An Amish Murder (2013 Lifetime)
Cast: Neve Campbell, Noam Jenkins, Jilon VanOver
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Synopsis (via Lifetime)
Based on the book “Sworn to Silence” by Linda Castillo, “An Amish Murder” tells the story of Kate Burkholder (Neve Campbell), a woman who grew up Amish and, after returning to her small hometown as its Chief of Police, must solve a string of horrible murders. The movie also stars Neve’s brother Christian Campbell (“Reefer Madness: The Movie Musical,” “Trick”), Noam Jenkins (“Rookie Blue,” “Saw II”), and C. Thomas Howell (“E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial,” “The Outsiders”).
In “An Amish Murder,” the peaceful Amish farming community of Painter’s Mill, Ohio, is shattered when a series of brutal murders leaves the town with a sense of frailty and loss of innocence. Among the most affected by the tragedy was Kate Burkholder (Campbell), a young girl who survived the terror and, as a result, left the Amish life behind. Fifteen years later, Kate returns to Painter’s Mill as its Chief of Police. Sure she’s come to terms with her past, Kate’s renewed life in her hometown is shattered when a murder investigation triggers deep-seated emotions from her childhood and exposes a dark secret that could destroy her.
Thoughts
Neve Campbell is on a morning run and sees a lot of Amish people. She lives in a town where cows block the road, and nothing wrong ever happens. That is until T.J., a police deputy, finds a girl’s shoe on the side of the road, and then a dead body of the Amish girl.
Neve Campbell stops her run and heads to the scene of the crime. She is the police chief. The Amish men refuse to speak with her directly because she left and is shunned by her Amish family. Her new partner, Glock, joins her and suspects that it could be a serial killer. The marking on the body indicates that the girl was hung and bleed like a farm animal.
While researching the case, Neve Campbell visits her former family and speaks Ahmish to them. (I had no idea they had their own language.) Her brother Jacob, played by Neve Campbell’s real brother Christian Campbell, sits and talks with her about a murder from their childhood. Their father killed the serial killer, but maybe he didn’t. The whole thing is very cryptic and mysterious. (Not in a good way, more in a just lay it out there for me, Neve. I’m drinking wine and need some help.)
Then Neve Campbell talks to an ex-fiance Lucas about a man named Daniel Lapp. He disappeared and was a suspect in the AMISH MURDERS. She asks him to talk to the Bishop for her because he won’t even acknowledge her.
Hotshot detective, John, is assigned to the case from out of town. Neve Campbell is unimpressed, even when he mentions that he wrestled a bear! The parents of the girl identify the body and cry over the body. They didn’t report her daughter missing because they thought she had run away. Neve Campbell and John won’t let them take the body because they need to review the evidence. They suspect that the Serial Killer isn’t back; it is a copycat.
While the police apprehend a suspect, John almost passed out from PTSD. A serial killer murdered his family. He resorts to alcohol to cope and has devoted his life to track down killers. (Even if it puts him in danger.)
The body of another teenager shows up at a gymnastics competition. (Don’t get too excited, we don’t see ANYONE on high beam.) It is the mayor’s daughter. John and Neve Campbell arrive on the scene and lock it down. The killer is in the room, and they comb through the suspects. The townspeople insist that the killer must have been Amish.
Neve Campbell attempts to unbury the body of Daniel Lapp. He raped her, and she shot him. Her brother and father buried the body in the barn. She shares her trauma with John, and he promises that she can trust him. (Which makes me think he is the killer.) They kiss, but no steamy sex scene happens here.
For some reason, Neve Campbell is fired? John comforts her with lots of kisses and sex. I guess it was worth it. After a night together, John and Neve talk more about the case. They suspect that whoever is killing the girls would be someone in uniform.
Before Neve Campbell can do too much research, she is kidnapped by a co-worker, Nate. The police officer lived in Alaska, where similar murders took place. He chains her up and drags her into an abandoned house. It is the house that he was raised in and abused as a child. He tells her that the killings are random.
John and Glock piece things together and sound the town alarm. They show up just in time. The house catches on fire and John is hit with a bullet. His PTSD kicks in and he can barely get Neve Campbell out of the burning building.
Nate escapes and is shot in the leg. He runs to a barn but is surrounded by police. Neve Campbell’s ex-boyfriend is there and looks at her intently. (Am I missing something?) They take Nate away and the town is back to it’s normal routine.
Neve Campbell is promoted to Chief and goes on a date with John while longly looking at her ex-boyfriend as he rides by on a horse and buggy. The end?
Side Note
Minority Report: Glock. No Amish POC?
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Overall rating
🔪🔪 (2 Knives. Added an extra for the Campbell sibling reunion.)
🍷🍷🍷 (3 glasses of wine required.)
*Photo Credit: © 2013 Lifetime
I love this movie!. The love between Katie (neve) and lucas ( jai vanover) is so deep, I thought they were going to kiss at some point!. Its adapted from a popular murder mystery. I was hoping for a sequel!.
Thank you, Averre! I love this thoughtful and informative comment.
Just watched this movie. i’ve never heard of it and I’m not much of a Neve Campbell fan, but I thought she did a really good job in the movie and the story was pretty good. I’m not sure what all the bell ringing at the end was supposed to accomplish because it didn’t really seem like it was necessary, but it was still a pretty good ending. For those who thought she would get back together or at least kiss Lucas, he was too dedicated to the Amish way. and he had a wife, so he would’ve never done that! i’m glad I took the time to watch it. Seems like a lot of these older movies are better than the newer ones because all the new movies are pretty much the same story.
I loved this movie! Unforgotten love and forbidden love… add murder and you’ve got a great movie! Everyone wants to know they are still loved. Sequel?
I thought they did a great job of showing that they still loved each other, but couldn’t do anything about it.
Hey Patrick,
I just finished the “An Amish Murder” page over at the Lifetime Movies Fan Wiki. I linked to this page, your reviews are great! If you ever want to take a look at the site, please use the link at the very bottom of them page, and switch it to full site mode. It defaults to Mobile, and it’s not designed to be viewed that way, even on a phone.
https://lifetimemovies.fandom.com/wiki/An_Amish_Murder
https://lifetimemovies.fandom.com/wiki/The_Lifetime_Movies_Wiki