The Stepfather

A remake of the 1987 thriller of the same name, The Stepfather follows the title character (Dylan Walsh’s David Harris), a sociopath with a penchant for murdering families, as he attempts to weasel his way into the lives of a divorcée (Sela Ward’s Susan) and her three children – with problems ensuing as Susan’s teenage son (Penn Badgley’s Michael) becomes increasingly suspicious of David’s true motives. It’s clear from the get-go that Walsh’s unexpectedly compelling work plays a key role in cementing The Stepfather‘s early success, as the actor avoids the temptation to just mimic Terry O’Quinn’s take on the semi-iconic character and instead delivers an impressively captivating performance that initially compensates for the movie’s less-than-fresh atmosphere. There inevitably reaches a point, however, wherein the film begins to demonstrably spin its wheels, with the aggressively uneventful midsection – in which Michael worries that his new stepfather is up to no good – slowly but surely infusing the proceedings with a stagnant, downright interminable sort of vibe. Without the aid of any subplots or diversions, The Stepfather is forced to rely on Michael’s ongoing (and thoroughly tedious) efforts at confirming David’s guilt to propel the narrative forward and it’s not surprising to note that the film consequently spirals into irrelevance with disconcerting expediency. And although the film admittedly does recover for a relatively thrilling finale, it’s ultimately impossible to label The Stepfather as anything more than yet another toothless and entirely needless horror-movie remake.

** out of ****