Lifetime's 'Designed to Kill' features the murderous misadventures of an obsessed teacher fueled by jealousy and possessiveness
Spoilers ahead for 'Designed to Kill'
The title, 'Designed to Kill' is a beautiful wordplay on the film and when you think about it, it all makes sense. A professional fashion photographer turned fashion photography teacher in a school spots her new "minor" boy toy only to get so crazily obsessed she goes on a killing spree to keep him for herself exclusively.
The story revolves around the lives of four main characters -- Jennifer, David, Caitlyn, and Suzanne (the mother). Even though the whole movie is so predictable, Jennifer's character is quite kinky in its own way which motivates you to sit through the film.
The film opens with Jennifer going ballistic over a model during a photoshoot just because another woman started getting close to David. When she pulls out a knife, we know for sure that she's got issues.
The film suddenly takes us ahead in time and we figure out that Jennifer is at a school, for a fresh start. She spots David and embarks on a mission to draw him closer to her because she starts obsessing over him.
Casually sneaking upon him when he is with his friends, watching over him from a distance, not as a guardian angel but sinister with dangerous intentions. David is represented as a hottie hidden behind spectacles and is a perpetual victim of the bullies at school.
She drags him out of it and gives him a makeover, and before it all sinks in, he is on the cover of a famous magazine. She takes so many pictures of him...yes, some shirtless pictures too. Jen is oblivious to the fact he is still a minor.
He goes on to be the latest sensation of his school and suddenly everybody wants him. He loves the attention he is getting but at what cost? Jennifer can't keep her hands off David and you can spot the crazy in her eyes.
We see it, but why can't David? She gets him great opportunities for modeling with big brands, but she ensures he always sticks around her. It's funny how Jen carries a knife wherever she goes.
20 minutes into the movie, Jennifer kills Brittany for trying to get close to David. She lures her into her well-structured trap and pushes her off the building leading Britany to fall to her death.
Her history of obsessive behavior is revealed through a flashback. It all started when she met with a fatal accident while photographing her then beau. Obviously, if you don't focus on the road while driving, bad things are bound to happen.
Anyway, she was devastated after her loss and never bounced back to life. She was so hellbent on keeping David to herself she even got his new agent, Andrea, killed. It is so messed up that she always gets away with murder.
Jennifer gets Caitlyn the same makeover and she too becomes a model. But when she finds David and Caitlyn getting romantically involved, she tricks her and photoshops her with a male pornstar.
She leaks the images all over the internet and ruins her life. Amid all this, David and her get super close and intimate. The last time we checked, David still was not 18. But somehow, there was no mention of it, until there was a confrontation with David's mother.
Let's face it, all mothers are blessed with intuition because they just know if ever there is danger lurking around their loved ones, especially their children. But when they warn their kids about it, all the advice goes out of the window.
Perhaps, because teenagers never listen, only to realize in the end that they've messed up big time. The major take away from this film is that it literally tells you to listen to your mama because she's always right.
With Jen's plans soaring almost successfully, she was very close to killing both Caitlyn and David. But then, there was the mother's intervention and all her bigger plans came to a staggering end when she stabs her in the back with the knife (oh! the irony).
A mother's gut feeling is never wrong and she knew her son was in grave danger. She rescued the kids and became the ultimate savior. Flash forward and we see Caitlyn and David in college. The couple looks happy together and we can perhaps assume that all is well in paradise. This film a good watch, especially if you are a sucker for scandalous drama.