It is somewhat amusing how naive Lou is, in regard to Vals extra-curricular activities, and how long it takes her to realize she is taking life advice from a psychopath. 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. Personally, less than Id have expected. 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. The actress also appeared in the 2017 Doctor Who episode Oxygen. When you give yourself over to possibility, anything can and will happen, Noah said in a voiceover. Had the pleasure of viewing A Serial Killers Guide to Life and Grimmfest this year followed by a Q&A with its director and it's certainly been a film to make a lasting impression. Katie Brayben, playing Lou, is possibly better known to Luther fans as Penny Leyton. 90% of the film. Author Recent Posts Follow Me Adrienne Clark Adrienne is a writer and editor living in the rain clouds of Seattle. The acting was brilliant. It stars Katie Brayben, Poppy Roe, Ben Lloyd-Hughes, Sarah Ball and others. Pacing of the story was perfect with the editing, absolutely brilliant story telling. Spoiler-free #review is up. The film was a directorial debut for Statin Cousins-Roe. The duo are soon big news, their exploits providing fodder for tabloids and talk radio as they barrel toward their final destination. When James Franco made his soap opera debut in 2009, it was as a serial killer named Franco on ABC's General Hospital. Their roles are vastly different, and the actresses portray these irredeemable characters in a likable way. She allows people to walk all over her. The short film, starring Poppy Roe, Katie Brayben, Sarah Ball, Christopher Gilling, and Adam. Note: not if, when. Despite a final-act story beat that may not resonate with all viewers, A Serial Killers Guide to Life is a worthwhile pitch-black comedy with engaging character work from its two leads. 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. In Winterbottoms film, Reeves was dragged along by a deranged Amanda Plummer. 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. This needed to go deeper, darker.& it definitely needed a murderous, wilin' out montage scene. Certainly the area of self help guru's (who seem to know everything, yet still need to make money telling everyone else their secrets) should be made fun of. On paper it does, but I just thought that something was lost between the script and the actual execution of things. If youve met any of these characters (or people who swear by their wares), youll likely have more than a few wry chuckles during these scenes. Copyright 2023 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. And often these targets of the satire seem as though they are barn doors broad enough that they barely need to be spoofed. External Reviews There is nothing quite like a bloodcurdling film that makes one giggle and tremble at the same time. Unfortunately for Lou, Val's a serial killer. 02/09/2020 | Firstly, how long you see the end twist coming before its announced. In the end ,the characters were under-developed, and the plot actions implausible. Really, though, its Lous growth and dawning realization as to Vals plan as well as the connectivity between the two which anchors A Serial Killers Guide To Life. A Serial Killers Guide to Life Leaves a Trail of Bodies and Gallows Humor. Thoroughly enjoyed this having come to see it without knowing anything about it. At home, Lou discusses this opportunity with her mother over dinner. Well that reason being is I wished this film had been 4 hours long I could've watched with no problem whatsoever. 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. The indie horror comedy "A Serial Killer's Guide to Life" delivers plenty of jokes and blood at the expense of self help gurus who prey on the weak. In real life, Cousins-Roe is married to actress Poppy Roe. Kill off social media influencers, reality TV celebrities or Los Angeles Dodgers fans, and Id be right there with you. A coming-of-age story . Lou stabs Val, who earlier had called the police in an attempt to frame Lou and escape. [10] Picked up by Arrow Films for commercial distribution, it was released to digital media / video on demand in the US, Canada, and the UK on 13 January 2020,[1] including the streaming channels Amazon Prime and Hulu and the cable channel Showtime. Despite this constant diet of positive affirmations, Lou seems paralyzed, unable to make meaningful change in her life. 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? I had a smile on my face most of the way through rather than laughing out loud but it was certainly very funny. See production, box office & company info. 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. [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! She has a memory of herself killing her mother before leaving on this trip, with the image intercutting with that of Val murdering her mother. Movie Review, A Serial Killer's Guide to Life is a . Then during a visit to a birth-memory guru, and while Val waits in the hall, Lou begins to hallucinate. The next stop is a "sonic vibration" retreat, where Lou and Val are the only two attendees of the husband-and-wife couple who run it at their large house. Id heard a lot of great things about A Serial Killers Guide to Life before I watched it, so I went into it with some high expectations. And on that note, these words also apply to the main character. I was lucky enough to catch a screening of this at Frightfest this year in London. 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. A day later, at Val's invitation, Lou visits her at a caravan park. I have written reviews before for other independent films and they can rate pretty low and high with all factors taken into consideration with the one major factor being I'm a filmmaker as well, is having the idea and visualizing it and making it come to life on screen for us to enjoy which is a major step in your career and the ultimate release in knowing you put out what you wanted to put out and not what a studio maybe demanded you input and change to make it adhere to there standards. Val Stone: Sarah Ball . The best part was the end, I'll never get that time back again, only pleasurable part was seeing the actress who played Val, her big eyes and appeal kept me from turning it off. You did pretty good for your first time. Val calls Lou the best student she's ever had. Like several other Grimmfest films, A Serial Killer's Guide to Life is a debut feature for its writer/director, Staten Cousins-Roe, and he has created something very much his own here: the dry, sarcastic humor, the innocent inspired to find "empowerment" sure, we've seen these things before, but not combined like this. A Serial Killers Guide to Life opens midway through an interview with Chuck Noah (Ben Lloyd-Hughes). A Serial Killers Guide To Life follows Lou Farnt (Katie Brayben): a 30-something, self-help addict who wants nothing more than to escape her overly controlling mother and the dead-end seaside town where she grew up. Ironically, once Knoah realizes these are the two serial killers on the news, he says his publisher would just love their memoirs, and is on a phone call arranging a meeting when Val shoots him in the head. Both actors do a stellar job of bringing them both to life and are well supported by the rest of the cast. Sian Clifford, Smart and clever, A Serial Killers Guide to Life is a brilliantly well-executed dark comedy. Rarely does an independent film really strike cords on all levels but this truly takes the cake. It was very carefully and skillfully filmed, even more surprising when you learn it was made on a tiny budget. 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). A radio briefly mentions that a woman has been found murdered at a caravan park. 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. In addition to his work for Scene-Stealers, Nick can be found bitching about music elsewhere on the Internet at his blog, Rock Star Journalist, and as Music Editor for The Pitch. 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. The theme is also telling us the writer how hateful those life coaches can be and some human being to be so In the space of just a few moments, the film provides a clear sense of Louises character and her mundane struggles. Val is stabbed by Lou and then Lou stabs herself and the two fall on the grass. 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 . It seems clear that writer-director Roe holds a strong, likely personal grudge against self-help tutors, in order to create a movie which is largely based on showing their flaws, and then killing them off. A brilliantly conceived and executed film. It deserves to become a cult classic. Shes not someone that one would want to meet down a dark alley in the dead of night. Director: Lena Dunham. Consequently, because of this, she is seen as a doormat. FAQ Val is attractive, tall, headstrong, a woman who knows who she is and is forth coming about it. Val plans their route, which culminates in a visit to Chuck Knoahs country home. New adventure is an escape and Val is just dark side of the actress. 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. There is a dry sense of black humour to the film the girls turning from bashing the head of Owain Rhys-Davies in with a rolling pin to saying Dont forget to bring the sandwiches. On the other hand, this is never a black comedy that goes for the throat or pushes everything into uncomfortable territory as a work like Sightseers does. Oh how I ache to find great movies and it's always a delight to find a hidden gem. seeks escape with mysterious 'Val' her new life coach. The other issue is how much this bothers you. Even though we hear the individual struggling with Val, Lou doesnt concern herself with investigating the odd sounds emanating from inside the building. Very bizarre, very British, very funny, very good! After finding Val living at a trailer park, from this point on, Lous life takes a dramatic turn. 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 . This film follows the wonderfully British tradition of darkly comic understatement! The two struggle, and Val is being overpowered when Lou kills the husband. Download Watch Now A Serial Killer's Guide to Life 2019 Action / Adventure / Comedy / Crime / Horror Available in: 720p.WEB 1080p.WEB WEB: same quality as BluRay Download Subtitles 18 92% - Critics 56% - Audience 5.0 Similar Movies Please enable your VPN when downloading torrents RELATED: Soap Opera Couples Who Dated In Real Life. The self help guide to end all self help guides. Here Plummer has been replaced by an altogether much more socially assured Poppy Roe, although the story of a girl being dragged along on another girls murderous spree is essentially the same. 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. Simply film, quite okay, mildly interesting as mentioned. 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