Screenwriter Diablo Cody both amused us and annoyed us with her hipster teen speak in Juno. But I loved that film for its surprising tenderness. After all, woman cannot live on snark alone.

For her second film, Jennifer’s Body, Cody dials down the contrived puns (a good thing) but also seems to have lost her emotional way. Where Juno subverted our expectations at every turn—our too-cool indie hero was actually pretty square—Jennifer’s Body, which tells the story of a mean girl (Megan Fox) who becomes possessed by a demon, goes exactly where you would expect.

“She’s not just high school evil,” explains Jennifer’s best friend Needy (Amanda Seyfried). “She’s evil evil.” (Jennifer feeds on unsuspecting teenage boys—who are so horny, they don’t notice the rats and rotted wood in her den of death.)

Cody’s trying to do a Heathers for the Facebook generation, but she doesn’t come close. The evil Queen Bee story was told much better in Mean Girls. And the high-school-as-hell thing was pretty much owned by Buffy the Vampire Slayer. (Don’t try to improve on Joss Whedon, kids—it’s a fool’s venture.)

Maybe it’s just a sophomore slump. But Jennifer's Body is a definite setback for Cody. And this is one doodle that can’t be undid, home skillet.