Plot: What’s it about?
Susan Heller (Andrea Roth) has a lot of charisma, stunning good looks, a killer smile, and a gorgeous body, but she also has a mean streak, believe that. She has been on a search for some time now, to track down her birth mother and settle some business. You see, her mother abandon her as a child and with a string of failed foster homes behind her, Susan wants to exact some revenge and of course, that means tracing the issue back to her original mother. But after all the hunting and research, Susan has tracked her past to a horse ranch, where she can finally bring some closure to her problems. The path to this point has been laden with blood, death, and sadness, but Susan has now arrived and she’s ready to seal the deal. She fakes a car accident and enters the home of Jesse Connor (Gil Gerard) and his wife Maggie (Cindy Pickett), who run the ranch and thanks to a murder of Susan’s, they need a new hand on deck. But little do they know Susan plans to do more than work with horses, instead perhaps a task or two with a very sharp knife…
I didn’t have much hope for The Stepdaughter, but as it turns out, it’s a decent little thriller, given the circumstances. This is a direct to video flick and lacks name players, top notch writing, and endless resources, but it doesn’t suffer too much and I thought it was a worthwhile picture. No one will mistake this for a modern masterpiece, but if you’re a genre fan, then The Stepdaughter is worth a look. I don’t think you should take it all that seriously, but it has some good moments and the time flies, which is sometimes enough, as it is here. You’ll see flaws within the storyline to be sure, but just overlook them and at times, have a good laugh at them. I was a little let down with the ending, but it was adequate and has a decent payoff. Andrea Roth leads the cast, with such names as Gil Gerard, Lisa Dean Ryan, Gary Hudson, and Cindy Pickett on deck. The performances are standard at best, but they manage to fulfill the basic needs and that’s enough. As I said, The Stepdaughter is no classic, but it is well worth a rental, to be sure.
The main player in this flick is Andrea Roth, who I wasn’t too familiar with, but I will look into more of her work now. Roth hasn’t broken into the big leagues just yet, but she has some experience in films, as well as various guest spots on television programs. She isn’t given superb material to work with here, but she turns in the standout performance and of course, her looks drive her presence to another level. But her good looks aren’t her sole talent, so I hope to see her in more prominent roles soon, in larger scale pictures. You can also see Roth in such films as Red Meat, Seedpeople, Crossworlds, Dangerous Attraction, The Club, and The Untold. The cast also includes Lisa Dean Ryan (Spanish Moss, Twisted Love), Cindy Pickett (Son in Law, Ferris Bueller’s Day Off), Gil Gerard (Airport ’77, Soldier’s Fortune), and Gary Hudson (Road House, Scanner Cop).
Video: How does it look?
The Stepdaughter is presented in a 1.85:1 anamorphic widescreen transfer. This is a terrific looking presentation, although the film’s lack of funds often becomes obvious. On the whole however, this image is sharp and well defined, with no real complaints to lodge. The colors seem bold enough and consistent, while flesh tones are natural as well. I do think a few scenes were on the darker side, but for the most part, the contrast is level handed and delivers on all counts. I saw no serious compression flaws and the print looks clean, so I am giving this one a high score, as it more than deserves it.
Audio: How does it sound?
The included Dolby stereo track is more than decent, but don’t expect much in terms of dynamic output. This movie isn’t very reliant upon audio however, so that helps keep the experience on the up and up. The sound effects are well placed and as immersive as possible, which is about all you can ask for, to be honest. The musical cues are terrific also, while dialogue is rich and crisp, very impressive indeed. You won’t want to show off your home theater system with this option, but it handles the material and of course, that’s what counts in the end. This disc also includes subtitles in English, Spanish, and French.
Supplements: What are the extras?
This disc includes the film’s theatrical trailer.
