House at the End of the Street - C-

Rated PG-13, 101 minutes

Boredom will kill you in "House at the End of the Street"

Jennifer Lawrence and Max Thieriot

If you're looking for a few thrills, you won't find any in the schlocky new horror thriller "House at the End of the Street," starring lovely young Oscar nominee Jennifer Lawrence, best known for the blockbuster film "Hunger Games." She's a smart actress who somehow ended up in a tame, lackluster psychological thriller that will only produce more yawns rather than any genuine scares. Lawrence is Elissa, and Elisabeth Shue is her mother Sarah, and they move into an upscale house in a nice, rural Northeastern neighborhood. Yet this neighborhood harbors a chilling secret, as they learn a double murder occurred in the house next to theirs, leaving a son reclusive son Ryan (Max Thieriot) as the sole survivor. As Ryan and Elissa become close she discovers even more secrets that could put her in serious danger. "House at the End of the Street" is a docile, watered-down horror film that fails to capture any truly frightening or creepy moments. It's due mostly to the fact that it takes such a considerable amount of time before the film starts really coming together, and by the time it does in the final act there won't be any real surprises at the big revelation. Director Mark Tonderai ("Hush") directs a script based on a short story by filmmaker Jonathan Mostow ("Terminator 3: Rise of the Machines"), and he fails to engage the audience in the boring backstory that's never fully explained. Lawrence (who shot this before "Hunger Games") and Shue make for a believable mother-daughter pairing, and Thieriot is handsome enough, but "House" falters under the weight of boredom and a handful of preposterous contrivances that simply don't work. "House at the End of the Street" will attempt to cash in on Lawrence's "Hunger Games" popularity, but even Lawrence's fans (and I'm one of them) will find it's a disappointment, and worst of all, not that scary.

Wes's Grade: C-