So, I’m still a Kevin Costner fan. I know there are those who seem to despise the guy, but I think he’s a hell of an actor and a hell of a director. There, I said it… let the insults begin (just be sure to send them to lethaldeath@555.com – and no it doesn’t exist… that’s the point.) Anyhow, I can’t say that I’ve loved every Costner film, but I have loved every western for sure. Even when I got to meet the guy for a quick round table interview, he came across as a decent fellow. Moving on, I was beginning to wonder what had happened to him. It was nice seeing him play against type as a serial killer in “Mr. Brooks”, but he kind of disappeared into “Swing Vote” then nothing. Seems I was wrong, he popped back up last year in a little heard of movie called ‘The New Daughter.” I felt it was kind of out of place being a lower budget thriller, but I thought, what the heck… I’ll give it a shot.

In “The New Daughter,” Costner stars as John James, a recently divorced father of two who opts to move his kids away from the ‘bitch of an ex-wife’ and settle down in rural South Carolina. Seems like a good idea after all. What better environment is there for kids than an old house away from the nightmares of city life? Well, unless the environment comes with a mysterious mound of dirt in the back yard and the propensity to cause your adolescent daughter’s hormones to turn her into an uncontrollable monster. (Yes, I know… all adolescent girls are uncontrollable monsters, but for the sake of the story we have to pretend they aren’t…). As things go from bad to worse, John has to overstep the bounds of fatherhood in order to confront the evil that is taking over his daughter and tearing his family apart.

“The New Daughter” fires on all cylinders, but some of the chambers are empty. The storyline is interesting, but hardly new. As a matter of fact, watching the film I was reminded of way too many other movies leading me to wonder where all the originality was. And while the cinematography was appropriately moody, there were some scenes that were just a little too dark. Not sure if this was how it came across in theaters, but it certainly shows up in the Bluray. On the bright side, the audio was actually exceptional. The mix of music and ambient sounds turned what could have been average scenes into truly creepy ones. So, big kudos on the sound mix.

The other saving grace to this film is Ivana Baquero, whom you might recognize from “Pan’s Labyrinth.” Baquero delivers a very powerful performance as Costner’s daughter, Louisa. Her Jekyll/Hyde antics are quite believable, natural and frightening.

The new Bluray release offers up a ton of deleted scenes, as well as a short behind the scenes documentary that features (gasp) some interview footage from Costner. There is also a commentary from director Luis Berdejo, which is interesting though not necessarily engaging.

“The New Daughter” offers a few chill and thrills, worth watching at least once.

Directed by: Luis Berdejo
Starring: Kevin Costner, Ivana Baquero, Samantha Mathis, Noah Taylor
Extras: Deleted Scenes; Theatrical Trailer, Audio Commentary with Director Luis Berdejo; Behind the Scenes
Specification: Widescreen (2.35:1); Surround 5.1; PCM 5.1
Studio: Anchor Bay
Release Date: 5/18/2010
MPAA Rating: PG-13
http://www.thenewdaughter.com

We'll give The New Daughter (Bluray) a C+.