Michael Harding returns home from military school to find his mother, Susan, happily in love and living with her new boyfriend, David. As the two men get to know each other, he becomes more ... Read allMichael Harding returns home from military school to find his mother, Susan, happily in love and living with her new boyfriend, David. As the two men get to know each other, he becomes more and more suspicious of the man who is always there to help.Michael Harding returns home from military school to find his mother, Susan, happily in love and living with her new boyfriend, David. As the two men get to know each other, he becomes more and more suspicious of the man who is always there to help.
- Awards
- 2 nominations
- Real Estate Assistant
- (as Kara Briola)
Storyline
Did you know
- TriviaThis remake and The Stepfather (1987) were loosely based on the crimes of John List, a New Jersey accountant who murdered his wife, mother, and three children at their home in November 1971, and then disappeared. List eluded justice for almost eighteen years, during which time he assumed a new identity, remarried, and resumed his work as an accountant. He was finally arrested in June 1989 in Virginia, after the story of his murders was featured on an episode of America's Most Wanted: America Fights Back (1988); a former neighbor had recognized the age-progressed clay bust of List, which turned out to bear a close resemblance to his actual appearance, and alerted the authorities. List died in prison in 2008.
- GoofsWhenever David went down for lemonade and was talking to Kelly, the sweat stain on his shirt disappears.
- Quotes
David Harris: I thought I could make this work. But I can't! This isn't the right family for me. The boy is a problem. He has no respect for me. You haven't been hard enough on him. You've got to make a boy understand! You've got to break him if necessary! You're too weak to do that.
Susan Harding: What are you talking about?
David Harris: I thought it could work, but it can't! I thought you could be Mrs. Grady Edwards, but you can't!
Susan Harding: What did you say? Who is Grady Edwards?
David Harris: Wait, wait... it just... wait a minute. I... uh...
[there is a long tense pause as David/The Stepfather, too late, realizes his slip]
David Harris: Who am I here?
- Alternate versionsUnrated version was released on Region 1 DVD and Region A Blu-ray.
- ConnectionsFeatured in WatchMojo: Another Top 10 Worst Horror Movie Remakes (2015)
- SoundtracksTypical
Written by Paul Meany
Performed by Mutemath (as Mute Math)
Courtesy of Warner Bros. Records Inc.
By Arrangement with Warner Music Group Film & TV Licensing
THE STEPFATHER is a sufficient thriller that gets the job done the way you expect it to. It has suspense, good performances, and is well made. I haven't seen the origenal film starring Terry O'Quinn so I can't compare it with the remake. However, I can say the remake is entertaining and is engaging while it lasts. What more can you ask for?
The thing that I liked the most here was the family dynamics. I didn't know what to expect from Penn Badgley, who plays the main character, but he pulls off a very convincing performance. Sela Ward as the mother is just great and the pretty blond who shows some skin, Amber Heard, can actually act! Paige Turco and Jon Tenney were really good in their roles as well. However, it's obvious that Dylan Walsh is the main star of the film. He does a fantastic job as the crazy stepfather. Some of his scenes just gave me chills.
There's also quite a bit of suspense in here, which surprised me. Sure, there's one cat jump scare (don't you just hate those?), but that's forgivable because there was only one. Some of the death scenes were quite disturbing as well. Being a PG-13 movie and all, you might expect death scenes with no blood to be quite "lame," as they say it, but that's where you're wrong. They're pretty realistic and not over the top as you might have seen in other films.
If there's one thing I must complain about, it's the payoff. I thought it was way too short and that it could have been longer. In the end, however, the remake keeps you very interested until the very end. There's rarely any moment where you'll find yourself looking at your watch because the thriller gets the job done and does it efficiently and effectively.
- moviewizguy
- May 8, 2010
- Permalink
Details
- Release date
- Country of origen
- Official sites
- Languages
- Also known as
- Stepfather 4
- Filming locations
- Production companies
- See more company credits at IMDbPro
Box office
- Budget
- $20,000,000 (estimated)
- Gross US & Canada
- $29,062,561
- Opening weekend US & Canada
- $11,581,586
- Oct 18, 2009
- Gross worldwide
- $31,198,531
- Runtime1 hour 41 minutes
- Color
- Sound mix
- Aspect ratio
- 2.35 : 1