Quartile rating: 5.5/10 · 1 rating
Michael Harding returns home from military school to find his mother happily in love and living with her new boyfriend, David. As the two men get to know each other, Michael becomes more and more suspicious of the man who is always there with a helpful hand. Is he really the man of her dreams or could David be hiding a dark side?
A by-the-numbers remake of the 1987 cult thriller that strips away much of the original's unsettling tension and dark wit. The plot follows a predictable formula with telegraphed twists and little suspense. Acting is serviceable but unremarkable, with Dylan Walsh's villain lacking the menace Terry O'Quinn brought to the original. Cinematography is flat and generic, typical of mid-budget horror remakes of the era. Novelty is genuinely low — this is a straightforward remake that adds nothing new to the concept and feels derivative in almost every respect. The ending resolves without surprise or impact, wrapping up with genre clichés.