His second stab comes via The Stepfather and is a similarly tame endeavour. Nip/Tuck’s Dylan Walsh stars as a man who drifts from town to town insinuating himself into the lives of fatherless families until his attempts to build the perfect home environment turn bloody.
While the 1987 original was a lean, manipulative chiller that featured a memorable performance from Terry O’Quinn, McCormick’s re-imagining has very little in the way of suspense or terror and feels like a tired and frequently dumb retread.
Walsh lacks any menace, the various twists are telegraphed and the deaths are tame. The only real thrill comes from seeing how many times McCormick can place co-star Amber Heard in various states of undress ... a teen-pleasing tactic that speaks volumes for the film’s real intent.
The Stepfather (15)
**
Dir: Nelson McCormick
With: Dylan Walsh, Penn Badgley, Amber Heard
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