Villainess Review: Susanna Williams (Killer Stepmom)

A new year means many things: a new start, new plans, and Lifetime's annual batch of "Deadly Resolutions" films. Though we have been treated to quite a few good films, the one that had me counting down the days until airtime was Killer Stepmom, with the title being one obvious reason. The film centered on Brianna Williams, whose penchant for making up stories has been her undoing at school. As we have quickly seen, Brianna's acting out appears to be due to her parents' divorce, and regarding her parents, Daniel Williams and Annie O'Dowd, they decided that Brianna would be grounded while living in Daniel's home, which for Brianna, also meant the indignity of having to be around Daniel's new wife, Susanna.

Susanna is introduced as a woman who wanted to form a friendship with Brianna, and we see that as they're shopping, but we also later see a man approach Susanna and refer to her as "Kate." Susanna informed him that he was mistaken and claimed to Brianna that he was attempting to flirt with her, but as we later see, the two are arguing, and Brianna sees the whole thing. Brianna's statement about the encounter is disbelieved by Daniel, so she goes out on her own and tracks Susanna to a meeting with that same man...which ends with Susanna beating said man to death with a crowbar and sealing him in cement.

Oh, Susanna! Sorry, I couldn't resist. Anyway, Brianna figures that any attempt to tell her parents what she saw would be disbelieved, and sure enough, she was right. Daniel quickly shot down Brianna's story, and his disbelief turned Annie against her very quickly. Brianna's investigation sees her learn the identity of the victim: Randy McNabb, who Brianna and Annie learn was a private investigator, and he was looking into Susanna, aka Kate. Annie later informed Daniel that Susanna had no info beyond two years prior to the events, and we get her full real name: Katherine Dunham. When Susanna is called in to explain her past, she reveals that she was known as Katherine Dunham, but she escaped to get away from her ex-husband, who she claimed was abusive, while adding that she didn't want to worry Daniel and Brianna with her past.

Of course, Daniel buys this, and I just have to point this out. Daniel...is an idiot. I'm serious, if Daniel's nose were any more wide open, Aaron Rodgers could throw a pass to it, and it would be caught for a touchdown. Annie's attempt to go to the police about Susanna/Kate fails, and later that evening, Susanna appears and strangles Melody (Randy's co-worker at the PI agency) to death, and starts a fire at that same strip mall. We later see Susanna get to work on her plan to kill Annie, beginning with entering Annie's house and drugging her coffee grounds, causing Annie to crash after feeling the effects. She turns up the proverbial heat by paying someone to kill Annie, who learned about Susanna's ex-husband, Robert Kulzer, being an embezzler and running a Ponzi scheme before committing suicide--though that plan fails when Annie and her boyfriend, Howie, take down Susanna's hired gun.

Meanwhile, Susanna drugs Daniel and later makes an attempt to kill Brianna at the site, but her pursuit is interrupted by her phone ringing. To Susanna's shock, it's Annie, who arrived to find her daughter drugged by Susanna, while asking for a motive for her actions. Susanna revealed revenge as her motivation for her actions, and also added that not only did she lose her ex-husband when his crimes were exposed, but she was pregnant at the time, though she lost the baby due to the stress. Susanna also revealed that Daniel's company bought Robert's site and stripped it for parts, and that led her to marrying Daniel to destroy Annie's life. However, not only was Susanna thwarted by Annie, but she ended up in the same prison where Roxanne (Robert's partner in crime) was held, and that final scene saw Susanna being confronted by Roxanne and a pair of inmates.

Killer Stepmom aired on Lifetime Movie Network on January 7, 2022, and the main reason why I was so excited for this film: Jillian Murray was in it as the film's main villainess, Susanna Williams. This film marked Murray's third go-around as a Lifetime villainess, following 2018's A Dangerous Date (as Alexis Sawyer) and 2021's Deadly Dating Game (as Hailey Michaels). To no surprise, Susanna was every bit as malicious as I expected; willing to get her hands dirty, willing to pay others to do her evil handiwork, and dangerously vengeful and insane. She truly fulfilled every fiber in my being that loves evil stepmothers, and what made it better was Jillian Murray playing her. Murray acted out Susanna's abilities to mask her sinister colors very well, and to no surprise, her performance in regards to Susanna's evil demeanor was absolutely stellar. All of these factors are why Jillian Murray is a Lifetime film regular.

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Click here for Susanna Williams' profile on Villainous Beauties Wiki!