“What’s the point? They’re all the same. Some stupid killer stalking some big-breasted girl who can’t act who is always running up the stairs when she should be running out the front door. It’s insulting.” – Sidney Prescott (Neve Campbell), “Scream”
This is exactly the quote that ran through my mind while watching the trailer for “House at the End of the Street”, the latest generic-looking thriller from Rogue Pictures that looks assembled from the discarded parts of a dozen other slick-but-empty teen thrillers like, say, “The Uninvited” or the “Prom Night” remake.
That being said, the “can’t act” part doesn’t really apply here, given that the lead in this particular studio slot-filler is none other than Jennifer Lawrence, who as you might have heard by now is currently starring in a little indie movie called “The Hunger Games” opposite Lenny Kravitz. Based on a book, or something.
In any case, Rogue must be absolutely tickled that they managed to snag Lawrence before she shot into the stratosphere of mega-fame, because it means their $7 million little thriller actually has a chance of raking in a decent amount of opening-weekend box-office this September before inevitably petering out, the way these sorts of offerings are known to do.
Ok, so I’ll admit that it isn’t exactly fair to judge the quality of a movie based on a single trailer, and for all I know “House at the End of the Street” is actually a decent little thriller. But I gotta say, when a studio feels the need to shoehorn every last shot of Jennifer Lawrence’s cleavage into only 2 1/2 minutes of screen time in order to sell their movie, it’s not exactly a good sign.
My grade for the trailer: C-. After watching it below, be sure and rate it for yourself at top left!
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“House at the End of the Street” was directed by Mark Tonderai and co-stars Max Thierot and Elisabeth Shue. It’s slated for release on September 21.