My Stepdaughter

A little girl is traumatized when her parents' argument ends tragically… Seven years later, the girl is mature-looking 16-year-old Niki Koss (as Casey). A moody goth-type brat, Ms. Koss stays in her room for hours and sketches aliens growing out of trees. She wears too much make-up, black nail polish and stares into the flame of a lighter. We're meant to think this signals trouble, not style. Koss lives with her pilot father Matt Socia (as Robert Burris), biochemist stepmother Emmanuelle Vaugier (as Jill) and mature-acting stepsister Ava Acres (as Lydia) in an upscale neighborhood near the Angeles National Forest. At school, Koss meets self-admitted "perv" photographer Caleb Thomas (as Brad)...

People start to drop dead on their own, unless it's murder...

Writer Ken Brisbois and director Sofia Shinas do best with the cold, rich setting of this slow burning thriller. A seemingly idyllic environment offers no immunity to indwelling evil. The interiors are filled with striking wall space, shiny floors and intriguingly lighted camera angles. The story's main weakness is how "troubled teenagers" are portrayed. Koss and Mr. Thomas are meant to signal horror and perversion in their appearance. However, their appearance is not all that unusual. In fact, they could have been given nose-rings and still be considered normal. If you can get past that, the TV movie "My Stepdaughter" is unremarkable but better than most of the "reality" shows you see on television.

**** My Stepdaughter (2015-06-30) Sofia Shinas ~ Niki Koss, Emmanuelle Vaugier, Matt Socia, Caleb Thomas