'Killer Contractor' May Be Lifetime's Most Ridiculous Movie Yet

Lifetime loves to one-up itself, but its new movie, Killer Contractor, seems like a true exercise in absurdity. Unlike the College Admissions Scandal that aired on the network Saturday night, Killer Contractor doesn't appear to be based on a true story — mostly because its plot is too far-fetched to even try to buy into. But if you're looking for a juicy Sunday night soap, that's kind of the appeal, right?

Directed by John Murlowski, a Lifetime veteran who also helmed such gems as Deadly Inn and Fatal Defense, Killer Contractor tells the story of single mom Kerry (Alyshia Ochse), who returns to her hometown after receiving news that her estranged father has died. She and her daughter, Ella, initially only come for the funeral, but after Ella falls in love with the town, the two decide to stay. Kerry then hires an old classmate-turned-contractor, Mike Dean (Zac Titus) to fix up her old house. However, as the trailer shows, the more "fixing" that Mike does on his childhood crush's house, the more things start to go wrong.

First, the floor gives way and Kerry falls through the ceiling. Then, a moving ceiling fan falls onto Ella's better. Later, there even appears to be some sort of fire. All the while, people around town warn Kerry about Mike (a classic Lifetime red flag), and he becomes increasingly unhinged. "Those your dad's things?" he asks Kerry. "Did he tuck you in and kiss you at night?"

However, Mike seems to be more interested in driving Kerry out the house than in Kerry herself. Elsewhere in the trailer, he's seen talking to an older woman — presumably his mother, judging by the familiarity and forcefulness with which she speaks to him — who insists that the house will "give [them] the respect that they deserve." It's unclear why the house is viewed as such a "pillar of the community," as a surveyor describes it, but to Mike's mom, it's apparently the ultimate symbol of status.

Because of this, Mike seems hell-bent on getting rid of anyone who might get in the way of him taking over the property. The trailer shows a hooded figure likely to be Mike hitting one of Kerry's friends with a hammer, as well as setting up a deadly accident for a woman interested in buying the house once renovations are complete.

To make matters worse, Kerry even begins to suspect that Mike was behind the death of her father, which seems increasingly suspicious the more the authorities investigate it. Chances are, Mike was involved in her dad's death — and now, Kerry and her daughter are next.

Killer Contractor's entire plot is ridiculous, even by Lifetime standards. (seriously, what is it about this house? Can't Mike and his mom just put an offer on it?). But at the very least, it's an interesting spin on the whole woman-with-a-stalker story that's by now well-trod territory for the network. You'll have to watch to find out if Mike succeeds in his plan (or if he really is just in love with Kerry), but the bad guy rarely makes it out of a Lifetime movie. For Kerry's sake, hopefully the house will at least remain standing.