Director’s Cut has a reasonably interesting premise. Jay (Tyler Ivey) is frontman for a punk band that has fallen on hard times and he is at a loss on how to improve things. They haven’t played a gig in what seems like forever and the money isn’t flowing. His bandmates John (Greg Poppa), Menace (Brandy Ochoa), and Juan (Louis Rocky Bacigalupo) call a meeting. With the assistance of the band’s manager, AJ (Darrin Hickok), they all agree that something must be done. That’s when mysterious figure, Mister Director (Louis Lombardi), reaches out to them on social media with an offer. to finance and produce their next video as sort of a trial partnership. Desperate for an option Jay and his team lunge for the low-hanging fruit with a predictable outcome. If only predictability were the worst thing about the film. Don Capria’s Director’s Cut ends up being a poorly executed slasher that flaccidly thrills and mildly entertains.

Hastily venturing to a remote estate in rural Pennsylvania, Jay, his bandmates, and girlfriends Val (Danielle Kotch), and Jen (Haley Cassidy) are hoping that this video shoot will be their ticket to success. A free offer is always a a stepping stone to financial prosperity, right? Desperate times, I guess. The group arrives at the derelict mansion and their host is nowhere to be found aside from a few texts to let them know where their beds are. They are also told that the shoot will begin the next morning. The band gets settled, during which time we learn about the various conflicts within the team. None of it is consequential. That night, as the band sits in an opulent, but neglected dining room, their host and producer appears. Confined to a wheelchair, Mister Director is, at first, a buffoon hoping to connect with his new project.

Shockingly ignorant of any red flags, Jay and his band start the shoot the next morning only to have Mister Director begin capriciously calling the creative shots. The auteur on wheels even goes so far as to rearrange the shoot schedule on the fly. The band’s manager suddenly disappears, and Mister Director insists on moving forward. reluctantly, the band members agree to just get something in the can. With his sultry assistant Babs (Lucy Hart) at his side, Mister Director begins to have his way with the musicians.

Director’s Cut is a good looking film. Money and talent were spent on Bliss Bussant’s lighting, and the sharp editing by Noah Marks lands with a good rhythm. Marks’ work is good, but it doesn’t do enough though to speed things up. Capria makes multiple decisions that seem to actively work against any sort of brisk pace. As the band members face their fates we are given foreseeable, uninspired outcomes that do little to rattle. The makeup department lead by Roxanne Rizzo can only do so much to shock when the kills are not just uninspired, but anticipated. That’s not to mention one of the most absurd gender reveals since Ace Ventura: Pet Detective.

Director’s Cut squanders a serviceable premise with a painfully bland and calculable execution.