Reviewing a Hat Trick of Villainesses from "Bad Influence"

Tubi continues to come through with their Lifetime-esque movies with one of their latest ones, Bad Influence, which centered on Lily Miller and her widowed mother, Joan Miller, starting a new life in a new town. In the case of Lily, it includes a new school, where she suddenly makes friends with a group of students led by Violet Lawrence, and also consisting of fellow students Derek, Ava, and Peter. As Lily would quickly learn, Violet's group was connected by their fanaticism of Zenith, a book series whose message (according to Violet) stated that she and the others could do anything they wanted without repercussions or doubt.

During one group meeting, Lily bumps into fellow student Amanda Peterson and spills yogurt on her, prompting a very rude response from Amanda. Later that evening, an accident happens after the brake line in a car belonging to Amanda's boyfriend, Jack, is cut. As a result, Jack is killed and Amanda is laid up in the hospital in a coma, though Violet tells Lily that the world is better off without Amanda in it. Lily later meets Violet's mother, Harper, and after being officially part of the group, her attitude with Joan starts to change, and definitely not for the better.

Joan mentions Lily's new friend to her own friend, Diane, who revealed that Violet had a dark past, as did her sister. She adds that the sisters may have been involved in the deaths of her parents, with Joan stating that she met Violet's mother, Harper, only for Diane to state that the woman she met was Violet's sister. After looking into the sisters, Joan attempted to inform Lily, who disbelieved her mother's statements, however, that evening, Violet revealed that she and Harper did murder their parents, as they were verbally and physically abusive towards the girls. She even attempts to manipulate Lily into believing that Joan was the same way and that she should kill her mother, while threatening to harm Lily if she ever told her secret.

The murderous plan was set to take place, but as Violet learned, it was a trap, as the person in Joan's clothes was actually Derek, who took out Violet's pendant and revealed that he got it from Amanda--as it was at the scene of the crash that Violet caused. Joan recorded everything, and it resulted in Violet being arrested, but it didn't end there, as while Derek and Lily were at the station giving their statements, Joan was visited by a woman who introduced herself as Sgt. Anderson, but it was actually Harper Lawrence. Sgt. Jerry Carter informed Joan of Harper's identity, but Joan's attempt to leave was stopped by Harper, who held Joan at gunpoint and planned to kill her out of revenge over her sister's arrest. She ends up fatally shot by Carter, who arrived at the house with Derek and Lily; meanwhile, the final scene showed Violet at a mental institution grooming her fellow inmates.

And now, the three villainesses featured:

Mrs. Lawrence: So the couple that we saw in the very beginning of the film was actually the parents of Violet and Harper Lawrence. The scene was brief, but we learned two things: she worked as a corporate lawyer, and as Violet revealed, she was quite abusive, and Violet definitely had the scar to prove it. The brief opening indicated that they were hiking as a family, but all we see is the parents talk about their professions, which definitely hinted that Mrs. Lawrence clearly valued her profession and status over her two children, who later caused her and her husband's demise.

Mrs. Lawrence was played by Marlaina Andre, whose credits also include appearances on Lost Girl, Good Witch, and The Boys. Check out Mrs. Lawrence's profile on Villainous Beauties Wiki!

Violet Lawrence: Regarding the villainesses that received more screen time, Violet was quite charming and manipulative in the film's first half, but as the second half progresses, we see Violet's insanity increase vastly. She is deeply convinced of her faith and belief in Zenith's message; so much so that she basically runs her group like a cult. Violet also had no problems resorting to murder, and in her confession scene with Lily, she showed that she was willing to harm and kill anyone, even Lily, to make sure that her mission wasn't thwarted. Violet was played by Kayleigh Shikanai, and she truly gave an amazingly chilling performance in the role, especially in the scenes where she was continuously screaming at Lily as she was arrested--truly showed how deranged she was.

This isn't Kayleigh Shikanai's first Lifetime(-esque) film, but this is her first time playing a villainess in such a movie. Shikanai also played main protagonist Natasha Hart in 2019's Homekilling Queen, and she also had a bit role in the Disney Channel film, Z-O-M-B-I-E-S.

Check out Violet Lawrence's profile on Villainous Beauties Wiki!

Harper Lawrence: Without question, the best villainess from this film was Harper Lawrence, who was played wonderfully by Brooke Palsson. We first see Harper posing as Violet's mother, but as the film reveals, Harper is an immensely psychotic villainess, even more so than Violet. Her brief introductory scene was stellar, but of course, Harper shines when she appears in the final parts of the climax to Joan; scenes that see Harper's true sinister colors come to light as she attempts to kill Joan as part of her vengeful plan. In that regard, we see very spectacular acting from Palsson, which includes giving evil glares as Joan learns the truth about Harper's sudden appearance.

This film marks Brooke Palsson's Lifetime(-esque) debut, and it was quite a good one. Palsson has also appeared in episodes of Flashpoint, Rookie Blue, Orphan Black, and the Kids in the Hall revival series.

Check out Harper Lawrence's profile on Villainous Beauties Wiki!

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