost as soon as it starts; so, since we already know the destination, the only question involves whether or not we'll enjoy the journey. When we meet the guy who calls himself David Harris (Dylan Walsh, Dr. Sean McNamara in the Nip/Tuck TV series) during the opening credits, he's stepping over the bodies of the wife and kids he's just murdered, out the door and on his way to a new life. Sure enough, he's soon flirting with attractive divorcée Susan Harding (Sela Ward), and six months later they're engaged and living together with her three children, including prodigal son Michael (Penn Badgley), who has just returned from some kind of military reform school. It doesn't take long for Michael to begin suspecting that his stepfather-to-be is not all that he seems; Susan's sister, Jackie (Paige Turco), who hires David as a real estate agent, has her suspicions too, as does a cat-loving old neighbor. Only Susan remains clueless; then again, one of the many shortcomings of the movie, which was directed Nelson McCormick and written by J.S. Cardone, is its failure to adequately explain why she fell for this creep in the first place (we're often told how charming he is, but said charms are little in evidence). All that remains is to see how the tale will play itself out, and while McCormick supplies a few scary moments, he leaves no cliché unexplored (including Charlie Clouser's ominous, obvious music) on the way to the expected violent climax. In the end, one can only wonder why someone thought remaking The Stepfather was a good idea; the 1987 original offered both a much better explanation for the killer's motives and a significantly more compelling performance by Terry O'Quinn in the lead role. --Sam Graham


Stills from The Stepfather (Click for larger image)

THIS MOVIE WAS GREAT I HAVE WATCH IT AT LEAST 3TIMES ALREADY AND WILL BE WATCHING IT LATER TODAY

Why?
This is the question that seems engraved on my brain since I always ask this question when I've seen yet ANOTHER totally unecessary remake of a movie masterpiece that should never ever be touched because it was perfect the first time around.

In the l987 gem, Terry O'Quinn became an overnight sensation for his brilliant delineation of a terriying pychopath who could easily slaughter brutally with the expression of a monster and within a half-second be looking like a handsome, pleasant head of the house. He would cooly whistle and smear peanut butter on toast, pick up his coat and walk by a room full of family corpses.

Switch to this 2009 "re-imagining", as the director describes it in the "Making of..." documentary. Dylan Walsh does the honors this time but there's nothing remotely chilling about him. Instead of a daughter this time, he has a step-son, Penn Badgley, who is so vacant, surly and cold you can understand the step-father's urge to murder him.

So much of the movie is spent with the son and his irritating girlfriend, Amber Head, who live in their bathing suits by the pool. Her total refusal to believe her boyfriend's suspicions about his step-father is so relentless you wish that she could have been an early victim.

Unlike the original, there's zero suspense here. The cast is a talented one but none can do much with this lousy script and direction.

It would be so wonderful if our modern movie-makers would spent the $60 million it took to make this brainless mess on a brand new horror script. I'm so heartily sick of reading each day that yet another horror classic is being "re-imagined". Oh, for the days of genuine, oiginal horror--like 'Psycho, The Evil Dead, Alien, Nightmare on Elm Street.

THE STEPFATHER goes along the safest, most teen-friendly route in remaking the 1987 cult classic. While the original did not rely on blood and gore to win over the audience, the implied violence and terrifying performance by Terry O'Quinn left audiences stunned. Dylan Walsh brings a good amount of intensity to his interpretation of the character, but as a whole, the film proves to be a flaccid and unnecessary attempt. David is a mild mannered salesman that is marrying in to a broken family with three kids, but as his fiance's ex-husband, the neighbors, and his co-workers begin growing suspicious of his shrouded past, he must go to any length to protect his dark secrets. The most noticeable misstep in this version is the family size. The film introduces three children into the storyline, but only develops the eldest son while the other two are absent in nearly the entire picture. For whatever reason, the filmmakers must not have found Walsh's performance to be dramatic enough, as the script relies on countless false scares using all of the cheapest tactics and music cues to try to drum up audience reactions. The filming is cold and sterile, which reflects David's despondent existence, but also cuts out any emotional response in the viewing. THE STEPFATHER is just another bland walk down an all too familiar path, and it only goes to prove that the original should have been left untouched.

-Carl Manes
I Like Horror Movies

I would wait till it's out on HBO if you have to see this movie.

Most horror fans dread the inevitable PG-13 remake of their beloved horror classics, and understandably so. The PG-13 editions are frequently watered down, family-lite versions of their superior R-rated predecessors. But take the case of 1987's The Stepfather, a slow, dark, sleepy drama about the conflict between a 16-year-old girl and her new stepfather, a murderous sociopath who preys on families. Even with its gruesome premise, the original was not really a horror film. It wasn't even that suspenseful. There were only two onscreen deaths, and not a whole hell of a lot of tension to speak of. Some haters might disagree, but this reboot actually improves on its predecessor. As the new father figure, Dylan Walsh really ups the ante. His creepy, passive/aggressive affability really gets under your skin. Penn Badgely from Gossip Girl is the son who's just returned from military school. Amber Heard (All the Girls Love Mandy Lane, Zombieland) plays his supremely irritating girlfriend whose only saving grace is that she spends 90% of her screen time in a bikini. The Stepfather is by no means a perfect film, but if you're into breezy escapism like Disturbia or The Hand That Rocks the Cradle, it can definitely work its magic if the timing is right! C