Geeks logo

Lifetime Review: 'Homecoming Revenge'

A High School Rivalry Drives a Psychotic Woman to Unimaginable Lengths in a Well-Crafted Stalker Thriller

By Trevor WellsPublished 6 years ago 3 min read
Like

Things are going pretty well for Isabelle Taylor (April Bowlby), who has a successful florist business, a successful husband in Rob (Mike Faiola), and a driven daughter in Sierra (Abbie Gayle). But a traumatic memory from her teenage years still haunts her: the night she and Rob were crowned Homecoming King and Queen. As they took the stage to receive their crowns, however, they were interrupted by their enraged classmate, Andrea Turner (Kim Director), who angrily proclaimed that the vote was rigged before trying to take Isabelle's crown for herself.

The ensuing struggle sent Andrea falling from the stage, hospitalizing her and leaving Isabelle with a sense of guilt. So when she runs into Andrea by chance at their high school reunion, Isabelle decides to try and reconcile with her former classmate; a sentiment Andrea seems to share. But unbeknownst to Isabelle, Andrea is still angry at Isabelle, particularly due to the fact that her fall from their school stage has left her infertile. Now that Isabelle has invited her into her life, Andrea intends to take revenge on the woman she believes took everything from her--by destroying everything she holds dear to her.

Homecoming Revenge (originally titled Dying for the Crown) can best be described as a mash-up of the Lifetime stalker movie and the Lifetime revenge movie. Andrea, still holding a candle of envy and rage against Isabelle for stealing what she believed to be hers and causing her infertility, decides to integrate herself into her life again with the purpose of taking revenge on her by destroying her life. As played by Kim Director, Andrea is a truly evil force to be reckoned with. Even before she ends up becoming Isabelle's "Woman Scorned," Andrea shows herself to be a terrifying unstable woman, willing to hurt anyone who gets in the way of getting what she wants. Her first appearance in the movie literally has her using someone's allergy to try and kill them out of petty spite. From there on, the lengths Andrea goes to to get her way only increase, as does her craftiness in doing so, making her a memorable and dangerous villain.

The rest of the casting is strong in their own right as well, with Lifetime regular April Bowlby making for a relatable and strong protagonist. A strong part of Isabelle's character is that, despite the fact that Andrea's tragic fate following her fall was entirely of her own doing, Isabelle still feels sorry for her and feels a sort of responsibility for giving her a chance to reconcile--leaving her oblivious to the fact that Andrea has taken advantage of her guilt as part of her twisted plan. Mike Faiola also does well as Rob, being a subversion of the typical Lifetime Heroine's Husband archetype by advising his wife not to let Andrea back into their lives, and while Abbie Gayle's Sierra has some moments of teenage girl brattiness, she never goes beyond that which is typical of an average teenager and most of these moments are influenced by Andrea's scheming influence. Anthony Del Negro also has a brief role as Andrea's hired cohort Jack, with Del Negro using his limited screen time to become a surprisingly memorable lackey.

(This, along with the movie's excellent storytelling and pace, made it no surprise that Homecoming Queen was written by Lindsay Hartley and Jason-Shane Scott, two immensely talented Lifetime regulars who were also behind the 2017's amazing Deadly Exchange).

The one negative I can see about Homecoming Revenge, though, would have to be the climax, which comes off as horrendously anticlimactic for the sake of having a cheap Book Ends conclusion. And considering how hellbent on revenge Andrea had been throughout the entire movie, the way she is ultimately defeated comes off as especially underwhelming and unsatisfying. But despite the lackluster climax, Homecoming Revenge delivers all the things that make Lifetime great, with great acting, storytelling, and a strong epilogue that more than makes up for the disappointing climax. Homecoming Revenge is a Lifetime thriller that practically demands to be viewed more than once.

Score: 9 out of 10 flower allergies.

review
Like

About the Creator

Trevor Wells

Aspiring writer and film lover: Lifetime, Hallmark, indie, and anything else that strikes my interest. He/him.

Link to Facebook

Twitter: @TrevorWells98

Instagram: @trevorwells_16

Email: [email protected]

Reader insights

Be the first to share your insights about this piece.

How does it work?

Add your insights

Comments

There are no comments for this story

Be the first to respond and start the conversation.

Sign in to comment

    Find us on social media

    Miscellaneous links

    • Explore
    • Contact
    • Privacy Policy
    • Terms of Use
    • Support

    © 2024 Creatd, Inc. All Rights Reserved.