From Lifetime comes the TV movie Lizzie Borden Took an Ax, a chilling drama about the notorious killer. Christina Ricci stars as Lizzie Borden, a New England socialite who feels oppressed and resentful toward her parents, and when they are brutally murdered she finds herself as the prime suspect. Told as a murder mystery, there are hints at a possible third party committing the murders, or that Lizzie had a psychotic break and was unaware of what she had done. However, the writing can be a little weak at times as the courtroom drama isn't exactly riveting. Yet the costumes and sets are especially well-done and look authentic to the time period. And the soundtrack, which is made up of modern alternative rock, offers an interesting juxtaposition to the visual aesthetic. Lizzie Borden Took an Ax meanders a bit, but overall it's a suspenseful psychological thriller.

I've been a fan of Christina Ricci since The Addams Family, and she was the reason I saw this movie. She's perfect in the role of a campy evil character. Her acting was as good and as fun to watch as ever. She does a great job playing the title character as a cunning sociopath. How much that resembles the real historical Lizzie Borden is more than I can say, but I would not mistake this movie as a documentary. As a period drama, this movie looks very good. Though it's a little slow, I was never bored.I would suggesting reading the overview of the historical murder in Wikipedia to help separate fact from fiction. In many ways this is an interesting dramatization, but it does embellish the story. The one thing I didn't like about this movie was the really obnoxious, bizarrely anachronistic country rock sound track. Listening to too-loud twangy rock while watching characters go about their business in an 1892 period drama was just so weird. At times I thought they were using that music to try to appeal to a teenage audience, and at times I thought they were using it to try to make Lizzie Borden seem like a modern sociopathic murderer, a century ahead of her time. I would have preferred period music as faithful as the costumes and set design, which were well done. If you like Christina Ricci, and you like period dramas, see it!

Well done movie. Only almost fatal blow (pun intended) is the music soundtrack and a bad sound mix on the film. On DVD.

Very creative way to retell an American classic

In my opinion, Christina Ricci is what you call an actress. You cant say that about alot of the others out there. I would love to write for movies. When writing stories I always think that 'talent' wise, when imagining females for a role, Ricci is up there with the tops. Many of her movies grab the attention of critics etc because of the 'acting', not a lip or a boob job. Ricci has never been better than in 'Lizzie Borden'. She will always be known as the girl who played in 'Casper' and Tuesday Adams from 'The Addams Family'. She will be that pale little gothic girl with the dark hair and the great big eyes. Movies like 'Black Snake Moan' and especially 'Monster' later grabbed people's attention and critics whailed over the latter. For many, maybe those two movies were too much. They were at times graphic and made you look away. Here Ricci plays a dark character like the ones in her past, only this time she is elegant and old fashionedly dressed. Ricci has never looked better than in this role. She's simply adorable. I did always picture in my mind a Lizzie Borden movie as being black and white. I think it would stay closer to the sinister images we all know and it would keep that old creepy feel of it alive. The murders in this one are sinister enough. They make you whince like the murder photos do. Its just thats its all in digital color and it slaps you with it fast. The people certainly act well and dress the part---the family, the girls, the father, etc. Modern technology just makes it seem like state of the art tech trying to look old. What movie doesn't do that today? Texas Chainsaw fell victim to the same treatment---the new trying to look old. The old version had that old, gritty, sweaty, slimy, stinky feel. The new version had this state of the art, digital look trying to show old images, like murderous houses. As for those who dont like this Borden movie, who could possibly be a better choice for Lizzie than Miss Ricci? Look at her dark/gothic career choices, plus the fact she's just adorable here. It makes it seem like "Who would do such a ghastly thing? Couldnt be little old me." In that light, she's excellent. Maybe someone like Kathy Bates would be a better fit. When you look at Borden's portrait photos and given Bates' talented movie roles, Kathy would make an excellent Borden. However, her current age may be too old for the part of young Lizzie living in a house with parents, and wouldnt we have Stephen King's Misery all over again? Cheers to Ricci and the others for what I thought was a marvelous job given todays technology. You've never been better. This is my favorite Ricci movie and am glad to have it in my hands. Fans would do well to snatch this one up quickly. For the stiff Borden buffs, what other versions do we have to go by? There's a rare 1970's Samantha from Bewitched version of Lizzie floating around on VHS somewhere that I can never locate. I'll believe it when I have it in my hands. If you're just a curious horror renter, check it out. Its quite good. It beats the hell out of the thousand takes on 'the haunting of this' or 'the paranormal of that'. And it's certainly better than 'this', part twelve.

Entrete la historia...

Christina Ricci isn't homely enough to really be that believable as Lizzie Borden. It's a good pretrial of the story regardless.

I have always had an interest in this story. The film was good, but the music was not of that time period.

Good thriller! Good Christina Ricci!

Not terrible except for the fact it make Lizzie Borden look like an rebellious teenager. Definitely better than most Lifetime movies. Wasn't a fan of the modern music choices.

I actually thought this was a pretty good film. The acting was wonderful and though the music didn't necessarily fit the time period, I felt it did fit the film itself.

I've always heard about Lizzie Borden but never knew all the details. The same to give a pretty good idea of what happened with the slight modern-day twist, despite the crime dating back to 1892. Christina Ricci and Clea Duvall definitely made this a little bit more interesting. Almost didn't recognize Clea.

I had a lot of fun with this one. Christina Ricci is absolutely perfect as Lizzie Borden. She was extremely well casted and brought a chilling performance to the role. The directing and cinematography are surprisingly really good for a Lifetime movie. The scene that stuck out in my mind the most was when Lizzie commits the murders and you see her backside and blood is splattering everywhere. I thought it was a really well constructed and filmed scene and was just the right amount of violent and bloody. Also, I thought the court trial part was an interesting part to include in the film but it was a benefit to it. It's not a perfect film but I had some real fun with it.

It isn't often that I get excited about a TV movie, however twice Lifetime has tickled my fancy with redo's of cult classics. The other film that peaked my pleasure points was the redo of VC Andrew's "Flowers In The Attic". However "Lizzie Borden Took An Ax" amped up my excitement to levels normally reserved for Indie horror films set to release. In this version of the most infamous American female murderess Christina Ricci took on the iconic persona of Lizzie Borden. The story is something that cannot change with the Borden murders but most of what we know about Lizzie herself comes from those few statements and descriptions from her friends and family. Lizzie told us very little of herself in her own words. Lifetime does a very good summarization of Lizzie Borden's character and the events around one of the most well known murder cases in American history. The story: On a scorching, hot summer day in 1892 in Fall River, Massachusetts, Lizzie Borden returns home to the house she shares with her father Andrew, stepmother Abby and sister Emma. But, unlike any normal day, Lizzie encounters the bloody scene of her parents violently murdered. Police quickly question multiple suspects in town, but evidence keeps pointing back to the Borden's youngest daughter Lizzie, the seemingly wholesome Sunday school teacher, as the prime suspect. Lizzie's lawyer, Andrew Jennings, proclaims her innocence arguing that it is inconceivable a woman could commit the heinous crime of brutally murdering her family with an ax. Or is it? Lizzie is put on trial for the murders, both in the courtroom and in the press, sparking a widespread debate about her culpability. As the case rages on, the courtroom proceedings fuel an enormous amount of sensationalized stories and headlines in newspapers throughout the country, forever leaving Lizzie Borden's name in infamy.My thoughts: First off, forget even trying to compare this film with the classic Elizabeth Montgomery movie "The Legend Of Lizzie Borden" because there is nothing there that can compare other than, maybe the stylized interpretations of the facts themselves. Montgomery gives a fab performance that does a good job of separating her portrayal here from her very famous persona on 'Bewitched'. With equal respect Christina Ricci does a great job of creating a very emotionally charged, yet sociopathic-driven portrayal of Borden that brings more life to Lizzie Borden than I anticipated or even expected. It has been common belief that it was more than just selfish desire that drove Lizzie Borden to kill. She carried with her a dark passenger that created a sinister, cold, disconnected aspect to Lizzie Borden that was probably an unmentioned issue from early in her childhood. Ricci gives us that in calm, calculated edified gesture. The stories atmosphere is a Gothic blend of surrealism and psychological narrative wrapped around early Americana and polished off with modern folky, indie rock sounds that are as dark as the story and characters within it. It gives "Lizzie Borden Took An Ax" a modern, fresh energy that excites the viewer. Now there are still down moments within the film that create momentary lulls, but nothing that causes the movie to completely stall. Bonus aspect that really makes this movie watchable is the visionary, creative way the director chose to tell the story balancing between stoic character interactions, and shocking, visceral moments of brutality that are honest to the murder scene's "truth". This movie definitely delivered on giving me a great Lizzie Borden film. A definite watch!

Lizzie Borden took an ax is missing some heart but manages to be an entertaining court room thriller.