Villainess Review: Ariande Conniver (The Serial Killer Seduced Me)

Man, oh man...where do I start?!

Let me just say, I had my ultimate reason for being excited for this Lifetime film, originally titled, Picture Her Dead, now retitled, The Serial Killer Seduced Me. The film's central protagonist is Chloe Cochran, a practicing artist who works at a senior care facility. Her favorite tenant is Lillian, who happens to own a particular portrait, though she doesn't reveal much about the artist, or what the "V" on painting means or stands for. Chloe, with the permission of her friend/co-worker, Rona, receives the permission to pursue her dream, but after Chloe leaves, sadly, Lillian is murdered.

Chloe had received that painting from Lillian, and during a gathering that Chloe attends with her agent, Chase, her new painting is displayed. One problem: it's the very portrait that Lillian gave her. Even crazier, Chloe is prevented from telling the truth by Chase, and it's followed by the pair being encountered by noted art blogger Ariande Conniver, though any attempts at an interview are brushed off. The craziness continues, as a man recognized the woman in the portrait: it was his wife, Marissa Glass, who was murdered in the film's opening, though the husband meets the same fate right afterwards.

Chloe continues to have her hands proverbially tied by Chase, but there is a positive in the form of Luke, who introduces himself and starts a budding relationship. She also figures out that the "V" is a Roman numeral, meaning that the portrait of Marissa is the fifth of a series. The other four are discovered, and all of them have been murdered in different fashions, all the while, "VI" has been painted, and it's Chloe. Chase wants to sell them, but Chloe refuses, and it's followed by Ariande relentlessly pursuing her--and later revealing the fraud surrounding the portrait. Chloe discovers that Lillian did have a son, Julian, and he was the artist behind the portraits, as well as the possible killer. Afterwards, Chloe fires Chase, who steals Chloe's keys and attempts to steal the paintings, only to be bludgeoned to death with a vase.

We later see Chloe tell all to Ariande, who promises another interview after she goes to the police. The climax sees Chloe with Luke; a romantic encounter which ends with Chloe seeing a portrait of herself in Luke's house, leading her to realize that Luke is Julian. It's followed by a confrontation from Julian regarding Chloe stealing his work, though Chloe does escape from the house, only to find Ariande, who response to Chloe's report by wanting to go back in the house to get the paintings. Chloe joins her (against her better judgment), and after Ariande marvels over the portraits, Julian confronts Chloe again, while Ariande hides. Julian states that Chloe's in danger, but he's not behind it. Chloe isn't convinced, and she stabs him with an arrow.

Ariande comes out and looks at the believed-to-be-deceased Julian. She appears to not know how to handle what had just happened, but after finally composing herself, she does this:

Chloe puts two and two together. Ariande is "I"; by that I mean that she was the first portrait, and she had been obsessed with Julian during their time together. Ariande stated she was Julian's muse, claiming that Julian told everyone that, but she became quite unhinged after seeing Julian with other models. Four models, including Marissa, came after Ariande, and Ariande murdered all of them with different weapons. She hid out after the murders, which caused the conclusion that she was killed as well. Ariande stated that she was looking for Julian after he quit painting, and she killed Lillian to draw him out, while also killing Chase as well. The villainess had her perfect story: portraying Chloe as Julian's last victim. Just as she was about to kill Chloe, Ariande ended knocked out by Julian, and as he and Chloe spoke to the police, Ariande was in handcuffs, and as for Chloe, she enjoyed her success as an artist with her portrait of Lillian.

Now, the moment that's been years in the making:

The Serial Killer Seduced Me aired on Lifetime on August 20, 2023, and featured Kristi Murdock as crazed murderess Ariande Conniver. I repeat: where do I start?! Let me start with this--Kristi Murdock is one of Lifetime's hardest working actresses in the last five years. Her Lifetime debut came in an uncredited role in 2019's Who Stole My Daughter?, and two years later, Murdock took on her first starring role in a LT film in Secrets on Sorority Row. This film is Murdock's sixth film overall, her third in 2023, and her second in less than two weeks, as she appeared in Danger Lurking Under My Roof, which aired on LMN 10 days before this film. The sixth time was the charm, as after being killed off by a villainess in one film, and playing sweetheart Big Damn Goods in her other films, Murdock takes on a deliciously evil role in such grand fashion: playing a deranged and bloodthirsty serial killer.

I knew from jumpstreet that Ariande would be evil. However, I had her and Julian being in cahoots. I definitely didn't expect this! Ariande killed seven people during her obsessive quest: four models, the husband of one of them, Lillian, and Chase. Even better, Kristi Murdock was so gracious enough to don the "hoodie of evil" in her first swan dive into Lifetime villainy. The way that Murdock acted out Ariande's insanity, jealousy, and bloodthirsty demeanor was the stuff of legends. It was a stellar performance and it showed why Kristi Murdock is in demand on Lifetime. I'm still so happy that we finally, and I mean finally, got to see an evil and psychotic Kristi Murdock on Lifetime. Her heel turn was long overdue, and here's hoping that she plays more wicked roles after this one.

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Check out Ariande Conniver's profile on Villainous Beauties Wiki!