Naman Shrestha
The Dylan Vox directorial, Lifetime’s ‘Blackmail, Lies, and Murder’ is a crime thriller film that follows two strangers — Candace and Kristen — going through a struggle of their own in their respective lives. While Candace just lost her husband and has to deal with her overbearing mother-in-law Iris who attempts to deteriorate her relationship with her 16-year-old daughter Avery, Kristen is a victim of physical and emotional abuse from her husband Nathan. When Candace and Kristen cross paths at the yoga class, they spark a platonic connection with one another almost instantly. They go for lunch and open up to each other about the tormentors in their lives over some cocktails.
Soon, their conversation turns into something sinister when Kristen comes up with a suggestion that they should swap murders and get rid of each other’s tormentors for good. Laughing it off, Candace believed that their conversation was not serious until Iris winds up dead. Having done her part, Kristen demands that it’s Candace’s turn to do her part. Due to her hesitancy, Kristen kidnaps Avery and blackmails Candace, who is inclined to do whatever is necessary to save the life of her daughter. Starring Kelsey McKean, Lauren Pike, and Nick Ritacco, the thriller movie has plenty of realistic themes instilled within the narrative, including blackmailing and murder, making some of you pose the question — does ‘Blackmail, Lies, and Murder’ take inspiration from a true story or not?
Blackmail, Lies, and Murder is a Fictional Tale
No, ‘Blackmail, Lies, and Murder’ is not based on reality. Instead, it is the brainchild of the screenwriter Bryan Dick, who is known for other thrillers like ‘Nightmare School Moms,’ ‘Spring Break Nightmare,’ ‘My Sister’s Serial Killer Boyfriend,’ ‘Deadly Due Date,’ and ‘The Stranger She Brought Home.’ With so much experience under his belt, he put it to good use by combining it with his excellent penmanship to conjure up the screenplay for the Lifetime thriller. Bryan supposedly took inspiration from some real-life events and instilled elements of them into his tale.
Cases of blackmail and murder tend to make headlines in the real world on a regular basis, which is the reason why many of you might relate the plot of the Kelsey McKean starrer to reality and have the impression that it is an authentic story. Besides the actual world, themes of blackmailing and murder have been at the heart of so many movies and TV shows. For instance, the 2012 erotic thriller film ‘Passion’ shares several similarities to the Lifetime movie when it comes to its characters, themes, and elements. A remake of the 2010 Alain Corneau directorial ‘Love Crime,’ ‘Passion’ is co-written and helmed by Brian De Palma.
It revolves around a young advertising executive named Isabelle who weaves a sinister plot to take revenge on her manipulative boss Christine Stanford, who steals her business idea and makes her life more difficult, in the form of murder. Apart from a few similar plotlines, Isabelle’s murderous intentions and need to exact revenge draw parallels with the character of Kristen in the Lifetime thriller. Thus, we can conclude that even though ‘Blackmail, Lies, and Murder,’ contains true-to-life elements, it doesn’t change the fact that it is a work of fiction.
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