Astonishingly dull and carefully scrubbed of all but the most sanitized violence in the name of securing a PG-13 rating.
Comment
11/03/09
Rate this Movie 
The Stepfather (2009)
11
%
Tomatometer
How does the Tomatometer work
Reviews Counted:37
Fresh:4
Rotten:33
Average Rating:3.3/10
Consensus: This tepid remake of the 1987 cult classic lacks the tension and satirical undercurrents of the original.
Genre: Horror/Suspense
Synopsis: Michael Harding (Penn Badgley) returns home from military school to find his mother (Sela Ward) happily in love and living with her new boyfriend, David (Dylan Walsh). As the two men get to know... [More]
Starring: Dylan Walsh, Sela Ward, Penn Badgley, Amber Heard
Director: Nelson McCormick
Reviews for The Stepfather
Substitutes an Oedipus complex for sexual menace by replacing the teenage daughter heroine of the earlier film with a hunky military school bad boy, then compounds the mistake with a bad pop/rock soundtrack and a silly action climax...
10/30/09
What is there to be said about this utterly worthless, addle-brained waste of 101 minutes except that it's an utterly worthless, addle-brained waste of 101 minutes?
10/25/09
a shameless exercise in promoting the lowest common denominator
10/24/09
Wait till your father gets home... on DVD.
10/23/09
As characters get startled but you don't and you suspenselessly wait for everyone to figure out what we realized long ago (Mr. Harris kills people, then 105 minutes of your life), you may well wonder about the bloody point of it all.
10/23/09
The Stepfather is, finally, only as good as its stepfather -- and Dylan Walsh ain’t bad.
10/22/09
If you call a film The Stepfather, then your title character -- in this case, David Harris (Dylan Walsh) -- should have the decency to marry into that perfect little family that he’s predisposed to butcher and kill.
10/22/09
Ooh, daddy! If you want some old-fashioned cheesy suspense, look no farther than 'The Stepfather.'
10/21/09
Dylan Walsh shines in the title role but the film is only mildly entertaining
10/20/09
That last stormy night of violence should be the shocker. Giving away his ruthlessness in earlier killings robs the movie of it its payoff as it saps the climax of much of its power.
10/19/09
Riddled with implausible situations, including many instances of Creepy Stepdad appearing suddenly in doorways and mirrors, and zero instances of genuine suspense or style.
10/19/09
Shallow and inert, "The Stepfather" goes through the motions of a suspense film without ever broaching the horror genre that director Joseph Ruben employed in the original. Talk about "unclear on the concept," this remake doesn't even get the genre right.
10/18/09
This perfunctory retread had a tame, made-for-TV feel, and not just because the humdrum cast is composed of network and cable B-listers.
10/18/09
This remake turns a fondly remembered horror/thriller into a mild and tedious suspense film.
10/18/09
Top CriticEven by horror-remake standards, The Stepfather sets the bar for pointlessness.
10/18/09
Better to honor history and rent the original.
10/18/09
The trouble with the movie, apart from its rather monotonous dourness of tone, is that everyone in the family... comes off as tougher, smarter, and quicker on the draw than the stepfather who's supposed to be outfoxing them.
10/18/09
The Stepfather is that rarity, an effective remake of a screen classic that can stand alone on its own considerable merits.
10/18/09
Top CriticA clumsy remake of the 1987 cult thriller.
10/18/09
Top CriticLatest News for The Stepfather
October 15, 2009:
Critics Consensus: Where the Wild Things Are Is A Wild Rumpus
This week, we've got a wild rumpus (Where the Wild Things Are, starring Max Records and Catherine Keener), a legal skirmish (Law Abiding Citizen, starring Jamie Foxx and Gerard... More...
October 02, 2009:
New: Brand New Trailer and Poster 
More...
July 04, 2009:
A killer remake! The Stepfather set visit report.
More...
June 28, 2009:
Trailer & Poster review
More...
More Movies
| Tomatometer Percentage | Movie | Date |
|---|---|---|
| — | The Descent: Part 2 | 04/12 |
What’s Hot On RT
Other News
Fresh Links
Featured
RT on YouTube
Subscribe to RT's YouTube channel and don't miss a second of our cracking video content.
RT on Twitter
Follow Rotten Tomatoes and join us as we tweet about the week's releases.
IGN RSS Feeds