'Killer in the Guest House': Trusting fashion photographer and stranger form the basis of Lifetime's new thriller
Spoilers for Lifetime's movie 'Killer in the Guest House'
One just has to admire Lifetime movie titles! There is barely anything left to the imagination and any element of suspense is out of the window.
In its latest offering, 'Killer in the Guest House', the channel has done it yet again.
Gina (Chelsea Hobbs) is a struggling fashion photographer who, burdened by debt, decides to rent out her guest house so that the new income can help her payout her mortgage. Her mother's debilitating sickness, which eventually led to her demise, also saw Gina moving back home from New York - putting all her career aspirations on hold.
She works really hard, but somehow money is never enough and odd jobs with her ex-boyfriend Devon don't pay as much as she would like.
Devon, who also works in fashion photography, is a sleazy man who Gina dated and even broke up with but can't seem to get rid off. Unfortunately, Gina's financial conditions mean that she has to work with him - well, for him - and he doesn't even pay her! As it turns out, when they dated, he drove her to death owing her $1,200 - money that he doesn't plan on returning. You know the minute that you see Devon that this man is going to die.
Gina is an irksome pushover. She doesn't even act stern with Devon - smiling at him, acting all coy around him. Or perhaps it is Hobbs' unnaturally childish persona that doesn't allow her to express any fury or urgency for that matter. She floats through the movie like a daft log devoid of any instinct.
Speaking of emotional range, Gina's new tenant Mark is played by Marcus Rosner, who lacks all of it. A hunky pilot, Mark is - no prizes for guessing - the titular killer in the guest house.
Of course, she chooses him from a whole list of applicants because, well, did they mention he is hunky? Mark takes no time in impressing Gina. More than that, he pushes her to apply to some of the top fashion photography agencies - reiterating that she is the value. When she scores an interview with the biggest agency, she doesn't express her gratitude once - but at least five times in a span of ten minutes.
Needless to say, she gets the gig. But what bothers us most is that it is Mark who instills in her that much-needed confidence to go get it in the first place. Following this, Gina shows no belief in her own talent, thanking him again and again for helping her out.
Perhaps that is why she trusts him so much - to the extent that they sleep together one night.
At 1.25 minutes, the movie runs at a mellow pace without overstaying its welcome. It is annoying, we will say that, particularly Gina's foolishly trusting nature. But perhaps the next time you wish to play landlord you mustn't do two things - not run a thorough background check and sleep with them.