We live in a day and age where a significant portion of singles are primarily meeting dates via online dating. And particularly among women, a common fear when swiping right is accidentally talking to the wrong person and going on the date that marks the last anyone hears of them. The culture of it all is hilariously parodied in the latest of 2025 movies, F*** Marry Kill, when its protagonist, Eva (Lucy Hale), realizes one of three men she’s seeing could be a serial killer.
When CinemaBlend spoke to Hale, her co-star Virginia Gardner (notably one of the stars of 2018’s Halloween) and director Laura Murphy about F*** Marry Kill, we talked about making light of the world of online dating and how they would change the medium if they could.
F*** Marry Kill's Lucy Hale, Virginia Gardner And Laura Murphy Talk Parodying Online Dating
While one might think the new release is among new horror movies, it definitely leans more toward a comedy and thriller, and it’s such a fun watch. During our virtual conversation, Lucy Hale said this about parodying online dating with the movie:
I feel like there's that scene where we do all the I don't wanna say archetypes of men, but all the whip pans of different guys. And I have to say, it's kind of an accurate representation of what I've seen out in the wild.
It’s true, once you swipe for a while, it’s easy to put the profiles you’re looking at into categories (no matter the gender). F*** Marry Kill spent time on making the scenes where Eva is flipping through the dating pool not only funny but also accurate. As Laura Murphy (whom we had on our list for most highly-anticipated female directors with 2025 movies) added:
Yeah, that was, that was fun to make fun of the profiles. And then there's also like Easter eggs, if you watch the graphics, like all the guys claim that they're six foot, they're all at different heights. And then later when Kyle comes back up [on the screen] it says ‘actually 5’10," which is kind of funny. That was very fun to parody.
Oh, yes, this is a common one! Hale then interjected about the “let me show you my penis” guy in the movie, which comes up often enough that many women can certainly relate. As Gardner quipped:
I know that I feel like I've seen that guy too many times.
The cast and filmmakers certainly did a great job of poking a little fun at what has become a common practice among many singles. In the context of the movie, Eva has just turned 30 and learns her recent ex is already engaged. It leads her down a rabbit hole of online dating, which ends up becoming tied up with an actual murderer on the loose.
What Would They Change About Online Dating If They Could?
F*** Marry Kill is not only a game people play all the time and a good time of a movie, but it certainly brings up some pains that come with deciding to date online. During our interview, I also asked them what they would change about the whole process if they could. In their words:
Virginia Gardner: "This was my experience with online dating because you used to have to meet people through a mutual friend or through something there, there was a little bit of a built-in accountability. You couldn't really ghost or whatever because you might see this person again. And I think with dating apps, people became really disposable and there was no accountability because you could easily be like, ‘Oh, I'll ghost this person and never have to see them again or whatever.’ And, and I don't like that. It just feels like onto the next, you know? "
Lucy Hale: "Yes. I second that."
Laura Murphy: "I mean I wonder if it would be great if there were some sort of stats you could see for a person. Like click on like how many dates they've been on with how many people, and then how many they ghosted and how many people they ghosted. Like if it was the back of a professional baseball player card, but it had all their stats for dating, so you knew going in like, ‘Oh, okay, this guy's ghosted 70% of the people he has been on dates with."
Lucy Hale: "We just need stats. We just want data."
Those are such solid ideas. You can check out how online dating shakes out for Eva with F*** Marry Kill, now playing in theaters and on Amazon and other digital platforms.
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