'Newlywed And Dead' Shows A Marriage Gone Wrong

When a Lifetime movie is about marriage or dating, things typically don't go very smoothly for our protagonists — and Newlywed and Dead is no exception. Instead of enjoying a tropical honeymoon and writing thank you cards to her wedding guests, the newly married Kristin will quickly need to take on the role of super sleuth after her marriage takes a dark (and murderous) turn. Many of Lifetime's movies are directly based on actual events or inspired by a headline, so is Newlywed and Dead based on a true story? First, let's take a look at the synopsis from Lifetime's official website:

Young newlywed Kristin begins to doubt her husband Jay's love when his aunt and rival is found murdered. Kristin starts to investigate the death, and Jay's checkered past, only to become his next target.

Yikes. The movie definitely sounds creepy, but there's no indication that it's based on a true story. When a Lifetime movie is inspired by real life events, the network typically notes it in the synopsis — so it looks like Newlywed and Dead is pure fiction. But, the subject of a spouse with a murderous side and a checkered past has certainly gotten the cinematic treatment before. Here are four movies that feature dysfunctional, deadly marriages:

A Perfect Murder (1998)

Steven Taylor (Michael Douglas) hits a seriously rough patch when his multi-million dollar empire is on the verge of bankruptcy and he learns that his wife, Emily (Gwyneth Paltrow), is cheating on him. He unwisely decides that the solution to all his problems is to hire Emily's lover to kill her, meaning he'll inherit her massive trust fund. Needless to say, this murder plot is anything but "perfect" and Steven's plan backfires in a major way.

Gaslight (1944)

It's pretty weird for a husband to suggest that he and his new wife move into the home where her beloved aunt was brutally murdered, am I right? Don't worry, Gregory Anton (Charles Boyer) has a good reason — he's the real killer and is still hoping to find the expensive jewels that he was unable to steal on the night of the murder.

Gone Girl (2014)

If there's one couple who will definitely not give you #RelationshipGoals, it's Nick and Amy Dunne (Ben Affleck and Rosamund Pike). When Amy disappears on their fifth wedding anniversary, Nick quickly becomes the prime suspect and the evidence against him is pretty damning. There's one homicidal person in this couple — but it may not be who everyone suspects.

To Die For (1995)

In this dark comedy, Suzanne Stone (Nicole Kidman) ruthlessly pursues her goal of becoming a famous TV personality — and she's willing to trample on anyone and everyone necessary on her path to success. Suzanne's husband (Matt Dillon) wants her to take time off in order to start a family, so she does what any reasonable person would do and hires three teenagers to kill him.

Here's to hoping that Newlywed and Dead's Kristin fares better than other film characters who have said "I do" to killers.

Image: Reel One Entertainment