Penn Badgley, who stars as very unlucky son Michael Harding in the film The Stepfather, says there is no way audiences should confuse the movie with being a horror pic.

Badgley believes…especially after talking with the director, Nelson McCormick…that The Stepfather is a suspense-thriller in the long and respected tradition of Alfred Hitchcock.

We say The Stepfather is a good, old-fashioned slasher flick.

Click onto media bar for Penn Badgley’s reasoning for comparing The Stepfather to the masterful techniques of Alfred Hitchcock.

The Stepfather opened Friday.