Transitioning from TV to the big screen, Penn Badgley is working his way up in Hollywood. Best known for playing the character of Dan Humphrey on the teen-drama “Gossip Girl,” Badgley made the move to the silver screen with a lead part in “The Stepfather,” which comes out Oct. 16.

In “The Stepfather,” a remake of the 1987 film, Badgley plays Michael Harding, a rebellious teen who returns home from military school to find his mother with a new man. At first, he’s not too sure about the moral character of his mother’s new love interest, and after some suspicious events, he becomes skeptical of the man’s intentions. As the plot develops, Michael discovers the true identity of this man, and the situation becomes intense.

For Badgley, playing the role of Michael was quite a departure from what he’s used to doing on television.

“It was very much a fun, interesting next step. I hadn’t done anything like this before,” Badgley said in a conference call last week. “With every moment in every movie you get one chance. You have that one moment and then it won’t happen again.”

With TV, he said, it’s more of an ongoing process.

“You’re not always trying to get that moment right,” he said.

Though “The Stepfather” is a remake, the filmmakers tried to make the updated version stand out on its own, changing many aspects of the original.

“A huge difference from this one to the original was that my character was a girl,” Badgley said. “I think they changed that to make the relationship between the stepfather and my character to be one where you can only see one of two ways for it to end. It has to end in a battle.”

The attractive, helpless woman in danger is almost a cliche in the world of horror films, so changing Badgley’s character from a teenage girl to a teenage boy alters many aspects of the film.

“It’s a different kind of tension,” Badgley said. “The original is much more predatory.” “I do like the idea of someone who is physically up to the challenge of facing the killer.”

Going from playing Dan Humphrey, the nerdy intellectual, to Michael Harding, the physically fit hero, proved to be quite a change of scenery for Badgley.

“Aside from getting in shape, I was required to do some stunts,” he said. “It was stuff that I have never done in a role, which was really fun. I really loved embracing the physicality of it.”

Badgley said he is not a big fan of horror films, and though he was excited to make this one, he feels ready to move on.

“I am a more versatile actor,” he said. “I don’t think anyone wants to do strictly horror films. It was a fun experience and I loved doing it, but it would take a whole lot to get me to do another horror film.”

“The Stepfather” comes out Oct. 16, and “Gossip Girl” airs Monday nights at 9 p.m. on the CW.

Reach the reporter at pmelbour@asu.edu