Dylan Walsh is a strong actor, but the material he's been given doesn't help him attempt to go toe to toe with Terry O'Quinn's iconic performance in the original. The stepchild's gender has been switched and Penn Badgley brings a lot of welcome vulnerability to the role while Sela Ward's concerned wife and mother doesn't get as much to do nor does Amber Heard as the concerned girlfriend.

The script has more cliches and bad scares than the original which hurts it a lot, but it's entertaining enough if you just want to decompress and watch something that doesn't require you to do much thinking.

First off, a warning: THE STEPFATHER is a remake of a 1980s horror film starring Terry O'Quinn (from LOST) as the murderous family member. That original film was actually very good, and spawned two lesser sequels before being resurrected for this noughties-era revamp.

It's many years since I saw (and loved) the original film, so I can't really comment on similarities or disparities between the two movies. However, I can report that this new film is surprisingly effective, even when it's saddled with a PG-13 rating. It blows many other PG-13 thrillers (such as the lacklustre THE GLASS HOUSE) out of the water.

Dylan Walsh proves to be more than effective as the kindly family man who turns out to hide a murderous secret, and while the screenplay never gets as dark - or explicit - as I would have liked, the suspense levels remain high throughout. The actual lead turns out to be the teenage son, played effectively (although without much sympathy) by Penn Badgley, although the award for best scene-stealer goes to Amber Heard, who parades around in a bikini for her ENTIRE running time.

The murder scenes are well handled and the direction is for the most part acceptable, a surprise given that Nelson McCormick also handled the disappointing PROM NIGHT remake. THE STEPFATHER is one of the better remakes out there and while it doesn't have much in the way of rewatchability it certainly passes the time for both horror and thriller fans.

David Harris (Dylan Walsh) is the stepfather from hell. He kills his stepkids and new wife. It's not even be his first kills, and each time, he gets a new identity. His next target is Susan Harding (Sela Ward) and her kids. Six months later, her oldest son Michael (Penn Badgley) returns home after military school to find David living with the family. Michael's longtime girlfriend is Kelly Porter (Amber Heard), and he doesn't get along with his father Jay (Jon Tenney). David gets a job at Susan's friend Jackie Kerns (Paige Turco)'s realty company. Things work relatively well at first. When an elderly neighbor notices the resemblance between David and a police wanted sketch, David starts killing once again.

This is a relatively professionally made B-movie. Dylan Walsh does a good creepy guy while still has that leading man look. Sela Ward is protesting too much at all the evidence. These are cookie cutter characters and not really that well thought out. Penn Badgley is not the most likable actor. And for some reason, Amber Heard is always wearing a bikini. I'm not complaining but it becomes very noticeable. In the end, this movie lacks something compelling to interest me. There is no mystery since the stepfather is shown as a serial killer right away. The movie is mapped out right from the start. The family isn't likable enough to maintain rooting interest. This is professionally made but not much more than that.