Starring: Dylan Walsh, Penn Badgley, Sela Ward
Director: Nelson McCormick (Prom Night)
Running Time: 1 hr 41 min
Release Date: Oct. 16, 2009
Budget: $20 million
Average Critics’ Score: 21%
“…a handsome, thoughtfully crafted production…” Kevin Thomas, Los Angeles Times
“A clumsy remake…” Stephen Holden, The New York Times
Michael (Badgley) returns home from military school to find his recently divorced mother (Ward) involved in a relationship with the seemingly ideal David Harris (Walsh). All is fine until Michael begins to suspect his new Stepfather − a man who repeatedly inserts himself into single-parent families in the hopes of obtaining a “perfect” family life − is a killer. Based on the 1987 original film starring Lost’s Terry O’Quinn as the stepfather (which is in turned based on an actual incident in 1971 New Jersey), this mediocre remake boasts solid performances, but it loses suspense with a not-so-smart villain and a predictable, often clichéd storyline.
