The New Daughter (2009)

A single father moves his two children to rural South Carolina, only to watch his daughter exhibit increasingly strange behavior.

Director:

Luiso Berdejo

Writers:

John Travis (screenplay), John Connolly (short story)

Stars:

Kevin Costner, Ivana Baquero, Samantha Mathis

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Kevin Costner	...	John James
Ivana Baquero	...	Louisa James
Samantha Mathis	...	Cassandra Parker
Gattlin Griffith	...	Sam James
Erik Palladino	...	Officer Ed Lowry
Noah Taylor	...	Professor Evan White
James Gammon	...	Roger Wayne
Sandra Ellis Lafferty	...	Mrs. Amworth
Margaret Anne Florence	...	Alexis Danella
Christopher Harvey	...	Rick Ross
Brynn Massey	...	Sally
Martin Thompson	...	Stewart Green
Nevaina Graves Rhodes	...	Pam
Rob Bonz	...	Adrian
James Middleton	...	Scott

Storyline

John James is a writer; his wife has left him. He moves with his two middle-school children to an isolated house off a dirt road in South Carolina. The property has an Indian burial mound, which fascinates his daughter, Louisa, who's entering puberty. Strange things: noises on the roof and in the woods, the cat missing, Luisa sleepwalking clutching a straw doll no one's seen before. She visits the mound often, staying late, coming home covered with mud. John's younger son, Sam, is frightened. John learns the house has a history and seeks out the previous owner. Louisa's behavior becomes more bizarre. Is there an explanation? An ant farm and a missing babysitter provide clues.

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Plot Keywords:

mound | writer | babysitter | single father | straw doll | 

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Taglines:

How Far Will A Father Go To Protect The Ones He Loves?

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Genres:

Horror | Thriller

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Motion Picture Rating (MPAA)

Rated PG-13 for thematic material including violence, disturbing images and brief strong language

Details

Official Sites:

Official site Official site [jp]

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

7 October 2010 (Netherlands)

Also Known As:

La otra hija

Filming Locations:

Charleston, South Carolina, USA

Box Office

Budget:

$15,000,000 (estimated)

Company Credits

Production Co:

Gold Circle Films, New Daughter Productions

Technical Specs

Runtime:

108 min 108 min (DVD)

Sound Mix:

Dolby Digital

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

Last cinema film of James Gammon.

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Goofs

James and his contractor prepare a batch of ANFO (ammonium nitrate + fuel oil) to blow up the mound. This is a 'tertiary' explosive, which means you cannot set it off with fire. It would just burn. To set off the detonation, you need to explode a secondary explosive, like a stick of dynamite, which in turn needs to be set off with a primary explosive, like a blasting cap.

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Connections

Features Dexter's Laboratory: Blackfoot and Slim/Trapped with a Vengeance/The Parrot Trap (1998)

User Reviews

Excellent Thriller

Just watched this yesterday and I'm very pleased with the entire movie. The acting is great; very natural reactions. The children are wonderful, the little boy especially. This story keeps you on the edge of your seat and jumping unexpectedly, which was the purpose of it in the first place. I don't understand how people who sit through other horror-thriller movies like Saw and so many others out there, can criticize this movie. They're so quick to judge the main star: Kevin Costner. When will they learn that he is very versatile? He has played soldiers, doctors, lawyers, cops, criminals, serial killers, comedy, drama, baseball players, historical figures...you name it. And he did so with depth and skill and a great talent. My advice is to watch a movie that interests you. Save your opinions for that movie. If you're not a fan of Kevin Costner movies, then why do you bother? It's not fair to the man or his fans to hear your put-downs and insults. In conclusion, The New Daughter is most worthy to watch and I would do so at Halloween---which is when it should've come out in the first place.