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The Stepfather
Metascore
33 out of 100

Generally unfavorable - based on 11 Critics

Critic score distribution:
  1. Positive: 1 out of 11
  2. Mixed: 7 out of 11
  3. Negative: 3 out of 11
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  1. Los Angeles Times
    Reviewed by: Kevin Thomas
    70
    Tthe film is all of a piece, a handsome, thoughtfully crafted production that generates a mounting terror securely anchored by assured performances, consistent psychological persuasiveness and believable dialogue. What's most chilling about The Stepfather is that it was inspired by an actual incident in New Jersey in 1971.
  2. Variety
    Reviewed by: John Anderson
    60
    McCormick's Stepfather boasts a decent script by J.S. Cardone, but it seems to have been made in a bubble, as if nothing had transpired in the world of slasher/horror since the late Donald Westlake ("The Grifters") wrote the much-respected original.
  3. Boston Globe
    Reviewed by: Ty Burr
    50
    As such things go, it's not bad: slick and proficient, The Stepfather 2.0 gets the adrenaline pumping, but the original has the brains.
  4. Entertainment Weekly
    Reviewed by: Owen Gleiberman
    50
    The trouble with the movie, apart from its rather monotonous dourness of tone, is that everyone in the family, especially the reformed-delinquent high school son (Penn Badgley), comes off as tougher, smarter, and quicker on the draw than the stepfather who's supposed to be outfoxing them.
  5. L.A. Weekly
    Reviewed by: Nick Pinkerton
    50
    The kickoff is good -- the finale effectively literalizes the expression "broken home" -- but director Nelson McCormick doesn't keep things "taut" in between. Rather than do scenes right the first time, he tends to déjà vu them (this usually involves Amber Heard, wearing not-too-much).
  6. The New York Times
    Reviewed by: Stephen Holden
    50
    A clumsy remake of the 1987 cult thriller.
  7. Chicago Reader
    Reviewed by: Cliff Doerksen
    50
    Whereas the 1987 horror hit The Stepfather was top-notch drive-in fare, this perfunctory retread had a tame, made-for-TV feel.
  8. Empire
    Reviewed by: Staff (Not credited)
    40
    Cliché-ridden and full of plot-holes.
  9. The Hollywood Reporter
    Reviewed by: Kirk Honeycutt
    30
    This remake turns a fondly remembered horror/thriller into a mild and tedious suspense film.
  10. Austin Chronicle
    Reviewed by: Marc Savlov
    20
    A dull, plodding remake.
  11. The A.V. Club
    Reviewed by: Scott Tobias
    0
    Walsh is just a dumb bully who can't see more than one or two steps ahead. He's doomed to generic slasher villainy, and the film thoughtlessly obliges.
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User Reviews

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User Score
5.9 out of 10

Mixed or average reviews- based on 27 Ratings

User score distribution:
  1. Positive: 4 out of 9
  2. Mixed: 3 out of 9
  3. Negative: 2 out of 9
  1. BrandonBonasera
    6
    THE STEPFATHER is a good movie, but it could have had more stuff happening in it.
  2. solutions10
    5
    This review contains spoilers, click full review link to view. Okay, so I first saw this on blu-ray, which is unrated. I did not know the theatrical was PG-13. I sort of looking for a bloody slasher film with a psychopathic stepfather, you know, something that excites me on a boring evening. I'm not sure what the differences were between the unrated and PG-13 versions, but no matter how you look at it, this film really doesn't work, despite its great premise (I wasn't aware it was a remake until later). He's supposed to be the guy everybody trusts, your classic closet serial killer who's otherwise normal...well, almost otherwise normal. For a guy who's supposed to be a step ahead of everyone else, it's pretty clear he's not one of the brighter killers to exist. It's like he's asking to be caught, with how he suddenly quits his job because he has to provide identification, murders people who think he's suspicious, and even keeps his **** browser history intact on his computer. Seriously? He doesn't even manage to clear his browser history? Couldn't he have at least made a separate user account on Windows so no one else could see it? But no, he decides to leave his entire web activity available for public eye, which, big surprise, helps a lot in his eventual discovery. The "cell phone with low battery" trick is actually used here, which hasn't been suspenseful for at least a decade. He somehow loses a fight to a teenager who is clearly a worse fighter, tries to cover up his evidence with a lock that someone simply forces open, and lives an open lie that you can't imagine anyone in the movie possibly believes, sans the desperate person he's scheduled to marry. There's really nothing special at all about this film, and its nonsensical premise isn't lived up to in the execution (no pun intended). Plot holes are everywhere, believability is kept to a minimum, the characters aren't anything special, we never learn the bad guy's true motives, everyone in the movie seems to have a serious association problem (considering they dismiss his picture on America's Most Wanted as nothing to worry about, or that he never allows himself to be photographed, or that he refuses to provide proper identification when asked, etc.), and really, the bad guy is just not very smart. Yeah, he tries to be charming like a typical psychopath, but he's not exactly calculated in any way whatsoever. His smarts as a killer end at his ability to fake a smile. Pretty weak film, especially with an antagonist who is an idiot and is wearing a sign on his forehead the whole time saying he's the killer on America's Most Wanted, which is naturally dismissed by every single person except the main protagonist. Yeah, that's weak.… Full Review »
  3. Rumblebeelove
    5
    While I have not seen the original, this movie on its own is not scary, not even very suspenseful. A few scenes showed promise, but everything here seems so cliche'. The acting is solid, and there are a few nice shots, but not enough to push it over being a polished bland film.… Full Review »
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