Wuchak

***Several teens go to a cabin-in-the-woods to party (no, really)…*** … actually it’s a ranch house, but close enough. Anyway, they start getting picked off by a mad slasher with the most promiscuous ones dying first. Sound familiar? “All the Boys Love Mandy Lane” debuted at film festivals in 2006 but curiously wasn’t released to theaters until 2013. I’m surprised this was even released to theaters because it’s a low-budget indie slasher, nothing more. It cost $750,000, which is more than enough to make a competent film. The well-done “Another Kind” (2013), for instance, only cost $120,000. But “Mandy Lane” is just too all-around hackneyed and meh, which isn’t helped by the fact that half the characters are repellent (e.g. Jake, Marlin & Chloe). Thankfully, the filmmaking is competent with some nice cinematography of central Texas and Amber Heard in an early role is a highlight. Plus there’s a surprise at the end, but it makes you question the person’s motives. If you reflect on the material, though, it all makes sense and shows that some thought was put into the script. Of course this doesn’t help the dull shallowness of most of the characters (who are SUPPOSED to be shallow, I get it). The film runs 1 hour, 30 minutes and was shot in the heart of Texas (Austin & Bastrop) with other stuff done in Santa Clarita, CA. GRADE: C