Murder at the Lighthouse (2025 Lifetime Movie)
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Cast: Skye Coyne, Mark Justice, Tyler Noble, Brandon Brooks
Director: Eric D. Howell
Writer(s): Shawn Riopelle
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DonateDonate monthlyDonate yearlySynopsis (via Lifetime)
Fleeing her abusive ex, Jess hires a fishing boat captain to take her across Lake Superior to a new life in Canada. When an accident leaves her washed up on shore, she’s taken in by a reclusive lighthouse keeper. As Jess is nursed back to health, she realizes she’s wandered into another trap altogether. Skye Coyne, Shelli Manzoline, Mark Justice star (2025).
Recap/Wine Thoughts
The movie begins with Lifetime Legend Skye Coyne in the middle of a tense phone call with her mother. She plays an abused wife named Jess on the run from her husband. Jess leaves her car and wedding ring behind and jumps on a boat on a stormy night. Rory, a nice guy, we hope, drives to the boat and tries to get ahead of the storm. His brother is doubtful, but Rory presses on.
The abusive cop husband, Colton, isn’t far behind and follows Jesse’s trail. It leads Colton to Rory’s bother, and he accuses him of helping Jess getaway. After the brother refuses to help, Colton strangles him with a rope and kills him. Jess and Rory are in some REAL danger here!
Adeline is a woman living on a remote island. Her only companion is a goldfish. During the storm, the sheriff visits to make sure she is okay.
The day after the storm, Adeline finds Jess stranded on the beach from a shipwreck. Rory is nowhere to be seen. Adeline smartly uses a fishing net to drag Jess back to her apartment and administer first aid and hypothermia prevention measures.
When Jess wakes up, she is confused and disoriented. Adeline brings tea and chowder for Jess and tells her to rest and recover. Jess is not used to the kindness of strangers. When she asks for a phone or a newspaper, Adeline shares that she is cut off from the outside world and advises Jess to rest and heal.
Jess doesn’t feel she can stay stagnant for too long because she knows Colton will find her. However, she gains her strength and bonds with Adeline over the next few days. Colton asks locals if they have seen Jess, and he is closing in.
Adeline shows Jess the lighthouse he maintains on the island, and it feels like a fresh start for Jess. Jess dreams of moving her mother there and getting a fresh start for them both. That dream is short-lived because Colton stops by the cabin looking for Jess. Adeline sends him on his way and tells him she hasn’t seen anyone. (It is a suspenseful scene.)
Jess is worried about Colton finding her and shares how he slowly turned into a manipulative and abusive husband. He isolated her from her friends, family, and co-workers. Jess feels like she can’t get away from him. Adeline advises Jess that sometimes it is better to run, but sometimes it is better to fight.
When they spot Colton lurking in the woods, Adeline grabs a sphere shooting thingy to protect themselves. Colton is an intruder on Adeline’s property, and they have a right to defend themselves. Jess confronts Colton, and he tries to manipulate her into not trusting her new friend.
Colton blames Jess for killing Rory, and when Adeline makes her move to stop him from running his mouth, Colton strangles her. Jess knocks Colton unconscious and rushes to get a rope to tie him up. Adeline bashes him in the head and kills him, claiming Colton was trying to get up. They did what they had to do!
They plot how to cover up the murder, drag his body out of the lake, and strip him of ID or any evidence that will come back to them. There is nothing to link Adeline to Colton. They have to stick together to cover up their crime. Jess is very rattled by the whole thing, but Adeline is calm and composed. She has been through an abusive relationship before.
When Jess tells Adeline that she still wants to leave, it seems like it hurts Adeline’s feelings, but she agrees to help her make the trek across the Canadian border. The town Sherrif is looking for Colton, but Adeline denies seeing anyone. The sheriff is suspicious.
While home alone, Jess looks through Adeline’s things and tries to make sense of her past. Jess finds a wedding ring, torn photos, and a cell phone. What is Adeline hiding? Jess tries to talk to Adeline about her past, but Adeline is vague and evasive.
Jess gets Adeline drunk and unlocks the cell phone with her fingerprint. She frantically searches for a cell signal before Adeline wakes up and, of course, is caught. Adeline accuses Jess of betraying her trust. Jess tries to explain that she needs to call her mother, and she begins to feel like she is a captive. Adeline won’t let Jess leave until she is ready. The sheriff interrupts their disagreement, and Jess hides.
When the coast is clear, Jess packs her things and makes a run for it. Adeline shouts after Jess, and when Jess doesn’t stop, Adeline knocks Jess out with a shovel and chains her to the bed. Adeline explains that she did it for Jess’s own good, to give her time to accept that they are meant to save one another.
Jess goes on a hunger strike and begs Adeline to let her go. Adeline takes Jess’s money and keeps her locked up, but they go out on the porch for fresh air. Jess holds a shard from a shattered bowl in her medical boot and waits for the right time to make her move. Jess asks Adeline how her husband died, and Adeline shows Jess the scar on her neck. It is the perfect time to strike, but Jess doesn’t take her chance. Adeline grabs the shard from Jess’s boot and promises she will make Jess choose to stay.
Realizing she has gone from one abusive relationship to another, Jess screams for help. That gets her thrown into a barn to keep her screams from being heard.
While in the barn, Jess tries to devise a plan to free herself and finds Adeline’s husband’s things wrapped up in a tarp. She is more interested in the glass of a picture frame that is thin enough to fit through the barn slats, and she opens the wooden bar, locking her in.
When Adeline comes to check on her at night, Jess locks Adeline in the barn and goes to get help. Jess fires flares for help and thinks she is saved when a car pulls up. Too bad Adeline frees herself from the barn and ties Jess up to keep her quiet while she gets rid of the sheriff.
Jess manages to pull down the goldfish tank and make a sound for the sheriff to help her. He finds Jess but is shot in the back by Adeline. Jess hobbles to the beach, followed by Adeline. They shout at one another and ultimately fight to the death. Jess apologizes for killing Adeline.
The police arrive, and Jess calls her mother to let her know she is okay.
Stray Thoughts
It is a fast-paced thriller with compelling performances.
Small cast with a high body count.
National Domestic Violence Hotline
Languages: English, Spanish and 200+ through interpretation service
Hours: 24/7
Call 1-800-799-SAFE (7233)
Text 741741 in the U.S. and Canada.
Overall rating
Number of Kills: 🔪🔪🔪🔪🔪 (5 knives)
Lifetime Tropes: Domestic Abuse, Secrets, Revenge, being held captive
Enjoyment Level (1-5 scale)
🍷🍷🍷🍷🍷 (5 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 at @LifetimeUncorked and @patrickmiguel.
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*Photo Credit: © 2025 A&E Television Networks, LLC
Let me know what you thought of the movie in the comments below or @lifetimeuncorked
Put a cork in it!!!
This was Skye Coyne’s best performance yet on Lifetime! And really appreciated that they put DV resources at the end. Not many Lifetime movies that touch on this subject do that.
Skye is great! I need to get her on the pod.
Well that was dark. Very atmospheric.
Wow, this was way better than I expected. I kept looking at the time and wondering how in the world will this end. This was low budget Misery. It was on the higher end of LIfetime movies for me.