The Stepfather [Unrated]

MOVIE DESCRIPTION:

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

DVD FEATURES:

• Region: 1
• Number of Discs: 1
• Screen: Enhanced Wide Screen Letterbox for 16x9 TV
• Aspect Ratio: 2.40:1
• Audio: Dolby Digital 5.1
• Features:
  • Gag reel
  • Commentary with Penn Badgley, Dylan Walsh and director Nelson McCormick
  • "Open House: Making the Film" featurette
  • "Visualizing the Stunts" featurette

ADDITIONAL INFORMATION:

• Cast:

  
       Dylan Walsh - David Harris
       Dylan Walsh - David
       Sela Ward - Susan Harding
       Sela Ward
       Penn Badgley - Michael Harding
       Amber Heard - Kelly Porter
       Jon Tenney
       Sherry Stringfield - Leah
       Amber Heard
       Paige Turco - Jackie Kerns
       Jon Tenney - Jay
       Nancy Linehan Charles - Mrs. Cutter
       Marcuis Harris - Detective Shay
       Skyler Samuels - Beth Harding
       Braeden Lemasters - Sean Harding
       Deirdre Lovejoy - Detective Tylar
       Blue Deckert - Captain Mackie
       Jason Wiles - Dylan Bennet
       Kara Briola - Real Estate Assistant
       Jessalyn Gilsig - Julie King
       Cathy Schenkelberg - Waitress
       David Guzzone - Male Buyer
       Amanda Reyne - Woman Buyer
       Carmen Mormino - Taxi Driver
       Todd Cosgrove - Mailman
       Tracey Costello - Mrs. Rivers
       Cheryl Anderson - Older Woman
       Pride Grinn - Car Salesman
       Sean Moran - Gus/Hardware Clerk
       Jack Chang - Cell Phone Clerk
       Savannah Levin - Lisa Bennet

• Director:

  Nelson McCormick

• Producer:

  Mark Morgan, Greg Mooradian

• Screenwriter:

  J.S. Cardone

• Screen Story:

  Donald E. Westlake, Brian Garfield, Carolyn Starin

• Cinematographer:

  Patrick Cady

• Musical Direction/Supervision:

  Michael Friedman

• Composer (Music Score):

  Charlie Clouser

• Editor:

  Eric L. Beason

• Production Designer:

  Steven Jordan

• Art Director:

  Timothy J. Eckel

• Co-producer:

  Jay Dykes

• Executive Producer:

  J.S. Cardone, Meredith Zamsky, Guy Oseary, Robert O. Green, Julie Meldal-Johnsen

• Set Designer:

  James Tocci, Barbara Mesney, Camille Bratkowski, Bryan Lane

• Costume Designer:

  Lyn Elizabeth Paolo

• Set Decorator:

  Juliann Getman

• First Assistant Director:

  Michael L. Phillips

• Casting:

  Lisa London, Catherine Stroud

• Special Effects Coordinator:

  John Frazier

• From Screenplay by:

  Donald E. Westlake

• Special Effects Supervisor:

  Jeff Wischnack

• Unit Production Manager:

  Meredith Zamsky

• Properties Master:

  Max Brehme

• Special Effects Technician:

  Chris Jones

• Chief Lighting Technician:

  Derrick P. Kolus

• Stunts Coordinator:

  Mike Smith

• Leadman:

  Drew Williams

• Department Head Makeup:

  Stephanie Fowler

• Department Head Hair:

  Stacey K. Black

• Second Assistant Director:

  James Moran

• Key Make-up:

  Bernadette Beauvais

• Key Hairstylist:

  Mary Stultz

REVIEW:

• While the original version of The Stepfather may not be remembered with quite the same familiarity as its fellows in 1980s horror, the movie still holds a spot within the genre. Its suit-and-tie-wearing sociopath killed with a cold efficiency that was just as terrifying, albeit quieter, than his machete-wielding brethren. The remake, at times, is able to tap into the sense of unease elicited by killers that mix well with society -- but, for the most part, it's a bland, if passable, psychological thriller.
  
  The Stepfather begins as Grady Edwards (also known as David Harris in the film, among other aliases, played by Dylan Walsh) calmly exits his suburban home, where his latest family, having failed to meet his expectations, lies dead, scattered about the Christmas decorations. The killer has his routine down to a science: find a harried single mother in a public place, utter a few witticisms, pretend to be a widower, imitate all the hallmarks of an ideal courtship, and quickly take over the role of father and husband. Eventually, he believes, he'll stumble across the right fit. When he meets Susan (Sela Ward), a recent divorcee, and two of her children in a grocery store, he has high hopes that they're the family he's been searching for. This is all made clear within the first 15 minutes of the film -- and those 15 minutes have potential.
  
  The film, as well as Edwards' plans, however, starts to unravel when he meets Michael Harding (Penn Badgley), Susan's son, fresh from a stint at military school, and his girlfriend, Kelly (Amber Heard). It's not that either of the young actors does a particularly bad job with what they were told to do, but most of their interactions are limited to frolicking by the pool, posing prettily in swimsuits, making out, and alluding to the possibility that Michael will have to return to military school in the fall. Though there are some genuinely tense moments as Michael begins to realize there's something seriously amiss, it doesn't take away from the feeling that a teen romance was hastily tacked on to draw a larger audience. The script doesn't help matters -- it's hard to believe Michael would notice that there's something too practiced about his soon-to-be stepfather's schtick when the rest of the dialogue is just as plastic.
  
  Ward and Walsh do manage to turn in two strong performances, both putting across a palpable, desperate desire for the perfect life, which manifests itself in denial for one, and murder for the other. There are several modern tweaks -- browser history, text messaging, and telltale ringtones, to name a few -- that bump the tension up a notch, but not enough to make The Stepfather much more than mildly entertaining. ~ Tracie Cooper, Rovi