Remade from the 1987 cult horror/thriller classic of the same name, The Stepfather is the story of a mild mannered, yet deeply psychotic, and somewhat murderous, man (played by Dylan Walsh, Nip/Tuck) who after disposing of one readymade family, moves towns and attempts to settle down with his next fiancée and her three children.
The fiancée is Susan Harding (Sela Ward, The Day After Tomorrow), a divorcee with three children (exactly the profile of the stepfather’s former victims); two preteens, Beth and Sean (Skyler Samuels, Bless This Mess, and Braeden Lemasters, Men of a Certain Age, respectively), and an older, more awkward, child called Michael (Penn Badgley, Forever Strong), who is one summer shy of entering his senior high-school year; and is blissfully unaware of her fiancée’s dark past, or vicious nature, believing that he is simply a charming salesman, who tragically lost his wife and daughter the year before he met her and her kids.
Unfortunately that isn’t the case, and the man that everybody has come to know as David Harris is actually Grady Edwards, Gregory Sykes, Chris Ames, or any of the other pseudonyms he’s used when he’s been living with other women and children in his quest for the perfect family. But this time however, his identity isn’t automatically swallowed by everyone around him, and eventually everyone from the America’s Most Wanted fan across the road, to Susan’s ex-husband, sister, and son Michael, begin to question just who ‘David’ really is; why he doesn’t have a steady local job, why he doesn’t carry even a single picture ID, why the college he supposedly graduated from has never heard of him, and why there isn’t a single picture of him to be found anywhere.
After that it’s just a matter of time before the tension, which has been slowly building from the beginning of the picture, is suddenly and violently released, and the new stepfather moves from simply lying to cover his tracks, and making interfering neighbours disappear, to trying to permanently trying to dispatch of his new, and ultimately not-so perfect, family.
The tension is built up fairly well, and rather slowly, throughout the film through many subtle elements, such as uneasy stares and innocuous comments, and some that are far less subtle, such as yelling at the kids, forgetting details about his falsified past, or murdering anyone who attempts to threaten his new life. It’s also upped by a good deal of subtext, like the subtle ways in which the stepfather’s controlling nature and OCD are shown; from neatly arranging pencils on a table, to steering dinner table conversation; and many understated nuances in Dylan Walsh’s solid performance, and that of the supporting cast.
Dylan’s performance, though solid and befitting the style and tone of the film, is unlikely to land him any awards (unlike Lost‘s Terry O’Quinn, who played the role of the stepfather in the original 1987 film and its first sequel), and is in many ways similar to the performance he often gives in Nip/Tuck; with his sly looks, solitary attitude, and short temper; a role he fits into very well, aptly and effortlessly changing from the enraged psychopath to the charming fiancée in mere seconds, although sadly not as well as Terry O’Quinn.
Supporting stars also fair similarly to Walsh, in that their performances are all good, yet not overly memorable or impressive. Penn Badgley, who heads the supporting cast as Michael, the only one who is fiercely distrustful of the stepfather from the beginning, is adequate, but delivers a character that has been done better many times before. Amber Heard (Zombieland) is also fairly average as Michael’s girlfriend, and obviously only used as a piece of eye-candy (it’s difficult to think of a single scene where she actually wore trousers), but other members such as Sela Ward (who excels at the interpersonal relationship scenes and emotional drama) and Paige Turco (American Gothic) deliver excellent performances that are difficult to fault.
There are elements of directorial flair shown, with some interesting and unusual shots used, but there’s nothing that truly stands out or is likely to elevate Nelson McCormick (Prom Night) far above his TV directing career, and most of the film feels just like what it is; a retelling of a story that has been told dozens of times in slightly different ways.
That isn’t to say that The Stepfather isn’t worth watching, because it is a good film; it’s acted well (Dylan Walsh fits into the title role well and is somewhat unnerving, just fails to be as creepy as Terry O’Quinn), and has a story that, despite being utterly predictable, is still pretty tense, and poses a rather poignant question to any widower/divorcee who’s entering the dating game; how much do you really know about the new partner your letting not only into your house, but trusting with your children? It’s not the scariest or most gripping thriller ever, but it’s still very interesting, and, as the original was based on the life or murderer John List, it’s a warning of terrifyingly realistic possibility.
Picture:
The Stepfather is presented in a 2.40:1 aspect ratio, and actually looks rather good on DVD; detail is apt (although not the sharpest it could be), and does a good job of enhancing some of the fine textures seen in the film. Colours and contrast are also stunning, and best observed in any number of daytime shots in and around the Harding’s pool.
Even the very thin layer of grain that is evident serves to enhance the quality and feel of the picture, as do the black levels, which feature fairly well, having decent enough shadow detail, but would have looked a good deal better had they been somewhat deeper, as the atmosphere of the film often relies on subtle looks given in moody lighting.
With very few bad things to say about this picture, it is a shame that there will be no British Blu-ray release (unlike in the USA), but at least all fans of the film can be happy in the knowledge that for a DVD, The Stepfather has great picture quality.
Audio:
Audio however (a 5.1 Dolby Digital track) doesn’t fare quite so well; it is by no means a bad track, as it has some very strong, and technically solid, points, it’s just not that impressive, not all that tense (a big deal in a movie that relies on successfully creating an air of suspenseful tension), and not memorable in the slightest.
Having said that, the audio does its job well where it counts; dialogue is by far the most important sound element in the film (the build up of tension relies on uneasy dialogue rather than suspenseful action), and is not only well prioritized and easily intelligible, but perfectly clear and well represented; and often incorporates some subtle atmospherics and surround elements that make the difference between locations such as David’s empty basement, and the life-filled rest of the house, hauntingly apparent.
There are also a couple of decent effects, such as the heavy and realistic bass used during the film’s climactic storm, but somehow the track just fails to create the sort of tension it should; never full engaging the listener and making them feel a part of the action. Obviously being a psychological thriller it wouldn’t have the most system-taxing or awe-inspiring audio available, but this track, despite being technically sound, just isn’t memorable, or captivating, enough.
Extras:
The DVD special features for The Stepfather include an audio commentary; featuring director Nelson McCormick, Dylan Walsh, and Penn Badgley, and is a track that is quite easy to listen to, despite Dylan Walsh’s quiet nature, the excessive praising of the film by all parties, and the fact that interesting trivia elements (such as learning about the work of the visual effects team, and listening to amusing talk of product placement) are few and far between; a gag reel; which is an odd inclusion for a serious thriller, and consists not of the usual actors forgetting their lines, but more of people dropping things, tripping, or generally joking about, and is actually rather amusing.
There is also a making of featurette, entitled ‘Open House’, which contains interviews with the director, the crew, and the majority of the principal cast, all discussing each other’s efforts in making the film (something that again tends to lead to tedious praising of each other and the film), the production as a whole, and the warning message that the film gives to divorced and widowed women. Despite being a little praise heavy, and switching to mainly a feature about building the set of the house, it’s a featurette that is short enough to never become boring, and contains good production values.
Likewise the feature that focuses on the stunt work has similarly high production values and contains interviews with the director, actors, and associated stunt crew, and even though there is only really one sequence for the feature to focus on it provides some interesting information, and lets the fans know just what a fluid process it is designing and implementing stunts into modern films.
The bonus features are then rounded off with a collection of trailers; for The Boondock Saints II: All Saints Day, Zombieland, 2012, and Defendor, as well as a generic Blu-ray trailer; which all combine to make for a very solid selection of extras that should please anyone who enjoyed The Stepfather and wants to learn just a little more about its production. There’s nothing too original or exciting in there, but there is a short collection of well made, easy to watch features that will please any fan.
The Bottom Line:
It might not gain the sort of cult following that the original retains, it’s nowhere near as tense, and feels like it’s aimed at a much more juvenile audience, but the remake of The Stepfather is still a good film; Dylan Walsh is no Terry O’Quinn, but fits into the role of the sociopath with ease, and plays well against the supporting cast who also adequately fulfil their roles.
The plot has been revisited many times over (always with a slightly different slant) but the series of escalating events shown here still manage to ramp up the tension throughout and provide a decent payoff that is well worth hanging on for, and begs a very interesting and socially relevant question about the people that we let into our homes.
Picture and sound quality aren’t exactly demo worthy examples, but they still both more than adequately fulfil their jobs and are by no sense of the word, bad; being technically sound throughout and only having minor issues. Likewise the special features don’t contain anything too exciting or original, but are nevertheless a worthy and informative collection that should satisfy the fans curiosity for behind the scenes titbits.
In short, The Stepfather isn’t a bad shot at remaking a classic, tense, psychological thriller, but unfortunately it doesn’t quite reach the same heights as the original, and will likely disappoint fans of the classic. For anyone who hasn’t seen the original however, this is a suspenseful, tense, and somewhat engaging thriller that is sure to entertain anyone that watches, for an hour and a half; it features a great performance from Dylan Walsh, as well as some socially relevant questions; and for people who aren’t interested in that sort of thing, there’s a collection of household weapons, and a young girl who’s half naked in almost all of her scenes.
Probably not the best thriller to blind buy, but a great title to rent on a dark stormy night, or pick up in a bargain bin; The Stepfather stays just shy of the heights reached by similar thriller remakes like Disturbia, but is still a tense and enjoyable watch for anyone who likes the genre.
