The New Daughter

Nowhere near as bad as its invisible marketing strategy might suggest. But that's not to imply that it's worth seeking out.

The film's riffs on the fear fathers have of teenage daughters' mood swings are its only strength, but Berdejo is too timid to actually examine all the ramifications thereof.

Does tread with clunky boots upon well-worn horror movie territory. Every ominous sign is preceded by full moons, slithering fog, and thunderclaps.

Unfortunately for all of the good work, like the good-looking cinematography, and Costner's performance, it doesn't quite land the punch it needs to stand out as one of the better horrors of recent years.

Frustratingly uneven...

It's far from perfect, but The New Daughter is elegantly crafted (cinematography by Checco Varese is gorgeous) and mindful of tension, not just splatter, sneaking around pleasingly.

These problems are what make The New Daughter creep along like a real ant. It's barely engaging, tough to watch at times, and straight-up boring. If anything, Daughter feels like a made-for-TV movie that would eventually hit SyFy or get dumped on DVD.

If they had dropped The New Daughter title, took Costner's mug off the one sheet and just called it The Mound they actually might have had a modest hit.

Feels a bit like a made-for-cable thriller that borrows liberally from similar flicks, but is still perfectly watchable on a dull Wednesday night.