PROM HOUSE

In this whodunit set on prom weekend, partiers stuck in a house are being picked off: Is it a random killer or one of their own?

Kylie is looking forward to spending this weekend in a house on the Jersey shore, the perfect celebration before old and new friends, such as bestie Aubrey and recent boyfriend Liam, head off in different directions for college. Things quickly go wrong when Aubrey’s boyfriend is found dead with a shard of glass stuck in his neck. Strangely, when the cops arrive, the body is gone. The mystery spins out like a B movie; just as the teens are arguing about what to do next, a storm brings flooding, trapping them in place. Nervous, they agree to stay together only to drift off from the group for different reasons. Bodies pile up. Surely one of them must be the perpetrator? Most attempts by narrator Kylie at logical deduction are lost in the presence of hormone-arousing Liam, although she occasionally pauses to wonder whether he is the culprit. The cast of characters is two-dimensional, with individuals representing stock types: the boozer, the fighting couple, the failure, and the weird kid. Tension is lacking, and by the time psychological drama and jealousy are explored, the lagging pace will have turned delighted screams into yawns. Most characters are White by default.

Only those addicted to teen drama will be hooked.