The New Daughter

PG-13

Released Dec 18, 2009

1 hr. 48 min.

Horror

Mystery & Thriller

List

40%

10 Reviews

Tomatometer

24%

2,500+ Ratings

Audience Score

A single father (Kevin Costner) is puzzled by his daughter's (Ivana Baquero) weird behavior, which begins soon after he moves his family to a secluded woodland home.

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Kyle J

No rhyme or reason to this story especial at the end. Typical scary (not really) creatures.

Rated 0.5 out of 5 stars

03/06/24

Full Review

Matthew T

A much underrated genre-bending horror monster flic with the unusual casting of Costner in a horror. The worst thing about this movie is the title - it should have been called The Mound. A mysterious mound in the garden of a newly moved in family changes the behaviour of the teenage daughter in horrifying ways. A lot of the tropes in this movie are drawn from the haunted house genre, or the creepy possessed kid genre - but you are being deceived. The mound houses a tribe of strange creatures with designs on Costner's teenage daughter. There are even shades of the movie Aliens in there somewhere. This movie is slow-burning but ominous and Costner helps ground the whole affair as only he can. The movie avoids the cardinal mistake of monster movies - showing the monster too early or too clearly - and for that alone deserves much credit. As a result, the chills, which do not rely on jump scares, are genuinely scary. There might be some social commentary about difficult teenage daughters here - but I don't really care. Enjoy this for the horror. Indeed, this movie has most in common with the also excellent (and superior) Signs - a family out of its depth and in jeopardy facing a terror it cannot really believe is even real. But, unlike Signs which can get a bit nostalgic and sentiment heavy, when the horror really gets going in the final act, this movie siezes you by the throat and never lets go until the very last frame. Bravo to the director!

Rated 4 out of 5 stars

02/10/24

Full Review

Chester

Starts off with weird camera angles where Costner's head is cut off and he looks like a giant in his daughter's oddly shaped bedroom..then a very poorly written scene where his son finds a loaded shotgun...and I gave up. I am not surprised that I never heard of this turkey before.

Rated 0.5 out of 5 stars

10/27/23

Full Review

Tj

It would have been a much better movie if the ending was much more clearer I dont like moviescwith loose endings they drive me insane

Rated 3 out of 5 stars

10/24/23

Full Review

Vera A

This movie is underrated and little known, happened to run across it today and liked 80% of it. Slow start, suppose it was an attempt at character building that could of been done differently is partly why I'd gave it a 4. But as it moves along it gets better. Overall concept was good on the idea of recreating life from this creepy world living in a mound, plus the ending was a bonus making you scream WTF! Overall I'd say if you watch this movie do so with an open mind

Rated 4 out of 5 stars

01/22/23

Full Review

ronald h

"The New Daughter" is a passable creeper film which thankfully eschews slashing and gore for mystery and psychological chills. But first you have to get past the cliches. Novelist John James (Kevin Kostner) is recently divorced with two kids, Sam and Louisa (Gattlin Griffith and Ivana Baquero). The three move into a ridiculously huge, three-story house in the country (Why do three people need such an enormous place? Only Hollywood screenwriters know). John has writer's block, of course. How many films about writers don't involve writer's block? Pretty much none. Sam is the younger kid, and he's uncomfortable with his new surroundings, but he's at least cooperative. Louisa, a young adolescent, is petulant and whiny. Fifteen minutes into this film, I wanted something bad to happen to her. Louisa discovers a strange mound on the property, and she's attracted to it. She sneaks out at night and lies on it. John finds her sleeping with one of those weird, evil-looking straw dolls (which turns out to be full of creepy bugs). The family cat disappears and John finds him dead. Cats need to unionize. They always wind up dead in horror flicks. Louisa becomes increasingly withdrawn and sulky. She gets in trouble at school, where one of the teachers (Samantha Mathis) assures John that his daughter is just going through normal adolescent angst. Of course, she's attracted to John. How many cliches have I listed at this point? Well, I'm not done. The mound turns out to be an ancient burial mound, and it's haunted with strange creatures who have apparently taken possession of Louisa. John has to save her, even though she's not worth the trouble. It's reminiscent of "Taken" with Liam Neeson. Dads love their daughters, even when they're sullen little brats. The film moves at a slow but steady pace, with some periodic jump scares, but the action ramps up in the final act when John has to confront the evil creatures. Costner is reliable as usual. Frustrated with his daughter's attitude, he haplessly Googles "raising teenage daughters." Good luck with that. Lower your bar a few notches for this one. It's nothing new, but it's done with enough skill to be worth a watch. And Checco Varese's cinematography is crisp and gorgeous. The ending, unfortunately, is abrupt and inconclusive.

Rated 2.5 out of 5 stars

03/30/23

Full Review

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Luiso Berdejo

Director

Kevin Costner

John James

Ivana Baquero

Louisa James

Gattlin Griffith

Sam James

Samantha Mathis

Cassandra

Noah Taylor

Prof. Evan White

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Andrew Barker

Variety

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

Dec 30, 2009

Full Review

Ethan Gilsdorf

Boston Globe

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

Rated: 2/4

Dec 22, 2009

Full Review

Paul Lê

Bloody Disgusting

The director certainly relies on one too many clichés in the process, but once the training wheels are taken off, The New Daughter grows into a bleak example of how broken homes allow demons to come in through the cracks.

Rated: 3/5

Jul 21, 2023

Full Review

Simon Gallagher

What Culture

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.

Rated: 2/5

Jan 2, 2012

Full Review

David Nusair

Reel Film Reviews

Frustratingly uneven...

Rated: 2.5/4

Jul 19, 2010

Full Review

Brian Orndorf

DVDTalk.com

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.

Rated: B

Apr 25, 2010

Full Review

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Synopsis

A single father (Kevin Costner) is puzzled by his daughter's (Ivana Baquero) weird behavior, which begins soon after he moves his family to a secluded woodland home.

Director: Luiso Berdejo
Executive Producer: Scott Niemeyer
Screenwriter: John Travis
Distributor: Anchor Bay
Production Co: Gold Circle Films
Rating: PG-13 (Thematic Material|Disturbing Images|Brief Strong Language|Violence)
Genre: Horror, Mystery & Thriller
Original Language: English
Release Date (Theaters): Dec 18, 2009, Limited
Release Date (Streaming): Dec 15, 2010

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