A Serial Killer’s Guide to Life

Set in contemporary Britain, the story situates itself amid a culture saturated with self-help gurus and online buzz. The narrative unfolds through organized seminars, private retreats, and media chatter, underscoring how therapy culture can blur ethical boundaries. The modern setting amplifies the thriller's satire of personal development fads and the violence they conceal.

The film unfolds across a string of self-help settings that isolate the protagonist. It begins at a caravan park where Lou meets Val and begins a journey into guru-led experiments, then moves through a wilderness retreat, a large house hosting a 'sonic vibration' retreat, and a series of therapy workshops. Each location doubles as a microcosm of manipulation where the promise of discovery uncovers dangerous truths. The final leg lands at Chuck Knoah's estate, tying the rooms of personal transformation to a grim confrontation.

✨ Self-Help

The film scrutinizes the seductive pull of self-improvement cultures, showing how gurus use charm and promises of transformation to recruit and control followers. Lou's longing for validation makes her vulnerable to manipulation by Val and other instructors. The narrative exposes the gap between glossy promises and harmful real-world consequences.

⚖️ Manipulation

Val Stone embodies charismatic manipulation, steering Lou into increasingly dangerous tasks under the guise of personal growth. The retreats operate like pressure chambers where decisions blur ethics and loyalty shifts with each new claim of progress. The story highlights the power dynamics between mentor and student.

🗡️ Violence

The plot escalates through a string of murders conducted in the name of healing. Each killing is framed as part of a tutored journey, revealing the thin line between therapeutic ritual and criminal act. The violence acts as a counterweight to the self-help myth, forcing characters to confront consequences.

🫂 Identity

Lou's evolving sense of self clashes with her mother's control and with Val's seductive ideology. The film probes how identity can be reconstructed—but at a perilous cost—when vulnerability is weaponized. The finale pivots on reclaimed agency, even as memories blur with fiction.