Stream It Or Skip It: ‘The Killer Inside: The Ruth Finley Story’ on Lifetime, Where a Wichita Woman’s Traumas Affect the BTK Killer Investigation

The Killer Inside: The Ruth Finley Story is a new Lifetime Original true crime thriller film that tells the stunning real-life story of a Kansas woman’s influence on the case of a major American serial killer dubbed the “BTK Killer.” Known to bind, torture, and kill his victims, the BTK Killer terrorized Wichita from 1974 to 1991. During this period, 47-year-old Kansas native Ruth Finley began receiving threatening calls and notes that got her roped into the BTK Killer investigation and unexpectedly unearthed long-buried traumas.

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The Gist: It’s 1977 in Wichita, Kansas, where telephone company secretary Ruth Finley (Teri Hatcher) and her husband Ed (Tahmoh Penikett) live steady and predictable, though ultimately happy, lives. News of the fearsome BTK Killer’s seventh murder in their very own city threatens their stability, but then it’s completely toppled when Ed suffers a heart attack despite being the picture of health.

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As Ed spends the night in the hospital, Ruth receives a call from an unknown man who references an assault that Ruth suffered while home alone at the age of 16, where she was left traumatized and branded with a hot flat-iron. Even after Ed returns home to recuperate, Ruth continues to receive more threatening calls and letters in the mail, before eventually being kidnapped while on her lunch break at work. Although she makes it out alive, these escalating attacks in an already tense time and place lead law enforcement to believe that Ruth’s case could be connected to the BTK Killer.

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But as conflicting and confounding information come to light, Lt. Bernie Drowatzky (Eduard Witzke) and his fellow policemen are sent on a wild goose chase that majorly disrupts both the BTK Killer investigation and Ruth’s own life.

What Movies Will It Remind You Of?: The Killer Inside: The Ruth Finley Story may remind some viewers of the 1976 film Sybil (or its 2007 remake ), which similarly revolves around how one woman’s childhood abuse causes her to disassociate and fight with herself in adulthood.

Performance Worth Watching: Teri Hatcher portrays Ruth Finley with the sincerity and commitment that lend itself well to this type of true crime story. While it could be easy to overact and render this serious tale silly, Hatcher gives an emotionally honest and empathetic performance that stands out and carries the entire film.

Memorable Dialogue: “Should have known, right? It’s always the husband.” Whether or not this assessment ends up being factual in the story, it’s just enjoyable how self-aware this line is that all of this is indeed taking place within a Lifetime true crime movie.

Sex and Skin: We get a brief shot of Ruth in a bath tub, but any sensitive areas are covered, and it’s really just a scene to give viewers a good look at Ruth’s burnt thigh. Otherwise, no sex or skin.

Our Take: The Killer Inside: The Ruth Finley Story is, to me at least, pretty much everything you could want in a serious Lifetime movie. Although it may be slightly cheesy or overdramatic at times, ultimately it’s compelling and human in ways that manage to be intriguing and surprising, in large part due to the earnest acting and solid world-building in the forms of period-accurate costumes, hairstyles, and sets.

Although the BTK Killer is the overarching villain looming in the background of the film, this really is, just like the title says, Ruth Finley’s story. Hatcher does a wonderful job portraying Ruth’s conflicting emotions and committing to her journey at every stage of this film, leading viewers in a riveting exploration of abuse, relationships, and psychology. We dive deep into Ruth’s life and mind, and end up leaving with some impactful lessons about trauma, resilience, and the human mind and spirit.

There’s also a genuinely endearing love story at the core of The Killer Inside: The Ruth Finley Story revolving around Ruth and Ed, and both Hatcher and Penikett pull you in and make you care about their characters and their future together. Their steadfast commitment to one another is a believable and consistent thread that runs through the entire film, tying everything together and grounding the events and characters in a reality that rings true.

Trauma, abuse, and murder are obviously all heavy subjects, but the film handles them with the care and conscientiousness to make both the movie and Ruth herself ultimately feel triumphant rather than sensationalized or like a mere caricature.

Our Call: STREAM IT. The Killer Inside: The Ruth Finley Story may not reinvent the wheel but is still a solid and just-the-right-amount-of-soapy movie that any true crime or Lifetime fan should find worth watching.

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