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 (as Luis Berdejo)

Writers:

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

Stars:

Kevin Costner, Ivana Baquero, Samantha Mathis

1 nomination.

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 middle-school aged daughter and young son 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 | ant farm | indian burial ground | shotgun | father daughter relationship | 

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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

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

7 October 2010 (Netherlands)

Also Known As:

La otra hija

Filming Locations:

Wedge Plantation, McClellanville, 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

Sound Mix:

Dolby Digital

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

Halfway through filming, cinematographer Checco Varese fell off a moving vehicle and broke his right hand. After working for a week wearing a splint and using painkillers, he flew to Los Angeles to have surgery; Antonio Calvache took over for five days.

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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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Quotes

[first lines]
John James: [driving up to their new house] There it is.
Sam James: Real big.
John James: Mm. Want to go in first?
Sam James: Really?
John James: I don't see why not.
[turning to his daughter in the car]
John James: Are you coming? So?
Louisa James: [sulking] So what?
John James: So what do you... what do you think?
[...]

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Connections

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

User Reviews

Considering The Source, Movie Is True To Form

In todays, "no imagination, every bit of story must be spelled out on screen in action and with explosions" it is often to appreciate movies that make you think, draw conclusions, actually use you imagination and remember the source.

This movie is true to the short story it is based on with a good cinematic backdrop where the actors act, and everything isn't carried out on a blue/green screen. Costner's portrayal was very true to the actual character which, isn't that the point of having characters and using actors that can act.

In a genre that is quickly becoming based only on graphic, grotesque, shocking blood and gore sequences and predictable horror and grisly effects, this thriller is actually attractive for all the right reasons and should be enjoyed highly by those that appreciate true horror/thriller films as opposed to the blood soaked hacker/slasher movies that are being pumped out monthly.