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A Kiss Before Dying
A Kiss Before Dying “There’s nothing an impoverished,
  ruthlessly ambitious university student
  wouldn’t do to for money and status —
  including murder — so when he meets
  a naïve heiress he devises the perfect
  plan to charm her into marrying him in
  the 1991 thriller A Kiss Before Dying...”

DESPERATE TO CHANGE HIS MODEST EXISTENCE to a life of wealth and status, University of Pennsylvania student Jonathan Corliss (Matt Dillon: There's Something About Mary), sees the perfect opportunity to change his luck when he meets and seduces starry-eyed fellow student Dorothy Carlsson (Sean Young: Blade Runner).

With her twin sister Ellen (also played by Sean Young), Dorothy stands to inherit from their father, mega-rich copper refinery owner Thor Carlsson (Max von Sydow — Star Wars: The Force Awakens), whom she finds overbearingly possessive.

“A Kiss Before Dying is
an immensely enjoyable
thriller that explores a
young man’s stone cold
aspiration to become rich
and successful — and
Heaven help anyone who
stands in his way...”
Dorothy dreams of marriage to escape his control, which has increased following the suicide of his former wife and the death of Dorothy and Ellen's brother in a road accident. Dorothy was originally dating librarian Tommy Roussell (Ben Browder), but her plans for marriage were thwarted when Thor had Tommy investigated.

Jonathan is horrified when Dorothy announces she is pregnant as he fears that it may alienate her from her family, thus cutting off her inheritance. He checks that she has continued to keep their relationship a secret and orchestrates an apparent suicide, believing he has committed the perfect murder.

Luck is on his side as the student-turned-psychopath hitches a ride to New York with Jay Faraday (musician — one of The Beastie Boys — and actor Adam Horovitz: Lost Angels). As Jay opens up about his life, Jonathan realises that he could safely take over his identity in order to court Ellen.

Ellen and her friend Cathy (Jay Lee) work at a shelter for deprived young people, Castle House, and Jonathan starts to work alongside them before beginning to win over Ellen's sceptical father.

But Ellen's determined to prove that her sister did not commit suicide, and her dogged investigations with the help of former Police Lieutenant Dan Corelli (James Russo), threaten the perfect world Jonathan has created for himself.

As his devious and deadly plan spirals horrifically out of control Jonathan faces being unmasked and reveals his darker side, putting Ellen in terrible danger in this exciting 1991 film noir. A Kiss Before Dying is an immensely enjoyable thriller that explores a young man's stone cold aspiration to become rich and successful — and Heaven help anyone who stands in his way.

A Kiss Before Dying is filmed at Lee International Studios, Shepperton, UK; and on location in the UK, New York and Charlottesville. The movie also features: Diane Ladd as Mrs Corliss; Martha Gehman as Patricia Farren; Sam Coppola as Detective Michaelson; Elzbieta Czyzewska as Tommy's landlady; Jim Fyfe as Terry Dieter; Freddy Koehler as Mickey; and Sarah Keller as the Lecturer.

A Kiss Before Dying is based on the novel by Ira Levin; Music is by Howard Shore; Director of Photography is Mike Southon, BSC; Produced by Robert Lawrence; Written for the Screen and Directed by James Dearden.

* A Kiss Before Dying is released for the first time on DVD in the UK, courtesy of Simply Media, on 21 March 2016. Certificate: PG | Running Time: 94 Minutes | Catalogue Number: 164442 | RRP: £12.99.

"A Kiss Before Dying is an immensely enjoyable thriller that explores a young man's stone cold aspiration to become rich and successful — and Heaven help anyone who stands in his way" — Maggie Woods

"Dillon makes for a thoroughly charming psychopath" — Radio Times