DISTANT COUSINS is a generally unknown addition to the wave of psycho-thriller movies that came out in the early 1990s. This one's about an evil cousin, as you'd guess from the title, but I was surprised to discover it as I'd never heard of it before. I soon found out why: this is a lacklustre addition to that sub-genre, one which never manages to be suspenseful despite the premise.
It doesn't help that the villainous characters here, played by David Keith and Marg Helgenberger, aren't even remotely frightening or threatening. They're merely trailer trash, and annoying to watch. The acting isn't really at fault - Keith is reliable, and it's fun to watch Helgenberger cast against type as a villain - but their characters just have no depth to them, which makes them lifeless.
Unfortunately, the married duo who have to put up with the scheming and backstabbing are equally dull, especially nice guy William Katt (CARRIE). Their bratty kid gets too much screen time, and the second half of the film in particular is unbelievable and just feels dragged out. The climax is as dull and predictable as the rest of this stale movie.
