Deadly Advice
Mother Iris Greenwood (Brenda Fricker) rules the house with an iron hand and has such power over her daughters that they see themselves as becoming old, unmarried maids. Jodie (Jane Horrocks) has feelings for the local doctor, a man much older than her, for which her mother strongly disapproves. Beth (Imelda Staunton) finds a relationship with a male stripper in Bristol, but sees nothing in the future with Mother around. While both girls would like to be rid of Mother, nothing happens until Jodie sees images of H.R. Armstrong (Edward Woodward), the man who put the town on the map by dispatching his un-loving wife.
Plot Structure
Story beats plotted across runtime
Narrative Arc
Emotional journey through the story's key moments
Story Circle
Blueprint 15-beat structure
Arcplot Score Breakdown
Weighted: Precision (70%) + Arc (15%) + Theme (15%)
Deadly Advice (1994) exemplifies meticulously timed narrative architecture, characteristic of Mandie Fletcher's storytelling approach. This structural analysis examines how the film's 15-point plot structure maps to proven narrative frameworks across 1 hour and 31 minutes. With an Arcplot score of 7.0, the film balances conventional beats with creative variation.
Structural Analysis
The Status Quo at 1 minutes (1% through the runtime) establishes Jodie lives a timid, repressed life dominated by her overbearing mother, working in a dull office job, dreaming of escape but too afraid to act.. The analysis reveals that this early placement immediately immerses viewers in the story world.
The inciting incident occurs at 11 minutes when Jodie begins seeing and hearing the ghosts of famous British murderers (Dr. Crippen, Ruth Ellis, etc.) who start offering her advice on how to solve her problems through deadly means.. At 13% through the film, this Disruption is delayed, allowing extended setup of the story world. This beat shifts the emotional landscape, launching the protagonist into the central conflict.
The First Threshold at 23 minutes marks the transition into Act II, occurring at 25% of the runtime. This demonstrates the protagonist's commitment to Jodie makes the active decision to follow the ghosts' advice and begins planning to murder her mother, crossing from passive victim to active agent of her own dark destiny., moving from reaction to action.
At 46 minutes, the Midpoint arrives at 50% of the runtime—precisely centered, creating perfect narrative symmetry. The analysis reveals that this crucial beat False victory: Jodie either succeeds in her murder plan or believes she has, feeling liberated and powerful for the first time. The stakes raise as the consequences of her actions begin to spiral., fundamentally raising what's at risk. The emotional intensity shifts, dividing the narrative into clear before-and-after phases.
The Collapse moment at 68 minutes (75% through) represents the emotional nadir. Here, Everything falls apart: Jodie faces exposure, loses her potential for genuine human connection, or realizes the ghosts have led her to become the very thing she hated—a whiff of death for her old innocent self., illustrates the protagonist at their lowest point. This beat's placement in the final quarter sets up the climactic reversal.
The Second Threshold at 73 minutes initiates the final act resolution at 80% of the runtime. Jodie finds clarity: she must reject the ghosts' advice and face the consequences of her actions, synthesizing her newfound assertiveness with genuine morality rather than murderous expedience., demonstrating the transformation achieved throughout the journey.
Emotional Journey
Deadly Advice's emotional architecture traces a deliberate progression across 15 carefully calibrated beats.
Narrative Framework
This structural analysis employs structural analysis methodology used to understand storytelling architecture. By mapping Deadly Advice against these established plot points, we can identify how Mandie Fletcher utilizes or subverts traditional narrative conventions. The plot point approach reveals not only adherence to structural principles but also creative choices that distinguish Deadly Advice within the comedy genre.
Comparative Analysis
Additional comedy films include The Ministry of Ungentlemanly Warfare, The Bad Guys and Lake Placid.
Plot Points by Act
Act I
SetupStatus Quo
Jodie lives a timid, repressed life dominated by her overbearing mother, working in a dull office job, dreaming of escape but too afraid to act.
Theme
A colleague or character suggests that sometimes you have to take drastic action to change your life, hinting at the dark comedy's thematic question about power and control.
Worldbuilding
Establishment of Jodie's suffocating world: her domineering mother, dead-end job, lack of romance, and complete powerlessness. Her fantasies of a better life contrast with her inability to assert herself.
Disruption
Jodie begins seeing and hearing the ghosts of famous British murderers (Dr. Crippen, Ruth Ellis, etc.) who start offering her advice on how to solve her problems through deadly means.
Resistance
Jodie resists the murderous advice at first, debating whether the ghosts are real or hallucinations. The spirits persist, showing her how murder could free her from her mother and transform her life.
Act II
ConfrontationFirst Threshold
Jodie makes the active decision to follow the ghosts' advice and begins planning to murder her mother, crossing from passive victim to active agent of her own dark destiny.
Mirror World
A potential love interest or friend enters Jodie's life, representing the normal, non-murderous path she could have taken—the thematic mirror showing what genuine connection looks like.
Premise
Dark comedy hijinks as Jodie attempts various murder schemes guided by her ghostly advisors. Each attempt reveals more about her character while delivering the promised premise: a meek woman becoming a would-be killer.
Midpoint
False victory: Jodie either succeeds in her murder plan or believes she has, feeling liberated and powerful for the first time. The stakes raise as the consequences of her actions begin to spiral.
Opposition
The complications mount: police investigation, guilt, the ghosts becoming more demanding, relationships fracturing. Jodie's newfound power becomes a prison of its own as she loses control of the situation.
Collapse
Everything falls apart: Jodie faces exposure, loses her potential for genuine human connection, or realizes the ghosts have led her to become the very thing she hated—a whiff of death for her old innocent self.
Crisis
Jodie confronts the darkness of what she's become, wrestling with guilt, fear, and the realization that murder didn't solve her problems—it only created new ones. Dark night of the soul.
Act III
ResolutionSecond Threshold
Jodie finds clarity: she must reject the ghosts' advice and face the consequences of her actions, synthesizing her newfound assertiveness with genuine morality rather than murderous expedience.
Synthesis
The finale plays out as Jodie confronts the truth, faces justice or finds redemption, and banishes the murderous ghosts. She applies her hard-won courage to making genuine choices rather than following dark advice.
Transformation
Final image shows Jodie transformed: no longer the timid mouse from the opening, but not a murderer either—someone who found her voice through dark comedy's twisted journey, mirroring the status quo with growth.