It's hard to get absorbed in a story with so many unresolved issues.
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10/18/09
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The Stepfather (2009)
11
%
Tomatometer
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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
Top CriticSubstitutes 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
[Nelson] McCormick has crafted a horror remake so undistinguished it makes Prom Night look like a masterpiece of transgressive filmmaking.
10/16/09
Better to honor history and rent the original.
10/18/09
if you can think past the thirty second mark, the house of cards that is the script dissolves faster than cotton candy in the rain
10/16/09
This kind of film needs a "R" rating. Making it "PG-13" leaves even horror fans yawning. And, there's not enough drama or originality to keep anyone glued to this very poor remake. Just leaves you wanting the original. Paul Chambers, CNN.
10/17/09
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
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
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
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 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
There are some movies that should not be re-made. This is one of them, as proven by this updated, cliche-filled version which fails to build up the necessary tension and truncates the mystery.
10/17/09
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
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
A clumsy remake of the 1987 cult thriller.
10/18/09
Top CriticThis remake turns a fondly remembered horror/thriller into a mild and tedious suspense film.
10/18/09
Top CriticPoorly 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
Astonishingly dull and carefully scrubbed of all but the most sanitized violence in the name of securing a PG-13 rating.
11/03/09
a shameless exercise in promoting the lowest common denominator
10/24/09
Latest News for The Stepfather
October 15, 2009:
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October 02, 2009:
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July 04, 2009:
A killer remake! The Stepfather set visit report.
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June 28, 2009:
Trailer & Poster review
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