Instant Favorite.

Pretty good movie overall. First half was nothing special but it got better as it went along.

It's hard to see any effort in the film. There's no comedy to speak of, no real drama and, worst of all.

Excellent characters with emotional depth. My wife, daughter and granddaughter all enjoyed it...and me, too! Very good movie! You won't be disappointed.

Recently, I have not seen any new Costner Films but as I was browsing my local FYE (For Your Entertainment) Store I saw this film in the Horror section. I saw it stared Kevin Costner and that it was made in 2009 which is not too new but kind of recent. I had to buy it because Kevin Costner is a great actor and I love his films. So I bought it and watched it. This movie "The New Daughter" is not a bad film, I believe Kevin Costner deserves more but I wasn't disappointed. The story is about a single, divorced Dad John James who moves his two children into a woodland area home. He is a writer, and is struggling to make ends meet financially and with his kids emotionally, who are effected by the recent divorce. As the family settles in, strange sounds and events occur. Eventually, the family discovers a mysterious mound in the woods and then things start to get bad from there. The daughter starts to act weird and does strange things, which concerns James. The movie was good, for a horror movie it had it's surprises and jumps and the story was really good too. Kevin is at his best with his American acting style. The girl who played the daughter Louisa was great and she freaked you out a lot as well, the little boy Sam was good too, very talented young actors. The part that really stumped me was the ending though, I was like "What the Heck!!?" but then after hearing the directors commentary I understood and have my own ending of the film."The New Daughter" is a great horror and popcorn movie and it's great with Kevin Costner in it. I didn't recognize any other actor/actresses in the film but they did a great job as well. And it's interesting how it's a horror movie with native american lore in it which I find really cool. I give Kevin Costner's "The New Daughter" an 8/10

A well made movie. Very watchable until I lost patience and had to fast forward the last 20 minutes in 30 second chunks. Costner underplaying it to an insulting degree as usual. His almost zero reaction to everything going on around him was annoying and he leaves his children alone just a little too often! Great directing, make-up and special effects.This could have been a great movie with a different lead actor (maybe a deadpan lookalike of Buster Keaton!)

I really missed Kevin Costner. I don't know what it takes to get his career back on track (maybe a role in a Quentin Tarantino film?) but he really deserves a lot better than what he has going for him right now. That being said let's take a look at "The New Daughter". Off the bat it reminded me a bit about the best horror film of 2014 "The Babadook" in that we have a single parent struggling to raise a child with issues that may or may not be of supernatural cause. In "The New Daughter" Costner has two children, but only the pubescent girl is the center of the story while her younger brother is merely a distraction adding nothing whatsoever to the narrative, except some foreshadowing.The problem with this film is that it seems to shoehorn in supernatural elements that are barely explained. Personally I would have cut a third of the film at least (especially the third act) and made it into a drama/suspense film about a schizophrenic young girl. In the third act at the climax she would have a breakdown and a cathartic moment where she accepts her disease and bonds with her father etc. There you have an instant hit!I mention my own take on how the film should have been made and why I give it a 7/10 because both Kevin Costner and the kids are really great. They're not over- or underacting and the script itself aside from the supernatural element is good, especially Costner's character's role as a single father, his doubts and fears etc. Let's not forget Ivana Baquero who does a fantastic job as Costner's daughter. Her character's evolution and acting is subtle yet striking. The director really did a great job with the material he had, I just wished it was more of a psychological suspense drama and not a half-assed supernatural horror/thriller (by the way there is barely any thrill or horror to be felt watching this film).

An Initial Gut Reaction, with some Merit, might be to Avoid PG-13 Horror Movies and in a Good Number of Cases that would be a Good Intuition to Follow. This is One of those that Feels Quite Comfortable in that Category. It Wears its Limitations well and does not Rely Solely on Jump Scares (a PG-13 staple requiring no Blood or actual Horror), the Movie Manages to set up the Creep Factor in Original Ways, but also Relying on some Clichés.There are some Scenes that are just Simply Scary and the Creatures, when they show up, are Impressive as well as Goosebumpy. The Child Actors are Fine, Especially the Young Boy who Genuinely Looks Petrified and Kevin Costner does give it that "poor Mr. Costner try".The Film's Backstory of the Indian Burial Mound Surrounding the Grounds and Encroaching on the Innocent Inhabitants is Handled Properly. There is an Awkward Ant-Farm Tie-In that Works but is not Fully Fleshed Out but to Say More would be Saying too Much.Overall, if Family Friendly Horror is on Your Watch List, give this a Go, because You could do much Worse. It is a Satisfying Entry in a B-Movie Monster Category with Eerie Elements of the Supernatural for some Spice. The Final Shot is a Surprise and a Spine Tingler.