The Stepfather (2009)

12% of critics liked it
(58 reviews)
48% of users liked it
(905,376 ratings)

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 his radical claim before it's too late. The 1987 thriller that shot Lost star Terry O'Quinn to cult… 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 his radical claim before it's too late. The 1987 thriller that shot Lost star Terry O'Quinn to cult stardom serves as inspiration for this remake penned by J.S. Cardone and directed by Nelson McCormick. Sela Ward, Jon Tenney, and Amber Heard co-star in a Screen Gems release. ~ Jason Buchanan, Rovi

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Rating, Runtime: PG-13, 1 hr. 43 min.
Directed By: Nelson McCormick
Written By: J.S. Cardone
Genres: Mystery & Suspense, Horror

In Theaters: Oct 16, 2009 Wide
On DVD: Feb 9, 2010
Studio: Screen Gems

Critic Reviews

Roger Moore, Orlando Sentinel
That last stormy night of violence should be the shocker. Giving away his ruthlessness in earlier killings robs the movie of it its payoff as it saps the climax of much of its power.
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.
Kirk Honeycutt, Hollywood Reporter
This remake turns a fondly remembered horror/thriller into a mild and tedious suspense film.
Ty Burr, Boston Globe
Better to honor history and rent the original.
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 supposed to be outfoxing them.
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.
James Rocchi, Common Sense Media
Horror remake has more tension than blood.
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-time remake. [Blu-ray]
Staci Layne Wilson, Horror.com
The Stepfather plays a lot better at home on the TV than it did in theaters. I'd say, unless you are an absolute purist for the original or you need a lot of blood and gore, give it a shot.
Derek Malcolm, This is London
There's mayhem all over the place and not a policeman, or much logic, in sight. Watchable nonsense, with performances better than the story deserves.
, Empire Magazine
Cliché-ridden and full of plot-holes.
Nigel Floyd, Time Out
Not so much a contemporary re-make of Joseph Ruben's 1987 psychological thriller as a lobotomised bastard step-child: over-plotted, over-long, and stripped of the original's sharp, satirical subversion of suburban family values.
Kevin Maher, Times [UK]
If the movie's attic-bound climax is a little predictable and the plot holes rather gaping, The Stepfather, unlike many of its more prestigious A-class competitors, is never less than entertaining.
Peter Bradshaw, Guardian [UK]
It's all very silly, but effective popcorn entertainment.
, Daily Telegraph
Nelson McCormick is ridiculously lax with inventive or plausible staging: it's the kind of movie where a door can't open without thunderclaps and the bad guy flinging himself into the frame.
Ben Rawson-Jones, Digital Spy
The Stepfather is full of unintentional laughs, shameless plot contrivances and cheap scare tactics, but this adds to the fun once you've tapped into the risible nature of the production.
Rosamund Witcher, Heat Magazine
Lazy, predictable and seriously lacking in shocks.
Elliott Noble, Sky Movies
This rehash - toned (and dumbed) down for adolescent audiences by the director responsible for taking the slash out of Prom Night - provides thin gruel.
, Total Film
Mercilessly talky and deathly dull, this bloodless, sex-less misfire plays more like a housewife-baiting telemovie than the taut, teen-centric psycho-thriller it's supposed to be.
Alan Jones, Radio Times
McCormick's lacklustre reboot is just another indistinguishable psycho thriller.

Read all 23 critic 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)

Featured Audience Ratings

Unknown H

Devestatingly 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… More
Devestatingly 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 terrible script. One of the worst remakes in the history of horror regurgitation.
Bethany M

They 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.
Brad W

The 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… More
The 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 horror acting abilities, in other words their acting never made me feel scared. This movie fails at being scary, but succeeds at having a good concept and actors.
♥Robyn

This 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… More
This 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 has a plan and he always has an alias.
Jason S

Not 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… More
Not 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 that the original hasn't already covered better.
Dean M

Average 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… More
Average 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 Ward plays the clueless mother thanklessly, and despite getting to be scared in one scene, keeps a look that is a cross between being happy and being totally baffled for the majority of the film. Penn Badgley gets the most dialogue outside of Walsh, but he looks, sounds and acts like he walked off the set of another film. In one scene he is so intently focused on studying printouts from the America's Most Wanted website that he does not notice his girlfriend Kelly (Amber Heard) get up and leave. The scene perfectly describes his performance: intense focus, but not having any idea what's going on around him. As for Heard, she does absolutely nothing outside of looking fabulous in a bikini.
Dean !

I 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… More
I 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 production values and a young recognizable cast including the lovely bikini clad Amber Heard (All the boys love Mandy Lane). Overall it's not too violent or bloody but has a good amount of tension and suspense. I haven't seen the '87 original which had two sequels, but I think I'll check them out. Give it a try if you like the similar thrillers in the More like this section.
Spencer S

I 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?
Conner R

A 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… More
A 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 movie. I really liked the addition of a protagonist to the story, which is given to Penn Badgley. He does a great job. This has a complete Disturbia vibe to it, which is fine since I can't get enough of Disturbia. It's just a fun, logical suspense movie that doesn't use cheap thrills.
James A

A cautionary tale of what happens when your mother falls in love with one of the stars from Nip/Tuck.
Film C

its okay! it doesnt leave much to the imagination,its very predictable and easy to follow but still intriguing to watch! Its slow paced and has the waste ending ever! its okay but forgettable and not very exciting!
A.D. V

Big fan of the original and I hate remakes. I decided to check it out anyway because I also like Dylan Walsh who is the only person who makes this retread worth watching. Unfortunately, Walsh just doesn't have the presence or intimidation that Terry O'Quinn provided for the… More
Big fan of the original and I hate remakes. I decided to check it out anyway because I also like Dylan Walsh who is the only person who makes this retread worth watching. Unfortunately, Walsh just doesn't have the presence or intimidation that Terry O'Quinn provided for the original role.
Josh L

A watchable and entertaining horror movie, but one lacking the scares or wit to put it into recommendable territory. The acting is all fine and there are some decent moments, but there is nothing surprising about the movie at all. It's repetitious and is directed with all of the… More
A watchable and entertaining horror movie, but one lacking the scares or wit to put it into recommendable territory. The acting is all fine and there are some decent moments, but there is nothing surprising about the movie at all. It's repetitious and is directed with all of the traditional conventions in mind. No mold breaking here. The movie also has huge leaps of logic and a few plotholes. I can't say I was bored by it, but I can say that beyond that it was lacking in almost all areas.
Nani V

Dylan Walsh was the main reason why I kept watching this movie. I thought he did a great as the calm and later crazy stepfather to Penn Badgley's character. The mom, played by Sela Ward was annoying as hell. Also, the ending seemed too sudden and didnt have much thought put into… More
Dylan Walsh was the main reason why I kept watching this movie. I thought he did a great as the calm and later crazy stepfather to Penn Badgley's character. The mom, played by Sela Ward was annoying as hell. Also, the ending seemed too sudden and didnt have much thought put into it. Other than that, I was entertained.
♥˩ƳИИ &

Dylan Walsh, Penn Bradgley, Amber Heard, Sela Ward, Jon Tenney, Skyler Samuels, Braeden Lemasters DIRECTED BY: NELSON MCCORMICK A seemingly normal man wants the perfect family. When they don't measure up, he eliminates them and moves on to find his next perfect family.… More
Dylan Walsh, Penn Bradgley, Amber Heard, Sela Ward, Jon Tenney, Skyler Samuels, Braeden Lemasters DIRECTED BY: NELSON MCCORMICK A seemingly normal man wants the perfect family. When they don't measure up, he eliminates them and moves on to find his next perfect family. Of all the remakes that have been made, this has to be one of the better ones. Dylan Walsh definitely succeeds in being creepy. He did really good in playing the bad guy. First time seeing Penn Badgley's acting. Thought he was a good choice for the lead and acted well enough. Amber Heard and Sela Ward were just OK for me. Seen better acting from Sela Ward. Without this story already being told, it still would have been predictable. Although it being a remake, I also felt like I seen some of the storyline in the movie "Domestic Disturbance". But besides being predictable and done before, it was still an OK watch.
Brian D

Yet another crap remake from the stables of screen gems who have given us, When a stranger call, Prom Night and this!!! Made for the under 13 this really has nothing good in it at all.Dylan Walsh is badly cast has the main lead,the problem is that hes not scary or sinster.Penn Badgley… More
Yet another crap remake from the stables of screen gems who have given us, When a stranger call, Prom Night and this!!! Made for the under 13 this really has nothing good in it at all.Dylan Walsh is badly cast has the main lead,the problem is that hes not scary or sinster.Penn Badgley is ok nothing special and the rest are just filling in the blanks.I really can not be bother to say anymore about this time waster. Just walk pass it and find something better.
Luke B

A retarded film filled with retarded characters. It starts off showing us the murder of a family, removing all suspense as to whether the stepfather is guilty of anything. This just leaves us to sit open mouthed in amazement at the annoying spastics stumbling around the screen. Walsh… More
A retarded film filled with retarded characters. It starts off showing us the murder of a family, removing all suspense as to whether the stepfather is guilty of anything. This just leaves us to sit open mouthed in amazement at the annoying spastics stumbling around the screen. Walsh may turn in a decent performance, but his character is so obvious I'm surprised the victims didn't see it coming. They deserved to die really. Frustrating, predidtable and painfully obvious. This is a film to file under 'pointless'.
Manu G

I thought this movie was kinda good and even though seems like you have seen this type of moive before and pretty sure we have but it was solid still. Michael Harding (Penn Badgley) returns home from military school to find his mother Susan (Sela Ward), happily in love with a man… More
I thought this movie was kinda good and even though seems like you have seen this type of moive before and pretty sure we have but it was solid still. Michael Harding (Penn Badgley) returns home from military school to find his mother Susan (Sela Ward), happily in love with a man known as David Harris (Dylan Walsh). He seems like the perfect father and husband to everyone - except Michael, who suspects that he isn't quite the man he seems to be. Along with his girlfriend Kelly (Amber Heard), his biological father Jay (Jon Tenney), and Susans friends (Paige Turco and Sherry Stringfield), they slowly start to piece together the mystery of the man who is set to become his stepfather, but they may be too late in getting to the truth. In the end, David and Michael fall off the roof of their house and both are left unconcious. After being in a coma for a month Michael finds out from his girlfriend and his mom that David got away when the police showed up. The scene switches to The Stepfather working in a different area with a different name and he ends up meeting another woman with children
Bradley W

The 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… More
The 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 horror acting abilities, in other words their acting never made me feel scared. This movie fails at being scary, but succeeds at having a good concept and actors.
Jason V

One of my firsts thoughts during The Stepfather was cutting 10 minute from the running time would do the movie a world of good. Second thought...cutting everything but 10 minutes might be the best option. Outside of the credits sequence, there's no zip or drama in the entire… More
One of my firsts thoughts during The Stepfather was cutting 10 minute from the running time would do the movie a world of good. Second thought...cutting everything but 10 minutes might be the best option. Outside of the credits sequence, there's no zip or drama in the entire story. Part of the problem is the audience is never left guessing as to whether Dylan Walsh's character is a bad guy or not. We know he is, thus robbing the film of anything resembling tension. Another problem is the shameless manipulation of the characters, conveniently moving them into and out of the story with no finesse. (Watch how the finale leaves two main characters out of the action "just because.") I couldn't help but mock Penn Badgley through the entire production...not the desired reaction to the hero of the piece. What dreck.

Read all 20 featured audience ratings

Cast

            Dylan Walsh as David Harris

            Sela Ward as Susan Harding

            Penn Badgley as Michael Harding

            Amber Heard as Kelly Porter

            Sherry Stringfield as Leah

            Paige Turco as Jackie Kerns

            Jon Tenney as Jay

            Nancy Linehan Charles as Mrs. Cutter

            Marcuis Harris as Detective Shay

            Skyler Samuels as Beth Harding

            Braeden Lemasters as Sean Harding

            Deirdre Lovejoy as Detective Tylar

            Blue Deckert as Captain Mackie

            Jason Wiles as Dylan Bennet

            Kara Briola as Real Estate Assistant

            Jessalyn Gilsig as Julie King

            Cathy Schenkelberg as Waitress

            David Guzzone as Male Buyer

            Amanda Reyne as Woman Buyer

            Carmen Mormino as Taxi Driver

            Todd Cosgrove as Mailman

            Tracey Costello as Mrs. Rivers

            Cheryl Anderson as Older Woman

            Pride Grinn as Car Salesman

            Sean Anthony Moran as Gus/Hardware Clerk

            Jack Chang as Cell Phone Clerk

            Savannah Levin as Lisa Bennet

            Christopher Meloni
            
See full cast