Samantha "Sammy" Crain (Lauren Swickard) is the main villainess from the 2020 Lifetime film, The Twisted Twin (alternately titled, Killer Twin; airdate May 16, 2020).
Backstory[]
Sammy Crain's backstory revealed that she and her twin sister, Tess (the film's main protagonist; also played by Swickard), were abandoned by their mother, Georgia Highsmith, at birth, with both of them put up for adoption. However, the twins were taken in by separate families; Patricia Houston took in Tess and had no idea that she was a twin, while wealthy couple Kim and Mitch Crain took in Sammy while intentionally passing on taking both twins. Sammy acted out as a teenager, though it was later revealed that she was on the receiving end of physical abuse from her adoptive parents.
Days before the film's events, Sammy was informed by Mitch that she would be out of the house once she turned 18, and regarding Sammy's demand for money, she was told that she would be financially cut off with the exception of $1,000. In response, Sammy colluded with her boyfriend, Damon, to have her parents killed, sending Damon to stab both parents to death in the film's opening.
Events[]
Sammy posing as Tess Houston
After stealing money and a collection of diamonds following the murders, Sammy found Tess Houston after an online search, and later showed up at Tess' school and introduced herself to Tess as her long-lost twin sister. Tess expressed elation over having a sister, after which Sammy took Tess to her house and told her to hang around for a few days, with Tess unaware that Damon was hiding out as part of Sammy's plan to kill Tess, only for Damon to escape once Helena (the Crain family's housekeeper) returned home.
All the while, Sammy began her plan to pose as Tess, which started with answering Patricia's call as her before leaving school with her twin's mother. After Kim and Mitch's bodies were discovered, Tess ended up interviewed by Detectives Moreno and Fisher, who referred to Tess as Sammy before being corrected. However, Tess ended up being taken into custody after the detectives phoned Patricia, who informed them that Tess was with her, leading the pair to believe that Tess was actually Sammy. Meanwhile, Sammy continued posing as Tess and cruelly rejected Lucas (Tess' ex-boyfriend) when he came to the house in an attempt to make up with her, and was later visited by Damon, which saw the villainess reveal herself as the mastermind behind her parents' murders, as well as lash out at Damon for failing to kill Tess. During Tess' interrogation, she learned about Sammy's fight with her parents, and the revelation that she was cut out of their will, revealing Sammy's motive.
The interrogation also saw Tess reveal that she and Sammy were twin sisters, after which the detectives visited Patricia and "Tess" and repeated what "Sammy" informed them, with Sammy feigning shock over finding out that she was a twin. However, Patricia learned that Tess' grade in Spanish was improving and informed her impostor daughter, as Patricia knew that Tess was a C student. Sammy lashed out at Patricia for invading her privacy, and later that evening, Sammy took a vial of ketamine and drove Patricia's car for a meeting with Damon. The pair discussed their plan to escape to Mexico with the diamonds and money, but at that moment, the evil Sammy injected a fatal dose of the aforementioned drug into Damon, while scolding him for screwing up their plan to have Tess killed and dismissing Damon's love for her, telling him to "get over it."
Climax[]
Sammy pointing a gun at Patricia
Sammy staged Damon's murder as a suicide by hanging, and portrayed him as the sole killer of Sammy's adoptive parents. The film's climax saw Tess escape from a hospital (following her collapse over facing charges for her evil sister's crime) and return to her home, where she encountered Lucas, who thought she was Sammy until Tess revealed details about Lucas that only she knew. As Lucas revealed to Tess, Sammy went to Tess' grandmother's place with Patricia, and after arriving, Sammy was spotted by Patricia taking possession of a gun, which belonged to Patricia's father. After finding the money and diamonds, Sammy appeared and held Patricia at gunpoint.
The villainess ordered Patricia to drop the money and diamonds, and let her escape, only for Patricia to refuse, after which Tess entered and tackled Sammy. Once the sisters were alone, Tess asked Sammy if she even cared about having a sister, only for Sammy to state that she once did, but her anger subsided any familial feelings. In addition, Sammy irrationally claimed that the only reason why the Crains didn't take Tess was because she was crying and Sammy was asleep, and things would have turned out better for Sammy if she was the one crying, adding that she went on to be on the receiving end of abuse from her parents as a child. The deranged villainess later pointed her gun at Tess, who informed Sammy that she didn't have it in her to kill her, which was followed by Patricia knocking out Sammy.
Aftermath[]
Sammy being visited by Tess in prison
Sammy was later tied up and pleading for Tess and Patricia to let her go, adding that the former promised her that she would be allowed to leave. In response, Tess informed her evil sister that she could have had a good life if she allowed Tess and Patricia to welcome her after introducing herself to Tess, only to refuse to do so.
Sammy was arrested and convicted of her crimes, and the final scenes showed Tess visiting her in prison just 10 months later, while telling her "Happy Birthday," as the girls turned 18. Tess informed Sammy that she attempted to plead for leniency for her, with Sammy dismissing Tess' genial statement. However, just as Tess was about to leave, Sammy asked her sister to stay with her for a while, with Tess acquiescing.
Victims[]
- Mitch Crain (stabbed by Damon under Sammy's orders)
- Kim Crain (stabbed by Damon under Sammy's orders)
- Damon (lethal dose of ketamine; staged as suicide)
- Patricia Houston (knocked over by a fireplace poker, hurt badly)
- Tess Houston (attempted to stab to death, knocked over by Patricia)
Trivia[]
- This was Lauren Swickard's first villainous Lifetime film role despite having played opposite parts; she was credited under her maiden name, Lorynn York.
- Sammy Crain is similar to fellow Lifetime villainess Amber Sheridan from 2018's Killer Twin. Both are one set of twins were separated by birth and raised to become evil and greedy.
Gallery[]
