Plot Explained Spoilers guaranteed!
Plot Explained

Browse by genre

Women Who Kill (2013) movie poster

Plot Summary

Women Who Kill (2013) Plot Summary Explained

Release, runtime and language
2013 · 72 mins · English
Loading streaming availability…
Directed by
Manny Rodriguez
Starring
Amy Schumer, Nikki Glaser, Marina Franklin, Rachel Feinstein

Four talented and close-friend comediennes—Amy Schumer, Rachel Feinstein, Nikki Glaser, and Marina Franklin—share a hilarious night out in New York City. This special event showcases their sharp wit and comedic talents, delivering a blend of killer comedy and relatable humor. Expect a laugh-filled evening as these women share their perspectives and connect with the audience through observational comedy and playful banter.

On this page (5)
  1. 1 Where to watch
  2. 2 What happens: full plot
  3. 3 Plot questions answered
  4. 4 Movie threads
  5. 5 Every angle
Loading streaming availability…

Full plot summary · contains spoilers

What Happens in Women Who Kill: Full Plot Summary

The whole story of Women Who Kill (2013) explained, from the opening scene to the final frame: every key event, every twist and what it all adds up to. Read it as a quick recap before the sequel, to check a scene you missed, or to finally understand what really happened.

Morgan and Jean, exes who are local icons for their popular true crime podcast about female killers, continue to live and work together even after their breakup (as themselves, Amy Schumer and Nikki Glaser).

While volunteering at a food co-op, Morgan meets Simone, a mysterious dark-haired woman who gives her a number. Morgan begins dating Simone, drawn by a magnetism that feels both exhilarating and dangerous. Not long after, the lead organizer of the co-op, Grace, is found dead, and Simone is one of the last people seen with her. Jean, always wary of Simone, starts digging into Simone’s past and uncovers that Simone’s real name is Allison Walker. When she shares this with Morgan and plays back an old podcast interview that features a serial killer, Josephine “The Clipper” Walker, the seeds of doubt take root.

At first, Morgan resists Jean’s suspicions, but fear quietly chips away at her certainty. Unsettling incidents accumulate: Morgan wakes to the sound of a fire alarm Simone triggers in the kitchen, later finding a burnt fragment of a passport photo. A tense late-night scene reveals Simone in an anxious state, clipping her nails aggressively and even attempting to clip Morgan’s nails. The next day, Morgan reports these oddities to Jean, who intensifies her research and becomes convinced that Simone is more dangerous than Morgan realized.

The tension intensifies at a best friend’s bachelorette party when Morgan looks after Alex, who is deeply intoxicated. Simone spends the night at Kim’s bachelorette party, while Morgan discovers a mysterious box in Simone’s home. Inside are an elaborate nail grooming kit and boxes filled with nail clippings bearing the names of six girls killed by “The Clipper.” The discovery sends Morgan into a panic, and she returns to Jean’s apartment to share what she found. The following morning, Kim arrives with alarming news: Alex is missing. The fear of a murder plot tightens its grip.

The two women decide to stalk Simone, hoping she will lead them to Alex’s body. Instead, they stumble upon Alex herself—shockingly alive. Alex accuses the pair of orchestrating a story to justify spending time together, given their unresolved feelings for one another. Morgan and Jean deny the accusation, but the tension between them remains unresolved as they drift apart again.

Later, Morgan visits Jean, only to learn that Jean’s new boyfriend has found out about their stakeout and asks what happened at the co-op. At the co-op, Morgan discovers an unconscious Jean. Simone claims she fell, but Morgan misreads the situation and, in a moment of fear, grabs a knife from the nail kit to defend herself. Simone asks, “What if I told you I did kill those people?” and presses Morgan to choose a path toward a life together. She reaches for Morgan in a hopeful embrace, but tragedy strikes: she accidentally impales herself on Morgan’s knife. Jean stirs and witnesses that Simone was not the killer; it was a misperception that tipped the scales.

Leaving the co-op, Morgan encounters another member and explains the blood-soaked sweater by saying she “hurt some people.” As Morgan walks away, the podcast between Morgan and Jean—now a clash over whether the killings could be self-defense—plays in the background. They decide to poll their listeners, inviting feedback on whether the act was justified.

The film closes with a pointed meditation on the lives behind the microphones: Morgan and Jean spend their days dissecting others’ horrific acts, yet the story quietly questions how detached they can be from the real people who bear the consequences of their storytelling. The final moments suggest that, for all their obsession with crime and motive, they may be overlooking how the subjects of their podcast truly feel. The line between truth and entertainment blurs, leaving viewers to consider the ethical cost of profit from real-life tragedy.

Last updated: November 22, 2025 at 15:57

Was this helpful?

Plot questions answered

Women Who Kill Plot Explained: Your Questions Answered

The questions people ask most about Women Who Kill (2013): what happens in the confusing scenes, why the characters do what they do, the twists, hidden details and what the ending means. Each answer contains spoilers.

Q1

Why does Jean suspect Simone is a killer?

Jean becomes suspicious of Simone after Grace, the lead organizer at the food co-op, is found dead with Simone being one of the last people seen with her. Jean then investigates Simone's background and discovers her real name is Allison Walker, which triggers further suspicion when combined with Simone's increasingly odd behavior like the fire alarm incident and obsessive nail clipping.

Foreshadowing: Jean mentions early on that she recognizes Simone's name sounds familiar, planting the seed for the later revelation.

  • jean's suspicions
  • grace's death
  • simone walker
  • food co-op
Q2

What is the connection between Simone and Josephine The Clipper?

Simone's real name is Allison Walker, making her the daughter of Josephine 'The Clipper' Walker, a notorious serial killer featured on Morgan and Jean's podcast. This family connection explains why Jean becomes so paranoid - she believes Simone may have inherited her mother's killer instincts, though this assumption proves to be incorrect.

Foreshadowing: Jean plays an old podcast interview where Josephine expresses remorse for harming her daughter Ally, hinting at the parent-child relationship.

  • allison walker
  • josephine the clipper
  • serial killer daughter
  • family connection
Q3

Why does Morgan ignore Jean's warnings about Simone?

Morgan initially dismisses Jean's suspicions because she is genuinely attracted to Simone and wants the relationship to work. Additionally, Morgan resents Jean's interference in her personal life after their breakup, making her resistant to accept Jean's conclusions about Simone.

Foreshadowing: The tension between Morgan and Jean from their recent breakup creates friction that makes Morgan defensive about her new relationship.

  • morgan and jean
  • relationship tension
  • dating simone
  • breakup dynamics
Q4

What are the nail clippings found in Simone's box?

Morgan discovers a mysterious box containing a nail grooming kit and boxes of nail clippings with the names of six girls who were murdered by Josephine 'The Clipper' Walker. These belonged to Simone's mother, not Simone herself, serving as a chilling piece of evidence that Morgan mistakenly uses to confirm her suspicions.

Foreshadowing: Simone's obsessive nail clipping behavior throughout the film takes on new meaning when the box is discovered.

  • nail clippings
  • six names
  • the clipper
  • evidence box
Q5

What happened to Alex after the bachelorette party?

After Kim reports that Alex is missing the morning after the bachelorette party, Morgan and Jean stalk Simone thinking she may have killed Alex. However, they discover Alex alive and well - she accuses them of inventing a story to justify spending time together due to their unresolved romantic feelings for each other.

Foreshadowing: The sudden disappearance creates a false climax that leads Morgan and Jean to reconcile temporarily.

  • alex missing
  • bachelorette party
  • fake-out
  • kim
Q6

How does Simone die at the co-op?

During the confrontation at the co-op, Morgan grabs a knife from the nail kit out of fear when she finds Jean unconscious. Simone asks Morgan to choose a path toward a life together and reaches for her in an embrace, but in the chaos, Simone accidentally impales herself on Morgan's knife.

Foreshadowing: The tense scene with Jean unconscious and Simone's ambiguous actions creates the fatal misunderstanding.

  • simone dies
  • co-op confrontation
  • knife
  • accident
Q7

Was Morgan's action at the co-op self-defense?

The film deliberately leaves this ambiguous. Morgan initially grabbed the knife believing Simone was dangerous after finding Jean unconscious. However, Jean wakes up to witness that Simone was actually reaching for her in a hopeful embrace, not attacking. The final podcast debate between Morgan and Jean about whether the act was justified reflects this moral uncertainty.

Foreshadowing: Jean witnessing Simone's innocent final moments challenges the self-defense narrative.

  • self-defense
  • justified
  • moral ambiguity
  • podcast debate
Q8

Why does Jean become unconscious at the co-op?

Jean becomes unconscious at the co-op after going there with Simone, who claims Jean simply fell. The exact cause is left ambiguous - it could have been an accident, Simone's nervousness causing a situation, or something more sinister that never materialized.

Foreshadowing: Morgan's discovery of Jean unconscious is what triggers the final deadly confrontation.

  • jean unconscious
  • co-op
  • fall
  • simone
Q9

Did Simone actually kill anyone?

No, Simone is revealed to be innocent of all murders. The nail clippings belonged to her mother Josephine The Clipper. Simone's odd behaviors like the fire alarm and nail clipping were just anxious quirks, not signs of a killer. Her death is a tragic accident born from Morgan's misplaced fear and misunderstanding.

Foreshadowing: Jean begins doubting her own theory that Simone is the killer just before the tragic end.

  • simone innocent
  • the clipper
  • mother daughter
  • not a killer
Q10

What is the moral of the film regarding the podcast?

The ending critiques Morgan and Jean's true crime podcasting as detached from real consequences. While they spend their days analyzing others' crimes for entertainment and profit, the film shows they misjudged an innocent person and caused a death. The final podcast debate about whether Morgan's actions were justified further highlights how they monetize tragedy without fully grappling with its real-world impact.

Foreshadowing: The entire film uses their podcast as both a plot device and a lens for examining their relationship to violence.

  • true crime podcast
  • moral message
  • detachment
  • consequences
  • ending interpretation

Movie threads

More Movies Like Women Who Kill, by Mood & Story

Curated lists built around what makes Women Who Kill tick: the same mood, the same kind of story or the same emotional payoff. Each list explains why these movies belong together.

Movies where an obsession becomes real like Women Who Kill

When a character's passion project becomes a terrifying reality. For viewers who liked the premise of Women Who Kill, this collection features films where a character's hobby or work—similar to true crime podcasting—spirals out of control and invades their personal world. Discover similar dark comedies and thrillers about dangerous obsessions and the paranoia they create.

  • paranoid
  • unsettling
  • suspenseful
  • ironic
  • anxious
  • reflective
  • Tone: dark, unsettling, ironic
  • Pacing: steady, character-driven
Why these movies?

The story pattern: Stories in this thread typically follow a protagonist deeply invested in a specific interest. Their expertise or fascination, however, starts to distort their perception of the people and events around them. The central conflict arises from this blurring of boundaries, often leading to a crisis where the imagined threat and the real one become indistinguishable.

Why they belong together: These films are grouped together because they share a core narrative engine: a character's intellectual or professional pursuit creating tangible, personal danger. They explore themes of paranoia, the ethics of storytelling, and the consequences of letting an obsession consume one's life.

Movies with tense co-dependent relationships like in Women Who Kill

Stories of ex-partners or friends bound together by mutual suspicion. If you liked the dynamic between the ex-partners in Women Who Kill, this list features other films built around unhealthy, co-dependent relationships. Explore stories where characters are trapped in a cycle of shared paranoia and suspicion, leading to morally complex and bittersweet conclusions.

  • unsettling
  • anxious
  • reflective
  • co-dependent
  • toxic
  • morally ambiguous
  • Tone: dark, tense, bittersweet
  • Pacing: steady
Why these movies?

The story pattern: The narrative pattern here revolves around two or more characters whose connection is rooted in a shared, negative worldview—often suspicion or fear. Their relationship is a source of both comfort and conflict, as they enable each other's worst instincts. The plot typically forces them to confront whether their bond is a lifeline or a trap.

Why they belong together: These movies are united by their focus on relationships defined by paranoia and co-dependency. The emotional core is the tense, often ironic interplay between characters who are simultaneously each other's biggest support and greatest liability, set against a backdrop of external or internal threats.

Every angle

Women Who Kill (2013) Explained: Plot, Timeline & Characters

Everything about Women Who Kill in one place: what happens in the plot summary, the timeline in chronological order, the characters and meaning and a spoiler-free summary. What's After the Movie adds the cast, box office and post-credit scenes.

Coming soon on iOS and Android

The Plot Explained Movie Summary App

Plot summaries, endings explained and timelines on your phone. Catch up on any movie in minutes, save your favorites and never miss a twist again.

Be the first to know when we launch. Your email stays private, always.

Learn more about the app