Dylan Walsh,
Sela Ward,
Penn Badgley,
Amber Heard,
Sherry Stringfield
... see more 
When a teenage boy (Penn Badgley) begins to suspect that his new stepfather (Dylan Walsh) is a notorious serial killer who preys on broken families, he races to gather the evidence that will back up h... read more
Directed by: Nelson McCormick
Release Date: October 16, 2009
Keywords:
suspense,
horror,
scary,
predictable,
horror movie,
dylan walsh,
amber heard,
penn badgley,
Dylan Walsh ,
Amber Heard ,
Penn Badgley ,
Sela Ward
DVD Release Date: February 9, 2010
Get It:
Stats: 12,133 reviews
Your Rating
Flixster Reviews (12,133)
-
September 18, 2011Devestatingly boring and overplayed, this movie had little or no merit whatsoever. There is almost 0% blood, gore or indeed horror to this wannabe remake of a classic. Walsh was convincing enough and the acting wasn't terrible, but even the best actors cannot work well with a ter... read more
-
June 24, 2011They have done this beautifully. Not too scary, but more heart pounding. You are always going to predict the ending in these sorts of films but you definitely didn't with this one. The ending was unexpected for me. Penn Badgley and Amber Heard really carried the film.
-
April 6, 2011The plot is very interesting, don't get me wrong. But this movie wasn't scary at all, or even chilling. My little sister watched it and was scared but it didn't give me any chills. The music was creepy, but cliche. The acting was surprisingly not bad, but they didn't have any... read more
-
March 24, 2011This movie stars Terry OQuinn as Jerry Blake, an insurance real estate salesman who likes to move in with single mothers with children and is trying find the "perfect family". What makes this movie so creepy is how calculated Terrys character is throughout the movie. He always... read more
-
February 23, 2011Not as good as the original. I think the story suffers from not having Dylan Walsh's character as smart as the main character in the original movie. He seems to stumble through his fake identity in places the other movie flowed through.
It's a simple flick that offers nothing t... read more -
November 27, 2010Average thriller film of the 1980s slasher remakes. Believe me I liked the original, a powerhouse lead by the undefeatable Terry O'Quinn than Dylan Walsh in his new title role because Walsh wasn't as menace as O'Quinn.
Speaking of that cast, they all are uniformly terrible. Sela... read more -
August 22, 2010I must be one of the few that liked this. It is a bit tame for a thriller, being a PG-13 after all. However I still found it very enjoyable. It's one of those thrillers you know who the bad guy is right away and just wait to see if and how they get found out. This has good produc... read more
-
August 18, 2010I pretty much expected bad plot, corny dialouge, and all around blatant carelessness. That I can deal with. But when you label a movie thriller, and then don't deliver, what do you expect from me but being upset?
-
August 18, 2010A total improvement over the original, this looks and feels like a conscious effort to make a good movie. The original had a good character, this has everything else along with it. Dylan Walsh is definitely a believable psychopath and you're never rooting for him throughout the m... read more
-
June 30, 2010A cautionary tale of what happens when your mother falls in love with one of the stars from Nip/Tuck.
Critic Reviews
October 19, 2009
Roger Moore, Orlando Sentinel
October 18, 2009
Cliff Doerksen, Chicago Reader
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. Full Review
October 18, 2009
Kirk Honeycutt, Hollywood Reporter
This remake turns a fondly remembered horror/thriller into a mild and tedious suspense film.
October 18, 2009
Owen Gleiberman, Entertainment Weekly
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 suppos... Full Review
October 18, 2009
Kevin Thomas, Los Angeles Times
The Stepfather is that rarity, an effective remake of a screen classic that can stand alone on its own considerable merits.
October 18, 2009
Stephen Holden, New York Times
A clumsy remake of the 1987 cult thriller. Full Review
October 18, 2009
John Anderson, Variety
It's hard to get absorbed in a story with so many unresolved issues. Full Review
December 19, 2010
James Rocchi, Common Sense Media
Horror remake has more tension than blood. Full Review
February 15, 2010
Peter Canavese, Groucho Reviews
Any subtlety or implicit social satire to be found in Joseph Ruben's original went out with the last neighborhood trash pickup. Too bad the service was canceled before it could haul away this waste-of... Full Review
View more
The Stepfather
reviews
Critic ratings and reviews powered by RottenTomatoes.com
Fresh (60% or more critics rated the movie positively)
Rotten (59% or fewer critics rated the movie positively)
