The Stepdaughter

A lot of these direct-to-video movies aren't always the greatest, because they obviously couldn't even make it to the theater. I have no clue why this wasn't in theaters. It wasn't all that bad. Andrea Roth and Lisa Dean Ryan were rather good, and the story was really great. I recommend this movie. I give The Stepdaughter a 7 out of 10. :)

This film generates a lot of hate but it's not so bad. It is teribly format and there are so many ananswered qudestions and loose ends but ... it's a made-for-tv movie that has to rein in the blood and gore and doesn't care about things making sense, For example, Susan does say something about her stepfather (not much) but because of the very limited backstory we don't really get why the film called The Stepdaughter. The way she answers questions it's as if she's trying to get caught in lies. But... Andrea Roth is extremly dishy and it's nice to see her runnning around and the ranch setting is really beautiful, so it's not too bad a ride at all.

The problem with this TV movie? It isn't trashy enough! Andrea Roth's portrayal of twisted anti-heroine Susan Heller is the saving grace of this tawdry thriller. She alternates sweetness and villainy well but there are times when she could have hammed it up more. I also found the structure of the film amateur. It starts improbably and little background information is revealed. It is not clear why Susan revisits the horse-ranch until more than half-way through. Little is revealed about Susan's mysterious upbringing, leaving her murderous deeds harder to understand. Another problem was the dour performance by the other daughter who was supposed to represent goodness in contrast to Susan's evilness. She was far from sympathetic, allowing Susan to take centre stage. Not the best of its genre.

I recently watched The Stepdaughter (2000) on Tubi. The story follows a troubled, orphaned young woman who resents never having a real family or a happy childhood. Fueled by a desire for revenge, she takes a job as a stable hand on a farm-where she may have found the perfect family to target, for more reasons than one.

Directed by Peter Liapis (Ghoulies), the film stars Andrea Roth (War), Lisa Dean Ryan (Doogie Howser, M. D.), Jaimz Woolvett (Unforgiven), and Cindy Pickett (Ferris Bueller's Day Off).

This feels like a made-for-TV movie in every possible way. The storyline is overly simplistic and far too convenient from start to finish. The acting and dialogue are painfully stiff, making every plot twist glaringly obvious. Nothing about the film feels authentic or realistic, and even the background music plays more like a soap opera than a thriller.

In conclusion, The Stepdaughter is awful. I'd rate it a 1/10 and recommend skipping it.

While not a wholly original or fantastic movie, it is better than a lot of the other direct-to-video thrillers. Andrea Roth & Lisa Dean Ryan both do really well with their parts. If you can overlook the more predictable plot points, it is a descent movie to watch.