“House at the End of the Street” was filmed back in 2010, before Jennifer Lawrence rose to fame as the star of “The Hunger Games” franchise. That’s the only explanation for why the up-and-coming actress would participate in this dull teen horror flick.

The story begins with the perfect setup for a horror movie or a teen melodrama. Elissa (Lawrence) and her single mother, Sarah (Elisabeth Shue), move into a new house in a small rural town. They are given a low price because the parents of the family who used to live next door were brutally murdered by their daughter, Carrie Ann (Eva Link), who disappeared and is rumored to be running around the nearby woods.

The victims’ son, Ryan (Max Thieriot), still lives alone in the house. When he and Elissa meet, they begin sneaking around together even though Sarah strictly forbids it because Ryan is in college and Elissa is only in high school. However, the film climaxes when Elissa finds an empty box of tampons in Ryan’s trash bin, which she ultimately learns is because Ryan has been keeping Carrie-Ann in his basement.

More like an episode of a teen soap opera than a horror movie, the film is completely devoid of tension; there’s not a single scary moment or even a cheap scare.

The dialogue is contrived, bordering on unintentionally funny because the film is trying to take itself so seriously. Even the usually captivating Lawrence seems bored, like she’s just going through the motions and waiting for this debacle to end.

With little originality, “House at the End of the Street” wastes its talented lead actress and the audience’s time.

Overall rating: 1 star

Jennifer Lawrence stars in the horror movie, ‘House at the End of the Street.’