On paper it does, but I just thought that something was lost between the script and the actual execution of things. Either she regards them as a curse on humanity with their vapid schemes, or she simply wants to dispose of the competition. Far from a mastermind, she acts knowing that eventually things will fall apart. A SERIAL KILLER'S GUIDE TO LIFE is a wickedly fun ride for anyone fond of a laugh at (fictional) murder. Great casting and acting. But moments later, when police arrive, Val seems to have vanished. Created by Poppy Roe Poppy Roe. These scenarios are all interconnected and drive the story forward, without overstaying their welcome. Its the real deal. Shes not someone that one would want to meet down a dark alley in the dead of night. If you are a life-coach you won't like it! The film has on several occasions been compared to Ben Wheatleys Sightseers, and it is similar in tone and presentation. Official Poster | ALONE AT NIGHT starring Ashley Benson, Pamela Anderson, Luis Guzmn & more, Dark Sky Films Brings THE UNSETTLING To Theaters & Digital on 2/10, Heartfelt Horror Comedy LEGIONS Arrives Next Friday, Film Review: Christmas Bloody Christmas (2022), Book Review: Burrows of Blood and Shadow | Author Rebekah L. Webb, Book Review: Return of the Living Elves | Author Brian Asman, Book Review: Symposium of the Reaper | Author Andrew Adams, Book Review: Confessions of a Puppetmaster | Author: Charles Band with Adam Felber, The Top Horror Games to Download on Mobile Right Now, The Children of a Lesser Corn: Making Beware! . Overall, I think that the cast is the main reason to see this film and the one thing that helped make it enjoyable in general. Quirky and tightly written, well acted and filmed despite a ridiculously low budget. Rebirthing Cynthia. Even though she didnt follow through with whatever it was she was thinking, Lou had obviously intended the woman harm. Val leaves her card and Lou goes to meet her. With the film being set in the British Isles, I think the more appropriate term would be solicitor. It must be frustrating to have a mother that constantly observes how little one has accomplished. Lou is initially oblivious to what is going on, seeming to be overwhelmed by her newfound freedom. 390 backers pledged 27,312 to help bring this project to life. 2020, Lou dreams of self improvement and a better life. The two finally arrive at Chuck Knoah's estate. https://bit.ly/3iEQTqW, Theres Something Wrong with the Children has a lot more going on for it than your average creepy-kid #horror #movie. A radio briefly mentions that a woman has been found murdered at a caravan park. Ill admit that the premise sounds promising. Show me something really scary. REVIEW: ASKGTL takes us on a bizzare, original, dark and funny journey in the form of a road trip to enlightenment via a number of grizzly murders. Katie Brayben has the same gormless quality as Saskia Reeves did in that film, someone easily led in the wake of a more dominant unstable personality. Watch. Weve seen this story beat used more effectively in other films. Beautiful shot scenery and a star making performance from Poppy Roe. She later meets the woman, who introduces herself as Val Stone, a self-help teacher who believes she would be perfect for Lou. A Serial Killer's Guide to Life | Apple TV A Serial Killer's Guide to Life Available on iTunes, Showtime, Prime Video, Hulu, Showtime Anytime, SHOWTIME 30 something, self-help addict, Lou wants nothing more than to escape her overly controlling mother and the dead-end seaside town where she grew up. from the University of North Texas, Im a freelance journalist and a social historian. Her indecision passes quickly. It has a very interesting theme (which I won't spoil) that actually speaks for itself with very strong attention to detail, top performances and slick direction. Watch A Serial Killer's Guide to Life Official Trailer 1. After engaging in some activities such as tree hugging, pitching camping tests and listening to one of the three other attendees provide evening entertainment by singing a song in Welsh, they all turn in. Even though we hear the individual struggling with Val, Lou doesnt concern herself with investigating the odd sounds emanating from inside the building. They begin with Lou being aloof and attending several self help, self healing type retreats that people sometimes take part in, most are crazy but it strikes a cord because couldn't we all use a good deep breath away from the hustle and bustle of the world and take in bit of nature and fresh air? Motivational speakers? I enjoyed Roes performance, which does have much of the same failure to give a damn as Villanelle inEve. Children at Play! It doesnt help that Maureen, Lous mother, constantly makes comparisons between her daughter and Betty Smith. Lover of good beer, bourbon, and horror flicks. When Val does start killing people none of the death scenes are really that memorable and most of them take place off screen for the most part. That could have served as a clue to what would come by the end, but when that end arrived, it was unsatisfying and felt like I was hustled out of 90 wasted minutes that could have been something better, without spending a single Euro more on budget. I dont think I was the target audience for it so people who are more into films of this nature will probably enjoy it a lot more than I did. All that changes when she meets Val (Poppy Roe, The Big Finish), an ambitious life . This is all the more hilarious for being real, I suppose. The title could have been an interesting one, and the story's pacing and camera language were an indescribable failure.The action scenes are also very simple. bloody, murderous road trip with Val doing all the killing during the first Val Stone: Sarah Ball . A self-help addict unwittingly finds herself on a killing spree with her unhinged life coach. Metacritic Reviews. After some qualms, she agrees to depart with Lou, whodoes indeed deliver on her promise. What is the Spanish language plot outline for A Serial Killer's Guide to Life (2019)? Horror Noire: A History of Black Horror (2019), Asterix & Obelix: Mission Cleopatra (2002), May the Devil Take You: Chapter Two (2020), Films Depicting NASA and the Space Program, Films That Make Dubious Claims to Being Based on True Stories, Coming of Age Stories in Fantastic Cinema, Films About Cryogenics and Suspended Animation, Disturbed Psychology as Portrayed on Film. In Message, a man leaves several voicemails on an ex-girlfriend's phone to gloat. 1/2 My main question after watching it? Cast: Bella Ramsey, Billie Piper, Andrew Scott. A Serial Killer's Guide to Life sports a really feisty premise, but its modest execution is its ultimate demise. This is just further proof that you cant trust anyone online. Then during a visit to a birth-memory guru, and while Val waits in the hall, Lou begins to hallucinate. Staten Cousins Roe had a vision for this film and it's nothing short of brilliant. She is a very sympathetic character and I found myself rooting for her for most of the movie. Lou unwittingly finds herself on a killing spree with her unhinged life coach.. She befriends Val at one of the many self-help meetings she attends and the two decide to take a little trip together. Lou Farnt: Did I? Ok, mildly interesting, but the "twist" is completely illogical. On route to their first stop, a nature therapy session, Val kills the petrol station attendee off-camera. Performed in New York 1922 and an English edition published in 1923. The acting was brilliant. She allows people to walk all over her. Tagged as: Menu. A Serial Killer's Guide to Life is a . Fiona Glascott . This is where she meets a mysteriously alluring woman named Val Stone (Poppy Roe). Lous life consists of mind-numbing routine, whether at her low-paying job as a shop clerk or at home with her overbearing mother. But when she looks again, the woman is gone. Lou is a poor, pitiful woman that is obsessed with a self-help guru. 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In which case a lot of people are in trouble. The husband stumbles onto the scene and tries to escape into the yard, but Val, wielding the knife, catches him. Despite this constant diet of positive affirmations, Lou seems paralyzed, unable to make meaningful change in her life. May be too 'odd' for some but still highly recommended. Bravo Mr. Roe for doing just that, the writer, the producer, the director, damn even the editor, absolutely a gem that I would be proud to show anyone looking a good recommendation. At one of these seminars she meets Val (Poppy Rose) who is everything that Lou wants to be and is soon convinced to leave her life behind and join Val on the road. Poppy Roe as Val is what will draw you in, because shes positively electric, but as Lou, Katie Brayben absolutely transforms from a milksop to a fully-realized person, and its brilliant to see someone grab life by the horns and smack it in the forehead with a rolling pin. I absolutely loved it. On iTunes in the UK: https://apple.co/2YbAz2d On iTunes in the US: https://apple.co/2YbAz2d On iTunes in Canada: https://apple.co/2YbAz2d Meet Lou Farnt: a 3. Katie Brayben (Louise Lou Frank), Poppy Roe (Val Stone), Ben Lloyd-Hughes (Chuck Knoah), Sarah Ball (Mother), Tomiwa Edun (Ben), Sinead Matthews (Izzy), David Manson (Ralph), Matthew Woodyat (Graham), Owain Rhys-Davies (Marcus), Carys Lewis (Rachel), Chris Bishop (Laughter Therapist). In like so many low budget independent films It has attitude and style in abundance thanks to Staten's sharp writing and confident directing as well as a great story together with a brilliant cast who all absolutly nail their roles. Katie Brayben, Note: not if, when. Repeated viewings of the film only make these narrative choices stand out more noticeably. And the last thing most of us want to do is put in actual time and effort on ourselves to get there. Lou stabs Val, who earlier had called the police in an attempt to frame Lou and escape. Unfortunately, Val happens to be a serial killer and before you know it the bodies are piling up and Lou is soon way in over her head. "[12], However, while Sep Gohrdani of the UK magazine VultureHound called it "an engaging, sharp, witty and darkly fun black comedy," he said it "doesn't quite live up to its full potential" because it "never manages to take the concept to the next level, and thus it remains watchable without being remarkable. Part One, The 3 Best, and Only, Thanksgiving Themed Horror Movies, Top Ten Horror Films For the Holidays 2022 from HNN Presents & Bayview Entertainment, Marketing Macabre Must Read Book List for Halloween 2022, Top Ten Exclusives For 2022 from HalloweenCostumes.com. Quite simply a great piece of work. We are subjected to way too many scenes where nothing happens other than Lou and Val sitting around talking about things, I just didnt care about in the first place. Izzy. The message behind is hidden n this movie is totally underrated. As the road trip continues, the body count increases. When Lou attends a motivational seminar, Val, a forty-something woman, reaches out to Lou. A brilliantly conceived and executed film. But, you guys. Sian Clifford . It is here that we discover Val is a killer. It stars Katie Brayben, Poppy Roe, Ben Lloyd-Hughes, Sarah Ball and others. Katie Brayben, Poppy Roe, Ben Lloyd-Hughes. Rarely does an independent film really strike cords on all levels but this truly takes the cake. This unique little film does not get enough credit. She didnt give a fig, and seemed to be an even sharper-edged version of Phoebe Waller Bridges Fleabag (although that might be due to Fleabags Sian Clifford in a role as a rebirthing coach). Support. Lou Farnt (Brayben) is stuck in her life, with a dead-end job, no apparent friends to speak of, and still living with her domineering mother (Ball). Synopsis Lou Farnt is a meek young Englishwoman with poor self-esteem, who is emotionally browbeaten by her harsh and demanding mother, with whom she lives. Well that reason being is I wished this film had been 4 hours long I could've watched with no problem whatsoever. The film ends with a repeat of the opening scene of Lou, walking outdoors, wearing earbuds and listening to a recorded Knoah lecture. So this naturally limited my buy-in to the concept here. On the other hand, the film promptly takes a far darker turn and ends up more in the territory of something like Ben Wheatleys darkly comedic Sightseers (2012), or perhaps even tvs The End of the Fucking World (2017-9). This month, a story about a breakup, and some voicemails. A Serial Killers Guide to Life, arguably one of the best dark comedies to come out of the British Isles in a few years, was recently made available in these United States and Canada on iTunes and Digital HD Monday, 13 January 2020. Watch jet-black comedy film! Although fairly predictable, the story still keeps you watching and wondering where this little journey will go next. While it could be waved away with the unreliable narrator trope, I did find myself wishing the film had handled either this decision or its reveal differently. She seeks escape from one self-help guru after another, spending her money on their books, DVDs and audio-tapes, though with little or no apparent positive results. A Serial Killer's Guide to Life 2019, Comedy/Mystery & thriller, 1h 21m 92% Tomatometer 13 Reviews 56% Audience Score Fewer than 50 Ratings Where to watch Rent/buy Rent/buy Want to see Keep. Katie Brayben really stands out as Lou and you cant help but feel for her. A Serial Killer's Guide to Life (2019) cast and crew credits, including actors, actresses, directors, writers and more. New adventure is an escape and Val is just dark side of the actress. Kill off social media influencers, reality TV celebrities or Los Angeles Dodgers fans, and Id be right there with you. - My ' conspiracy theory', Straps you in and takes you on a bloody journey with Lou and Val, The UK's "Thelma and Louise" is quirky and entertaining, Started going places, but ended up at Nothingburger. www.thehollywoodnews.com is using a security service for protection against online attacks. Even the stabs at the pitiful absurdities of self-help gurus wasn't nearly as compelling as it should or could have been; in that sense, the writing lacked inexcusably. "[15], The film's writer-director, Staten Cousins Roe, was nominated for the 2019 FrightFest Screen Genre Rising Star Award. [4][5], A Serial Killer's Guide to Life holds a 92% approval rating on review aggregator website Rotten Tomatoes, based on 13 reviews. Loser, self-help junkie living as a 'slave' to her deranged mother I didnt think that it was a horrible movie by any means, but at the same time I just dont think that it was nearly as great as all of other people have made it out to be. Personally, less than Id have expected. Lou and Val, the Thelma and Louise of this film, respectively, are distinctly different. It stars Katie Brayben, Poppy Roe, Ben Lloyd-Hughes, Sarah Ball and others. Lou is a pitiful woman that most people (including her overbearing mother) treat like garbage and she just takes it and tries to go on with her life. The other issue is how much this bothers you. Katie Brayben, playing Lou, is possibly better known to Luther fans as Penny Leyton. Betty, according to her mother, is a lawyer. This isnt a cause I particularly care about: if not my cup of tea, Im sure some people find them helpful. Marcus (Owain Rhys Davies), the vibrational healer and his herbal relaxant certainly needed that bread knife. How to Get Your Book or Comic Reviewed on HNN. Our DoP, James Layton, helped source our camera. Poppy Roe, Writer, director, editor Staten Cousins-Roe has created a wonderfully dark world as seen through the eyes of Lou, a young woman trapped at home with a frightningly needy mother. All I want in life are simple home invasion slashers that run less than 90 minutes. Genre: Historical comedy. Uncategorized. I'll be honest, I didn't enjoy the film's storyline all that much, but I thought the scenery and film crafting was excellent - well shot and edited. A self-help addict unwittingly finds herself on a killing spree with her unhinged life coach.A self-help addict unwittingly finds herself on a killing spree with her unhinged life coach.A self-help addict unwittingly finds herself on a killing spree with her unhinged life coach. Val says she is departing on a journey the next morning. Staten Cousins Roe, Previous post: Inherit the Viper Doesnt Bite, Next post: Disturbing the Peace is a Crime, All Original Content 2007-2011 Scene-Stealers.com | Privacy Policy, Stunning The Lighthouse Deserves Your Attention, I Kill Giants Doesnt Inspire the Way its Built To, Danny Boyles New Film Puts You In a Trance, Avengers: Age of Ultron is a beached whale of a film. RELATED: Soap Opera Couples Who Dated In Real Life. Their roles are vastly different, and the actresses portray these irredeemable characters in a likable way. The same can be said for Poppy Roe as she does a great job bringing the character of Val to life. Soon Val and Lou are traveling the English countryside. The various therapy sessions the pair of Lou and Val visit are all astonishingly real: back-to-nature, vibrational healing, rebirthing, and laughter all have their adherents, and after doing some reading up on each, it appears that the words and actions taken by the films fictional therapists arent being exaggerated for laughs. That it mostly succeeds in this balance is down to the unfussy, firm hand of writer/director Staten Cousins Roe. Tomiwa Edun . Val, something that makes the character feel familiar, has a positively sinister aura around her. Overall, A Serial Killers Guide to Life is an assured, if slightly flawed, feature debut. Movie Review, Image: Alex Bailey/Prime Video. Please enable cookies on your browser and try again. [16], 2019 film written and directed by Staten Cousins Roe, "[Review] 'A Serial Killer's Guide to Life' Takes Life Coaching in A New Direction", "How we made A Serial Killer's Guide To Life", "[Exclusive] Arrow Releasing Bloody Comedy 'A Serial Killer's Guide to Life' in January 2020; Watch the Trailer! [6], A trailer was released in January 2020. He complimented "its two fantastic leads, Katie Brayben and Poppy Roe. There is a believability to their respective characters that shines through the performances. I think that John Waters similarly themed classic film Serial Mom is a much better (and funnier) film, and while I didnt necessarily hate this movie I dont think it lives up to its hype and that I wont be watching it again anytime soon. Though that may reflect the films general lack of impact. As the pair set off after item 3 begins, a boom mic is clearly reflected in the windows of the car. Super excited to see this masterpiece in a new light. There is a specific choice made in the final act of the film that calls into question much of what has been seen previously. Run time: 1h 48m. I also really liked Ben Lloyd-Hughes as the self-help guru that Lou is enamored with. Ben Lloyd-Hughes . A Serial Killer's Guide to Life is the debut feature from actor-turned-director Staten Cousins Roe, one that is sure to join the ranks of fellow recent British cult horrors Prevenge and Sightseers. 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