IMDb RATING
5.0/10
6.6K
YOUR RATING
On the surface, Philip Markoff appears to be the ideal med student, fiancé and future son-in-law - but there's something seriously wrong with him.On the surface, Philip Markoff appears to be the ideal med student, fiancé and future son-in-law - but there's something seriously wrong with him.On the surface, Philip Markoff appears to be the ideal med student, fiancé and future son-in-law - but there's something seriously wrong with him.
Joshua Close
- Detective Frye
- (as Josh Close)
Trieste Kelly Dunn
- Trisha Leffler
- (as Trieste Dunn)
- Director
- Writers
- All cast & crew
- Production, box office & more at IMDbPro
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There are just so many of these made-for-TV movies produced by the Lifetime Network. Basic movies that try to portray a famous murderer. And I especially use the word "try" because most of these movies are unwatchable.
Many of the elements that the movies of Lifetime Network have in common, can also be found back in this movie: e.g. Too much lighting, inappropriate background music, unstable camera, ...
It is even basic flaws that show how few attention is put towards making the movie period-unique. For instance a med-student wearing a 8,000+ US$ Omega Speedmaster or a police detective wearing a 30,000+ US$ Rolex Daytona... It is details like these, that show the amateurism.
I also had difficulty in positioning all events in a timeline. After watching this movie, I really had no clue about how much time passed between the crimes, the capture and all subsequent events. It is as if all the events took place in a week. This whilst in fact there was a way longer time period in which all events took place.
There is though one thing that favors this movie... There is no alternative movie that tells the story of the Craiglist Killer. And since I find the facts behind this killer so interesting, it compensates partially for the above-mentioned negative elements. I therefore decided to rate it with 4.9 stars (rounded to 5 stars).
I though hope that another production company will make a better movie about this killer.
Many of the elements that the movies of Lifetime Network have in common, can also be found back in this movie: e.g. Too much lighting, inappropriate background music, unstable camera, ...
It is even basic flaws that show how few attention is put towards making the movie period-unique. For instance a med-student wearing a 8,000+ US$ Omega Speedmaster or a police detective wearing a 30,000+ US$ Rolex Daytona... It is details like these, that show the amateurism.
I also had difficulty in positioning all events in a timeline. After watching this movie, I really had no clue about how much time passed between the crimes, the capture and all subsequent events. It is as if all the events took place in a week. This whilst in fact there was a way longer time period in which all events took place.
There is though one thing that favors this movie... There is no alternative movie that tells the story of the Craiglist Killer. And since I find the facts behind this killer so interesting, it compensates partially for the above-mentioned negative elements. I therefore decided to rate it with 4.9 stars (rounded to 5 stars).
I though hope that another production company will make a better movie about this killer.
Like the rest of the world (it was a trending topic on Twitter) I was anxiously awaiting the world premiere of The Craigslist Killer. I'll give it this: for a Lifetime movie, it wasn't half bad. Could it have been better? Yes. At times the acting was bad, the music was cheesy, and it was a bit slow for the first thirty minutes. I was expecting the killing scenes to be a bit more intense than they were, but I guess that's what you get with a woman's network. I think if this had been taken to the big screen and directed by Scorsese it would have been a box office hit. You have to remember that Lifetime is a network directed towards women, so the movies are directed towards women as well (hence all the romance in the beginning.) All in all I'd say it was a decent movie. It wasn't something I would pay money to see, but it was something that filled my time and kept me semi interested.
What a dismal adaption of a real life serial killer. No tension, no examination of the psyche of the killer, all fluff and Lifetime syrup. The actors are wasted in this mess. This story deserves a decent adaptation.
Supposed to be about a real life serial killer it's like watching a cheesy syrup soap opera... Acting is appalling and not one millisecond of suspense without being marred by appalling music cues that make no sense
Absolute crap don't waste your time !!!!!!
In Boston, the bright medical student Philip Markoff (Jake McDorman) is in the top of his class at the Boston University and with a promising future. When he meets the gorgeous Megan McAllister (Agnes Bruckner), they fall in love with each other and move in together to an apartment. Six months later, they travel to New Jersey and Philip proposes to marry her.
However, Philip shows that is also a dysfunctional man that posts in the Craigslist that he loves bondage and travesties and seeks masseuses to submit them to bondage and steals them. When he brutally kills a masseuse from New York that reacts to his attack, Detectives Bennett (William Baldwin) and Frye (Josh Close) track him down and their investigation discover the dark side of promising doctor.
"The Craigslist Killer" is a decent TV movie based on the true story of a man that is a bright student but also a deviant person. The screenplay does not keep the mystery about the behavior of Philip Markoff and just reports his dark story. The romance of Philip and Megan in the beginning is too long, maybe with the intention of explaining her love for him, and there is no explanation for the behavior of Philip. My vote is six.
Title (Brazil): "O Assassino da Internet" ("The Internet Killer")
However, Philip shows that is also a dysfunctional man that posts in the Craigslist that he loves bondage and travesties and seeks masseuses to submit them to bondage and steals them. When he brutally kills a masseuse from New York that reacts to his attack, Detectives Bennett (William Baldwin) and Frye (Josh Close) track him down and their investigation discover the dark side of promising doctor.
"The Craigslist Killer" is a decent TV movie based on the true story of a man that is a bright student but also a deviant person. The screenplay does not keep the mystery about the behavior of Philip Markoff and just reports his dark story. The romance of Philip and Megan in the beginning is too long, maybe with the intention of explaining her love for him, and there is no explanation for the behavior of Philip. My vote is six.
Title (Brazil): "O Assassino da Internet" ("The Internet Killer")
Did you know
- TriviaKevin Kilner, who plays Megan's dad, played Jake McDorman's dad in Greek.
- GoofsPhilip tells the police he's getting married in a month. His wedding was scheduled for August, so it actually would've been about four months away.
- ConnectionsFeatured in Murder Has Two Faces: Good Guys Gone Bad (2025)
- SoundtracksWhere the River Bends
(uncredited)
Performed by Matthew Barber
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- The Craigslist Killer
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