Lifetime Review: 'Killer in the Guesthouse'

Fresh off a breakup and struggling to keep up with house payments, aspiring photographer Gina Larson (Chelsea Hobbs) decides the best course of action is to rent out her guesthouse. Among the many responses she gets to her advert, one stands out: pilot Mark James (Marcus Rosner), whose good looks, interest in photography, and rave reviews from previous landlords convince her he's the perfect choice.

Upon meeting Mark and allowing him to move in, Gina makes fast friends with her tenant as he encourages her to believe in her talent and provides support as she deals with her troublesome ex Levon (Matthew Kevin Anderson). But what Gina doesn't realize is that Mark has a few skeletons in his closet--and has become fixated on Gina and making sure she gets the better life she wants. And if that means getting some more blood on his hands, Mark is more than willing to do just that....

Ironically, in addition to fulfilling the oft-used "I Invited a Psycho Into my Life" Lifetime template, Killer in the Guesthouse serves as the second Lifetime movie to come out of Johnson Production Group starring Marcus Rosner as a seemingly perfect tenant harboring dark secrets. The first would be 2019's The Killer Downstairs, which also shares a director/writer (Tony Dean Smith) in common with Killer in the Guesthouse. Having not yet seen The Killer Downstairs, I can't vouch for how Killer in the Guesthouse compares to its predecessor. What I can vouch for, however, is that Killer in the Guesthouse proves to be a fun watch, thanks namely to its charming cast led by an especially charismatic leading man.

As Mark James, Rosner puts on such an authentic air of compassion and support that you might even find yourself as enamored with Mark as Gina becomes. While there are moments when Mark's encouraging words and efforts to appear wholesome and sweet feel too transparent or artificial to be believable, Rosner mostly keeps it reined in to where Mark is an effectively cunning "hiding-in-plain-sight" villain. Even as the climax has Mark going through the standard villain beats, Rosner sells it with the way he keeps Mark's psychosis restrained, giving him a sinister allure even as he's at his most diabolical. Only two major complaints come to mind in terms of Mark James: 1. his habit for whistling as he goes about his various schemes is equal parts annoying and corny and 2. SPOILER ALERT (kinda) Given his status as a womanizing conman/serial killer, it would've been nice to provide the audience with some insight as to what made Mark become obsessed with Gina over his past victims--or at least played more with the interesting concept of a murderous conman becoming unexpectedly attached to one of his marks. Plus, with the official synopsis spoiling Mark's con artist status, the film's attempt to build a mystery around what Mark wants with Gina is ruined. Spoilers Over

Meanwhile, fellow Lifetime familiar face Chelsea Hobbs makes for another protagonist you're quick to love and root for, thanks in part to Rosner's aforementioned strength at playing Mark as a charming snake in the grass. With Mark being so convincing at putting on the persona of an ideal tenant and friend, it's understandable why Gina would be so quick to trust Mark and end up falling for him--especially given her past experience with Levon leaving her especially vulnerable. Hobbs is also convincing when it comes to Gina's struggles with self-confidence, allowing you to root for her as Gina breaks out of her shell and pursues the successful photography career she wants. Hobbs ends up playing so well off of Rosner as Gina and Mark go from fast friends to lovers that you might find yourself hoping their relationship works out--at least until Mark's scheming begins to hurt Gina rather than help her.

Mark Humphrey makes the most impact among the supporting cast, bringing the same charm to Robert Simms as Rosner brings to Mark James. He also shares solid chemistry with Hobbs as he quickly becomes an encouraging mentor to Gina, with Robert's genuine words of praise being juxtaposed against Mark's shallow words meant to lure Gina into his arms. Matthew Kevin Anderson is effectively sleazy as boorish ex-boyfriend Levon, and while her role may have been standard "Heroine's BFF" material, Corina Bizim joins the charm parade as Gina's supportive, quirky, and mildly Genre Savvy best friend Rachel.

Story-wise, Killer in the Guesthouse doesn't deviate too far from the usual formula for Lifetime movies about seemingly perfect men turning out to be psychopaths, and as stated before, there was some uncharted territory regarding Mark's character that sadly went unexplored. But between its consistent pace that keeps the thrills and suspense coming, a cast that injects a lot of life and appeal into their characters, and an ending that contains just a smidgen of dark comedy that I greatly appreciated, Killer in the Guesthouse has more than enough to make it a fun Lifetime thriller that rises above the shadow cast by The Killer Downstairs.

Score: 8 out of 10 Irish breakfasts.