Dir: Staten Cousins Roe www.thehollywoodnews.com is using a security service for protection against online attacks. [2], Lorry Kikta of Film Threat wrote "[a] bone-dry dark horror-comedy, A Serial Killers Guide to Life, is I Heart Huckabees meets American Psycho by way of Thelma and Louise. 1 Hour 20 Minutes. Children at Play! When you give yourself over to possibility, anything can and will happen, Noah said in a voiceover. In 2013, Poppy Roe and her husband, Staten Cousins Roe, made a darkly comic short film, This Way Out, about a euthanasia clinic doing what it could to get more clients. seeks escape with mysterious 'Val' her new life coach. Low budget film making at its level best. She is obsessed with bettering her life thanks to listening to a self-help guru that she is dying to meet in person. It does have a great cast and all (which is probably its biggest strength), but overall, I just didnt think that it was anything special and I was left feeling more than a little underwhelmed after everything was said and done. If youve ever wondered what the title characters of Thelma (Geena Davis) & Louise (Susan Sarandon) would be like if they were serial killers, this would be it. Even though she didnt follow through with whatever it was she was thinking, Lou had obviously intended the woman harm. The Science Fiction Horror and Fantasy Film Review. Wow just 9 stars and not a full 10 you ask? Menu. 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. All this changes on the day that Louise meets Val (Poppy Roe, who also edited and produced), a self-proclaimed life coach. Kickstarter funded, but confidently directed, handsomely shot and played with perfect pitch by the two leads, A Serial Killer's Guide to Life is a homegrown horror . Catherine Called Birdy. Consequently, because of this, she is seen as a doormat. Irritated with her life, not to mention her mother, Lou attends a self-help seminar. Colin encouraged me after watching a rough cut, giving some golden advice. We also kindly got edit notes from Julian Doyle (editor of Brazil, and Monty Python and the Holy Grail), which supported the comic timing beautifully. The short film, starring Poppy Roe, Katie Brayben, Sarah Ball, Christopher Gilling, and Adam Venus, proves the perfect jumping-off point for a feature film. Watch jet-black comedy film! I also really liked Ben Lloyd-Hughes as the self-help guru that Lou is enamored with. 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). 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. Quite simply a great piece of work. Val Stone: Yeah. A self-help addict unwittingly finds herself on a killing spree with her unhinged life coach. 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. A Serial Killers Guide to Life is bookended by brief platitudes from fictional motivational speaker Chuck Knoah. A Serial Killers Guide to Life is based on Roes 2013 much-acclaimed short film This Way Out. Val makes her an offer to be Lou's life coach and is going along for the ride. Unfortunately for Lou, Vals a serial killer!. This is all the more hilarious for being real, I suppose. 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. 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. "Come see me if you want to change", Val tells Lou. So when strange and strikingly confident new life coach Val (Poppy Roe) suddenly arrives on the scene and invites her on a road trip of alternative therapies, Lou finds the perfect opportunity to leave, and the perfect person to become. Overall, A Serial Killers Guide to Life is an assured, if slightly flawed, feature debut. document.getElementById( "ak_js_1" ).setAttribute( "value", ( new Date() ).getTime() ); Film Review: A Serial Killers Guide to Life (2019), Critically Acclaimed Shudder OriginalATTACHMENT Queer Jewish Folk-Horror Romance, Out on Shudder Feb 9, Radiance Films Resurrects Unseen French Thriller A WOMAN KILLS For Blu-ray Debut February 7, 2023, Trailer Debut and New Artwork | LOCKWOOD & CO. created by Joe Cornish | Launching on Netflix 27 January. That it mostly succeeds in this balance is down to the unfussy, firm hand of writer/director Staten Cousins Roe. The likes of Killing Eve have shown even we British can engage in a gleeful embrace of the darker side of things. The two finally arrive at Chuck Knoah's estate. 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). As the pair set off after item 3 begins, a boom mic is clearly reflected in the windows of the car. While the documentary crew within that film know from the start that its protagonist is a serial killer, and Lou only gradually comes to the realization that Vals been knocking off folks as they drive about the British countryside, in both cases, the followers quickly become willing participants in the murders committed by the lead. She allows people to walk all over her. Production Company Forward Motion Pictures. Chuck Knoah. Lou is momentarily frozen by this unnecessary guilt trip. I choose to highlight this moment because it quintessentially illustrates the kind of person Lou is. Watch A Serial Killer's Guide to Life Official Trailer 1. "A Serial Killer's Guide To Life follows Lou Farnt (Katie Brayben): a 30-something, . He liked its "darkly humorous tone" that "nails the self-indulged attitudes and attributes of many a life-coaching element," and he "appreciated the dry tone and believable delivery from each actress, as well as the surrounding cast," but felt that, "The idea is a one-trick pony that doesn't truly evolve the premise beyond what's expected and becomes a rinse/repeat of therapeutic slayings that are visually stifled by repetitive cutaways and (sometimes) after-imagery of a corpse." Self-help addict Lou (Katie Brayben . [6], A trailer was released in January 2020. Although fairly predictable, the story still keeps you watching and wondering where this little journey will go next. "[11] James Perkins of Starburst wrote "Satire is very difficult to do - especially when trying to find the balance of telling an interesting story and also being respectful to anyone affected by the source material. You will be redirected once the validation is complete. Lou is a poor, pitiful woman that is obsessed with a self-help guru. Val has a body in the trunk of her car, and the pair will leave many more in their wake. I recommend watchin it. I didnt think that things got particularly interesting until maybe the last 20 minutes or so and I am still not sure if I liked the big twist at the end or not as it reminded me of the ending of High Tension in a lot of ways (which I despised and feel ruined the entire movie for me). Ahead of seeing Roes film, Id read quite a few reviews comparing it to Alice Lowes 2016 black comedy, Prevenge, and theyre not without validity: both films see a downtrodden, put-upon British woman in her mid-30s finding her way in the world by murdering those whove either actively or inactively kept her down. "A Serial Killer's Guide to Life" (2019 release from the UK; 80 min.) In Winterbottoms film, Reeves was dragged along by a deranged Amanda Plummer. The film was a directorial debut for Statin Cousins-Roe. Nature Therapy Ben. After premiering at film festivals in 2019, A Serial Killer's Guide to Life was released by Arrow Films to digital media / video on demand on 13 January 2020,[1] including the streaming channels Amazon Prime and Hulu and the cable channel Showtime. Note the scene where she picks up a rock and begins to run after a woman. Being a single young woman who lives at home with her mother as basically a live in care taker , cooking, cleaning, bathing, etc. A brilliantly conceived and executed film. 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. It stars Katie Brayben, Poppy Roe, Ben Lloyd-Hughes, Sarah Ball and others. Lifelong horror fan, former projectionist & video store clerk. Quintessentially British filmmaking with a heart. There is nothing quite like a bloodcurdling film that makes one giggle and tremble at the same time. Lous only escape from the drudgery comes from her reliance on self-help in all its various forms. The script here is simply too gentle for the subject matter, not least with much of the violence happening off-screen. Spoiler-free #review is up. If you are a life-coach you won't like it! A Serial Killer's Guide to Life is a 2019 British satirical horror road movie written, directed, co-produced and co-edited by Staten Cousins Roe in his feature-length directorial debut. Fiona Glascott . On paper it does, but I just thought that something was lost between the script and the actual execution of things. It took me 27 years to finally understand THAT scene in The Shining, 5 Grimm Fairy Tale Stories That Would Make Great Horror Movies, Explore the haunt known as Hell House LLC, Trauma is the Serbian Film of 2018 [Review], 15 modern indie horror movies to put on your radar, Kids vs Aliens is a PSA for holding onto what you loved as a kid, Final Girls Ep 275: Unpacking Possession, Hilarious and gory, Legions shows slapstick & scares are Fabins forte, The Kids Arent Alright in Theres Something Wrong With The Children, Skinamarink blazes a terrifying new trail for low-budget horror, Lots of, seemingly, hyperbolic things are being thrown around about #SKINAMARINK. Someone just no life live in control of her mother. The short film, starring Poppy Roe, Katie Brayben, Sarah Ball, Christopher Gilling, and Adam. He complimented "its two fantastic leads, Katie Brayben and Poppy Roe. Lou has a mundane life and an overbearing control-freak of a mother (Sarah Ball) shed like to escape. Outwardly, Lou is quiet, shy, and socially awkward. The same can be said for Poppy Roe as she does a great job bringing the character of Val to life. I thought she did a wonderful job in the role and she is probably the highlight of the film in my opinion. Val Stone: Sarah Ball . Tomiwa Edun . . It stars Katie Brayben, Poppy Roe, Ben Lloyd-Hughes, Sarah Ball and others. Katie Brayben really stands out as Lou and you cant help but feel for her. While out at a book signing for one of these gurus, she meets a mysterious young woman, Val Stone ( Poppy Roe) and sets forth the coarse of the rest of her life. At home, Lou discusses this opportunity with her mother over dinner. But her mother's emotional abusiveness changes her mind. It was a fast and furious shoot, often getting one take and moving on. As Vast as Space and as Timeless as Infinity, With an M.Sc. The films dark comedic aspects along with just the right character development and intrigue made this a very enjoyable watch. A gun-wielding Val chases Lou to the edge of a cliff, and there they have a final meeting-of-the-minds as police sirens and a helicopter close in. A self-help addict unwittingly finds herself on a killing spree with her unhinged life coach. 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. Image: Alex Bailey/Prime Video. 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). [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! Cast: Bella Ramsey, Billie Piper, Andrew Scott. 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. Quirky and tightly written, well acted and filmed despite a ridiculously low budget. The short attracted positive attention and sales, and the filmmakers in January 2017 did a crowdfunding campaign for a feature film they originally titled Self-Help. 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. ", "Shows promise, lacks bite 'A Serial Killer's Guide to Life' (Film Review)", "Movie Review: 'A Serial Killer's Guide to Life' Is Worth Following", "Grimmfest 2019: A Serial Killer's Guide to Life", "UK's FrightFest unveils five-person shortlist for Screen Genre Rising Star Award", https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=A_Serial_Killer%27s_Guide_to_Life&oldid=1108671027, Short description is different from Wikidata, Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License 3.0, This page was last edited on 5 September 2022, at 17:42. As the road trip continues, the body count increases. The movie really needs to buy into this concept considerably further, rather than gently nodding its head. SYNOPSIS: Lou is a poor, pitiful woman that is obsessed with a self-help guru. Theres no equivocation in Val, and you immediately see why Lous willing to run off and follow her. The duo are soon big news, their exploits providing fodder for tabloids and talk radio as they barrel toward their final destination. Instead of your standard "Thelma and Louise" message against patriarchy, Lou and Val travel across the country attending self help groups and murdering the leaders. Whos played? The theme is also telling us the writer how hateful those life coaches can be and some human being to be so The following morning, Val stabs the wife to death, with Lou witnessing the aftermath. Along the way, Lou and Val drop in on numerous questionable self-help practitioners. Ben Lloyd-Hughes . Lou dreams of self improvement and a better life. Weve got a #spoiler free review ready but, more importantly, check it out when it drops on digital next week. External Reviews I enjoyed Roes performance, which does have much of the same failure to give a damn as Villanelle inEve. A Serial Killers Guide to Life Leaves a Trail of Bodies and Gallows Humor. 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