Em Magazine

By Aleya Miller

From the opening scene it's obvious that the stepfather in question, David Harris, played by Dylan Walsh of Nip/Tuck fame, is more than a little unhinged. As he leisurely munches on a piece of toast, sitting across from the table of the dead child he's just murdered doesn't seem to bother him in the least. Nor do the three other mangled bodies that are sprawled awkwardly about the room. Nope, David Harris is just fine and dandy, taking the time to shave and tidy himself up before letting himself out the door. This is his M.O; charming his way into the open arms of a family only to kill them when they don't live up to his psychotic expectations of perfection.

Enter the Harding family. Reformed delinquent Michael, played by Gossip Girl star Penn Badgley, has just returned from military school to find his mother (Sela Ward) engaged to David who, of course, presents himself as the perfect family man. But slowly his faultless persona begins to unravel revealing the true monster within.

The biggest problem with this movie is that the killer doesn't come off as all that intelligent.  We're told that our dear old step dad has pulled this murderous routine many times before and yet all his blunders and general carelessness give him the quality of a bumbling first timer. The movie is also very slow paced and it drags on until about twenty minutes from the end, when things really pick up and actually become pretty entertaining. Unfortunately , an action-packed finale can hardly make up for the yawn-inducing hour and twenty minutes it took to get there.The performances in the movie are all solid and believable but there are no real standouts. As the leading man, Walsh fails to conjure up the sort of tangible menace that would truly have audiences shaking in their seats.

With a tag line that reads "this fall, daddy's home," I don't think Hitchcock-level brilliance is expected but for this type of horror movie entertainment is key and "The Stepfather" just fails to deliver.

My advice? Do yourself a favor and see "Where the Wild Things Are" instead.