Story: Jasmine (Erin Pineda) has always been protective of her younger brother Carlos (Fernando Belo), as trauma from their childhood has always haunted them. So when she learns he is getting married, she of course goes into protective mode and has some serious doubts. But Carlos is in love and even her parents insist that his bride-to-be Grace (Ashlee Fuss) is a wonderful woman, though Jasmine remains skeptical, as expected. As it turns out, she is right to have concerns about Grace and unknown to her new in-laws and future husband, Grace has quite a dark past. But how far will she go to keep her past buried and land the man of her dreams?

Entertainment Value: This is a remake of sorts, inspired by The Perfect Bride, another made for television melodrama from decades before Here Kills the Bride. I had some good vibes about this one, as I love when the psychos get wild in these Lifetime thrillers and the previews certainly seemed to have some potential to be unhinged. The end result isn’t as off the rails as I had hoped, but this is a solid effort and there is some solid entertainment here. The narrative is passable, giving us a paranoid and sadistic psycho on the loose, which is always a plus. I appreciated the bursts of melodramatic insanity from our lead and when things turn toward the over the top, the movie works well. I know some will critique how brazen Grace is and how her antics should set off a million red flags, but this is a Lifetime thriller, so its like complaining that henchmen have bad aim in action movies. When the movie drifts from the drama however, things slow down and Here Kills the Bride struggles somewhat. Perhaps dialing up even those mundane sequences could have helped, especially when the film needs some filler scenes, as those need the boost a lot. I found Here Kills the Bride to be a rock solid Lifetime thriller with melodrama, inexplicable behavior, and over the top moments, so it is recommended.

As someone who celebrates these off the wall, melodramatic thrillers, I of course want to see the wildest, most outlandish villains possible. Grace is indeed a sometimes unhinged psycho and Ashlee Fuss brings her to life in full glory, giving us a terrific Lifetime villain in the process. She embraces the moments when Grace goes off the deep end, tuning up her performance and ramping up the craziness. Those instances prove to be the highlight of Here Kills the Bride and I just wish there were more, as the movie often burns time on less entertaining elements. But Fuss does what she can when the material allows her to go wild, which is about all we can ask. If you’re a fan of indie horror, you might notice Jon Devlin in some of the hospital scenes, which was fun to see here. If you’re a Lifetime producer looking for a good villain, Devlin could easily handle that task. The cast also includes Fernando Belo, Erin Pineda, Bertila Damas, and Aaron Goldenberg as the manic wedding planner.

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