I didn't think anyone could match Terry O'Quinn's riveting performance in the 1987 film, but Dylan Walsh nails the title role in this remake.
Comment
10/18/09
Rate this Movie 
The Stepfather (2009)
11
%
Tomatometer
How does the Tomatometer work
Reviews Counted:38
Fresh:4
Rotten:34
Average Rating:3.4/10
Consensus: This tepid remake of the 1987 cult classic lacks the tension and satirical undercurrents of the original.
Rated: 15 [See Full Rating]
Genre: Horror/Suspense
Theatrical Release:11-12-2009
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
The original was a no-frills, psychology-based affair that got most of its juice from the conflict between the dad and his suspicious stepdaughter, but the new one is needlessly complicated and more overt.
10/16/09
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 CriticThe 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
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
100 minutes of dopey behavior and filmmaking inanity wrapped up tight in a bland, gutless PG-13 wooby, taking a proven premise and watering it down to a parade of nonsense created only to tickle gullible teen audiences.
10/15/09
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
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
...yet another toothless and entirely needless horror-movie remake.
11/25/09
The Stepfather is studio-produced drivel that puts a negative label on horror movies and psychological chillers. The only pleasure to be had from watching it is to so easily be able to pick it apart.
10/16/09
The well-choreographed five-minute chase sequence offers more excitement than the rest of the movie combined. By then, it's far too late to forget the boredom suffered over the course of the rest of what's essentially a competent but dull and highly unnec
10/16/09
Poorly scripted and executed, this quickie slasher remake suffers from weak casting and doesn't even exploit the sexual politics involved in a major gender change from the 1987 feature, which satirized the rigid family values and has become a classic.
10/16/09
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
A botched remake...A real thriller has you on the edge of your seat; watching this one, you're more liable to sit back and snooze.
10/16/09
[Nelson] McCormick has crafted a horror remake so undistinguished it makes Prom Night look like a masterpiece of transgressive filmmaking.
10/16/09
Dylan Walsh shines in the title role but the film is only mildly entertaining
10/20/09
A little more guts - not necessarily more gory -- could have turned The Stepfather into a real re-imagining, not just a re-heating; what we get is just another trip down memory lane that runs out of gas.
10/17/09
a shameless exercise in promoting the lowest common denominator
10/24/09
It's hard to get absorbed in a story with so many unresolved issues.
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...
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