A common fantasy of teenagers is the death of their parents. It’s a kind of traumatic split they seem to yearn for. And it’s frequently mentioned in fiction – think of Harry Potter, or the origins of Bat-Man and Spider-Man. (Or frickin’ Bambi for that matter.)

My belief is that evolution has programmed teens with the strong desire to separate from their parents, to become their own individuals.

This separation is the the inciting event in “The Glass House.” Teen girl Ruby and her brother lose their parents in a car crash and move into a giant glass house in Malibu owned by a couple who were friends of the parents.

But tensions arise. Their new dad is just kind of creepy and Mom seems to be a junkie. (Worst of all, according to the kids, is that they are asked to eat calamari, which I love.)

It’s not a bad setup. The problem is that the movie rather quickly reveals the shape of the plot and moves along to a predictable climax.

There are numerous cat and mouse scenes where our heroine escapes detection “just in time.” It all seemed too easy and never really racked up the tension.

Part of this is because the villains were rather buffoonish. At one point, a major baddie drinks themselves into a stupor. In this movie, the forces of evil are not sending their best.

Nonetheless, it’s entertaining enough. At the end, a moral line is crossed and that notches up the impact a bit.

Stellan Skarsgård, as the Dad, does a great job oozing a panicked creepiness.

The main heroine is played by Leelee Sobieski, who seemed to have disappeared from acting. She does a fine job here.

It’s entertaining enough but won’t blow your mind.