Enjoyable
Added 3/19/2010
This movie is getting a lot of flack and I am not sure why. With all of the teen lite remakes of classic horror movies this one actually stays fairly faithful to the original. The problem is that there are no real twists and turns. You know what is going o happen, you just hope the ride there is enjoyable. While Terry O'Quinn was terrific in his role as the stepfather, Walsh is merely good. The story suffers from way too many fake scares. How many times can they have someone open a door or turn around and have Walsh scare them. It got to be a little too much. That said I think it was a decent movie and worth a watch if you are a big fan of the original. It is in no way better, but I had fun watching it.
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Fairly enjoyable
Added 3/18/2010
There's not really much I can say that the other reviewers (positive or negative) haven't already said. Enjoyment of this movie is subjective, I guess. I didn't think it was GREAT, but it wasn't horrible either. I've seen lots scarier, and I rented this from a Redbox, so for a dollar, I can't say this movie was a waste of my money.
One thing I liked was how the stepdad was slipping up so quickly near the end of the movie, with blurting out the wrong name to his new wife, going after the girlfriend, and the like. He was just rather sloppy, so it was humorous to see his facade unravel on that one rainy night. If you're going to rent this film, just don't hold too high of a standard and you won't be disappointed.
1 out of 1 people found this helpful.
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THIS MOVIE WAS GREAT I HAVE WATCH IT AT LEAST 3TIMES ALREADY AND WILL BE WATCHING IT LATER TODAY
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Why?
This is the question that seems engraved on my brain since I always ask this question when I've seen yet ANOTHER totally unecessary remake of a movie masterpiece that should never ever be touched because it was perfect the first time around.
In the l987 gem, Terry O'Quinn became an overnight sensation for his brilliant delineation of a terriying pychopath who could easily slaughter brutally with the expression of a monster and within a half-second be looking like a handsome, pleasant head of the house. He would cooly whistle and smear peanut butter on toast, pick up his coat and walk by a room full of family corpses.
Switch to this 2009 "re-imagining", as the director describes it in the "Making of..." documentary. Dylan Walsh does the honors this time but there's nothing remotely chilling about him. Instead of a daughter this time, he has a step-son, Penn Badgley, who is so vacant, surly and cold you can understand the step-father's urge to murder him.
So much of the movie is spent with the son and his irritating girlfriend, Amber Head, who live in their bathing suits by the pool. Her total refusal to believe her boyfriend's suspicions about his step-father is so relentless you wish that she could have been an early victim.
Unlike the original, there's zero suspense here. The cast is a talented one but none can do much with this lousy script and direction.
It would be so wonderful if our modern movie-makers would spent the $60 million it took to make this brainless mess on a brand new horror script. I'm so heartily sick of reading each day that yet another horror classic is being "re-imagined". Oh, for the days of genuine, oiginal horror--like 'Psycho, The Evil Dead, Alien, Nightmare on Elm Street.
1 out of 1 people found this helpful.
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The Stepfather
Added 3/13/2010
THE STEPFATHER goes along the safest, most teen-friendly route in remaking the 1987 cult classic. While the original did not rely on blood and gore to win over the audience, the implied violence and terrifying performance by Terry O'Quinn left audiences stunned. Dylan Walsh brings a good amount of intensity to his interpretation of the character, but as a whole, the film proves to be a flaccid and unnecessary attempt. David is a mild mannered salesman that is marrying in to a broken family with three kids, but as his fiance's ex-husband, the neighbors, and his co-workers begin growing suspicious of his shrouded past, he must go to any length to protect his dark secrets. The most noticeable misstep in this version is the family size. The film introduces three children into the storyline, but only develops the eldest son while the other two are absent in nearly the entire picture. For whatever reason, the filmmakers must not have found Walsh's performance to be dramatic enough, as the script relies on countless false scares using all of the cheapest tactics and music cues to try to drum up audience reactions. The filming is cold and sterile, which reflects David's despondent existence, but also cuts out any emotional response in the viewing. THE STEPFATHER is just another bland walk down an all too familiar path, and it only goes to prove that the original should have been left untouched.
-Carl Manes
I Like Horror Movies
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Enjoyable
Added 3/19/2010
This movie is getting a lot of flack and I am not sure why. With all of the teen lite remakes of classic horror movies this one actually stays fairly faithful to the original. The problem is that there are no real twists and turns. You know what is going o happen, you just hope the ride there is enjoyable. While Terry O'Quinn was terrific in his role as the stepfather, Walsh is merely good. The story suffers from way too many fake scares. How many times can they have someone open a door or turn around and have Walsh scare them. It got to be a little too much. That said I think it was a decent movie and worth a watch if you are a big fan of the original. It is in no way better, but I had fun watching it.
0 out of 0 people found this helpful.
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Fairly enjoyable
Added 3/18/2010
There's not really much I can say that the other reviewers (positive or negative) haven't already said. Enjoyment of this movie is subjective, I guess. I didn't think it was GREAT, but it wasn't horrible either. I've seen lots scarier, and I rented this from a Redbox, so for a dollar, I can't say this movie was a waste of my money.
One thing I liked was how the stepdad was slipping up so quickly near the end of the movie, with blurting out the wrong name to his new wife, going after the girlfriend, and the like. He was just rather sloppy, so it was humorous to see his facade unravel on that one rainy night. If you're going to rent this film, just don't hold too high of a standard and you won't be disappointed.
1 out of 1 people found this helpful.
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THIS MOVIE WAS GREAT I HAVE WATCH IT AT LEAST 3TIMES ALREADY AND WILL BE WATCHING IT LATER TODAY
0 out of 0 people found this helpful.
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