A Deadly Threat to My Family (2024 Lifetime)
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Cast: Jessica Morris, Gina Vitori, Isabella Mercurio, Mark Ricketson, Rib Hillis
Director: Erin Lovett
Writer(s): Abby Knight
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DonateDonate monthlyDonate yearlySynopsis (via Lifetime)
When Ryan’s sister, Serena, escapes from a dangerous cult, she seeks refuge with his family to rebuild her life. Ryan’s wife, Marielle, is suspicious of Serena and doesn’t believe she’s truly reformed and her concerns grow as she sees Serena bond with her teenage daughter, Aria. When another cult member shows up on Marielle’s doorstep, she fears her daughter is their next target. Stars Jessica Morris, Gina Vitori, Lelia Symington, Isabella Mercurio, Tyler Price, and Mark Ricketson (2024).
Recap/Wine Thoughts
Inspired by Actual Events
Rib Hillis is a cult leader (and I could see it!). He plays Aleph, who prophesies that the end of the world is coming and leads a group of women seeking enlightenment. Serena testifies against him in court after the authorities break up the cult.
Serena goes to live with her brother Ryan, his wife Marielle, and their daughter Aria. Aria seems a little too interested in her Aunt Serena’s past life in a cult and researches Serena online. (She even draws the tattoo on her arm in Sharpie.) Marielle is more worried about having her sister-in-law stay with the family.
Serena puts red curtains in the guest house and sages the place for protection. Marielle tries to welcome Serena, but they have a lot of resentment from the past. You know, that time, Marielle thought Serena had kidnapped Aria and cut her off from the family.
Marielle has reason to be worried because, during the full moon, Serena hangs sticks all around the house while wearing a red cape. Marielle tells her sister-in-law not to talk to Aria about her time in the cult.
Aria is a loser at school but becomes popular once the other students realize Serena is her aunt. They start wearing red, just like the cult.
Cult friends, dressed in red, visit Serena to lure her back. They need her to ascend, which will happen in four days. Serena claims to be trying to protect the family from them.
The movie flashes back to Serena’s life with the cult. They infiltrated her cottage and danced around the yard in flowing red gowns. These memories haunt Serena, and she has night terrors. Serena is worried that Aleph and his followers will make the world end.
Ryan has been away for work (He IS a Lifetime husband, after all.) and is surprised to find his wife and Serena not getting along. Marielle tells him she thinks Serena is trying to convert Aria to the dark side. Ryan talks to Serena’s therapist and thinks Serena is doing great. He tells Marielle to apologize to his sister. Marielle doubles down and bans Aria from talking to Serena.
One of the cult members tries to take Marielle out with a ladder and tells her that they won’t let her get in the way of Serena’s (and Aria’s) destiny. Marielle follows them and sees they are camped out in Serena’s cottage.
Aria goes missing, and Marielle freaks out. (It is the night of the rise) Ryan assures her that Serena just took Aria to get Sluprees. Marielle kicks Serena out because she knows something is wrong. Ryan thinks Marielle is overreacting and tells her to calm down and take a bath.
Aria sneaks out of the house while Marielle bathes at her husband’s suggestion. One of the cult members sneaks into the house and hangs a cult symbol on the wall. Marielle screams at Serena for being a weird cult member, and Serena tells Marielle that Aria is in trouble!
The cult member shows up at Aria’s friend’s house and tells her that Marielle is in the hospital. Then, they send Serena the video of Aria getting into their car as blackmail to lure her to the cottage for the rising. They think Aria is special because she has the same bloodline as Serena.
Serena knows they are going to take poison if they call the police; Serena has to convince her cult friends that she wants to rise, too.
The plan doesn’t go well at the cottage, and Serena is not as convincing as she had hoped. The cult friends tie Marielle and Serena up, and everyone starts chanting. They dump poison in Serena’s mouth as Aria watches on, horrified.
Marielle breaks free from her hand ties and grabs a piece of wood to defend herself. Then she grabs the vials to stop the ritual and throws them at the cult friends. Marielle calls the police and gives Serena the antidote as the other cult friends drink the poison.
Aria thinks cults aren’t cool anymore. Ryan apologizes for not believing his wife, and Serena lives happily in the guest house that she remodeled.
Side Note/Stray Thoughts
The red reminded me of Wild, Wild, Country. Or, more specifically, when Mandy Moore threw a birthday party and made everyone dress up in red.
Rib Hillis taking a small role in a Lifetime movie was fun.
Overall rating
Number of Kills: 🔪🔪🔪🔪🔪(5 knives)
Enjoyment Level (1-5 scale)
🍷🍷🍷 (3 Glasses of Wine)
Should you watch it?
Pour it up! (Give it a shot)
Put a Cork in It (Skip It)
What did you think of the movie? Let me know in the comments or on social media @LifetimeUncorked & @patrickmiguel
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*Photo Credit: © 2024 Lifetime® | A+E Networks®
Did you know that Jessica Morris and Rib Hillis tied the knot last year? Yep. Expect to see more of them in Lifetime movies together! Can’t wait! As for this movie, it was a mishmosh of Blair Witch and NXIVM cult and a little OTT with the doomsday cult trope!
Love the hot gossip! Thank you for sharing, Jon M!