10 More Horror Movie Remakes That Were Instantly Forgotten
7. The Stepfather (2009)
The original Stepfather centres around a psychopath called Jerry Blake who dreams of settling down. If anything is imperfect about his family, Jerry kills them all, and tries again and again until he finds the right fit.
The Stepfather didn't make much money but has since developed a cult-following. Due to its newfound popularity, it wasn't a surprise when it received a remake in 2009, with Dylan Walsh playing the lead role.
Unfortunately, it's obvious this version will not hit the same way straight off the bat. Although 2009's Stepfather recreates the jaw-dropping prologue of the original, the gore is heavily sanitised, with the film overall lacking the brutal violence that made its predecessor stand out.
The remake strips away much of the psychological nuance of its progenitor and instead opts for a standard teen thriller format. The titular villain isn't as interesting since he lacks the charm and internal conflict that made the initial character so unsettling.
Worst of all, it's not frightening in the slightest, since all the slow-building tension is swapped out for loud sound effects and ineffective jump scares.