SnoopyStyle
Ariel (Emily Osment) loses her father and her mother Dana (Victoria Pratt) is struggling. At college, Ariel is befriended by Ben (Gregg Sulkin) who seems to be an obsessive volatile stalker. Dana is befriended by Ben's stepfather Adam (Paul Johansson) who seems to be a nice guy at the widowers' support group. Cameron (Richard Karn) is the brother of Dana's late husband Jack. Ariel is suspicious of Adam as he gets closer to her mother.This is a perfectly Lifey Lifetime movie. There are women in danger and scary threats are lurking behind every male character. It's all very lifeless with a tired tension running through the movie. There is a nice misdirection throughout but the movie does not take advantage of it. It should be ramping up to a great action thriller but it flatlines into bland TV movie of the week.
Mandy Bliss
This is definitely one of the best lifetime movies I have ever seen. The basic plot is about a teenage girl, Ariel (played by Emily Osment), whose life is turned upside down by her mother's new boyfriend poisoning her mother with wellness tea. Most Lifetime movies star third-rate actors, poor editing and a bad script. This definitely follows the lifetime formula however, Paul Johansson really makes this movie great. Unlike most Lifetime actors, Johansson is able to act as a believable boyfriend while being the perfect amount of creepy. The concept of wellness tea also makes this movie better than others. This is one of the most unusual ways of death that I have ever seen in a lifetime movie. A Daughter's Nightmare is my family's favorite movie and definitely worth watching.
JamieWJackson
*** mild spoilers *** Others have noted the plot hole re: the communication between the two female leads, and I'll add that the second funeral felt... surreal. I got the impression that the characters felt that way as well, and maybe the actors did too. Maybe everyone did.Despite a few flaws, this movie never lost my interest. The ending wasn't quite as interesting as the first 3/4 of it, but that's a small complaint. The casting was good, even including Al Borland. I liked the varied kinds of personalities on display here. Life is like that. We're all different. The story didn't seem to mind, so neither did I.I think the one thing I would have definitely changed is to think through the plot a couple more times and patch up the holes somehow. Aside from that it was pretty good. Emily's turned into a lovely young woman, and Victoria Pratt is a gorgeous not-quite-as-young woman! The men seemed to be into their roles, and I enjoyed the shifting sense of who was messed up here and the increasingly panicked discovery of what was happening.The chemistry seemed real all around -- with the exception of the two parents. It seemed to take poor Dana forever to wake up -- and I don't mean just physically. Maybe her daughter got her dad's smarts. :-/There's nothing terribly new here, so it's not a must-see, but it's an enjoyable watch.
wes-connors
In a mournful opening scene, pretty blonde daughter Emily Osment (as Ariel Morgan) and likewise pretty blonde mom Victoria Pratt (as Dana) attend the funeral of their father and husband. Nearby, recent widower Paul Johansson (as Adam Smith) places flowers on his wife's grave. He has recently moved from Seattle into the neighborhood, with handsome stepson Gregg Sulkin (as Ben Woods). The younger man has bountiful lips and mismatched socks, which are noticed by Ms. Osment. They attend the same college. The sock notice given to Mr. Sulkin is one in a pattern of oddities which provide the most intrigue in this otherwise routine TV movie. You do get the feeling writer Shelley Gillen and director Vic Sarin are trying to make it interesting...Another highlight is the color photography, also credited to Mr. Sarin. The attractive leading players are given good support, especially by veterinarian Richard Karn (as Cameron Morgan). The keenly observant neighbor kid, young Jaden Rain (as Brooks) seems to have some ties with the whole "A (family member)'s Nightmare" series, from Sarin and company. Alas, this story's weakness is difficult to overcome – the characters often lapse into amnesia. They don't seem to catch on to events, from scene to scene. Most irritating example of this is the Dixie Chicks "birthday concert" segment, which should have revealed something serious was amiss. Good thing mother and daughter don't investigate the mix-up, or we might have only half a movie.***** A Daughter's Nightmare (5/3/14) Vic Sarin ~ Emily Osment, Victoria Pratt, Paul Johansson, Gregg Sulkin
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