The Stepfather (2009)

User Rating:

5.1/10   

Director:

Nelson McCormick

Writers (WGA):

J.S. Cardone (screenplay)
Donald E. Westlake (earlier screenplay)

Release Date:

16 October 2009 (USA)

Genre:

Horror | Thriller

Tagline:

This fall Daddy's home.

Plot:

Michael returns home from military school to find his mother happily in love and living with her new boyfriend. As the two men get to know each other, he becomes more and more suspicious of the man who is always there with a helpful hand. |

Plot Keywords:

Remake | Man Wearing Towel | Horror Movie Remake | Man In Swimsuit | Beautiful Woman

US Showtimes:

Beverly Center Cinemas

1:20pm | 4:00 | 7:15 | 9:50

(personalize)

Cast

Dylan Walsh	...	David Harris
Sela Ward	...	Susan Harding
Penn Badgley	...	Michael Harding
Amber Heard	...	Kelly Porter
Sherry Stringfield	...	Leah
Paige Turco	...	Jackie Kerns
Jon Tenney	...	Jay
Nancy Linehan Charles	...	Mrs. Cutter
Marcuis Harris	...	Detective Shay
Braeden Lemasters	...	Sean Harding
Deirdre Lovejoy	...	Detective Tylar
Skyler Samuels	...	Beth Harding
Blue Deckert	...	Captain Mackie
Jason Wiles	...	Dylan Bennet
Kara Briola	...	Real Estate Assistant

MPAA:

Rated PG-13 for intense sequences of violence, disturbing images, mature thematic material and brief sensuality.

Runtime:

USA:101 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English | German

Color:

Color

Sound Mix:

Dolby Digital

Certification:

USA:PG-13 (certificate #44268) | Canada:13+ (Quebec) | Canada:14A (Alberta/British Columbia/Manitoba/Ontario) | Ireland:15A

Filming Locations:

Los Angeles, California, USA

Company:

Screen Gems

Goofs:

Continuity: Whenever David went down for lemonade and was talking to Kelly, the sweat stain on his shirt disappears.

Quotes:

David Harris: [From Trailer] Who am I here?

Movie Connections:

References "America's Most Wanted" (1988)

Soundtrack:

Given

Once again the trailer was better than the film

Though a lot of the elements were typical and expected in this movie, it still held interest and had a few good 'gotcha' moments. However, as it neared the end, it seemed that the editor just hacked together an ending to shorten the movie down because it was in danger of actually being two hours long. In fact, one of the coolest terror scenes in the trailer was when the circular saw falls from the attic and dangles over the girlfriend, (like Vincent Price's Pit and the Pendulum) but guess what? It's NOT in the movie. I was ticked off. Now, I know some scenes are in a trailer and don't make it to the final cut, but come on! It's the last shots in the trailer and the most terrifyingly memorable! It's false advertising at it's worst! Oh well, hopefully it will be in the DVD release, making that a good reason to skip seeing it in the theaters.

Sadly the popularity of this film hinges on the reality that way too many men marry into a family and think they can have everything go their way without regard for how the children have been raised before they came along. Kids love to push boundaries and rarely ever accept the 'new dad' as anything more than an ATM, so the guy let's his frustration build to the point where he explodes on them, losing all credibility and respect. Obviously they don't all become psycho killers, but the abuses run rampant in today's society, so it's no surprise why so many teens are eager to see this film.