Twisted Desire is a 1996 American crime thriller television film directed by Craig R. Baxley and written by twin brothers Carey and Chad Hayes. It stars Melissa Joan Hart, with real-life domestic partners Daniel Baldwin and Isabella Hofmann. The movie also stars Meadow Sisto, David Lascher, Eric Laneuville, Kurt Fuller, and R&B/pop singer Jeremy Jordan, with Collin Wilcox Paxton in a supporting role. It aired on May 13, 1996, on NBC.
The film is presented as based on real events: the 1990 double murder of James Baxter "J.B." and Katherine "Kathy" Wiseman in Hartfield, Virginia, committed by their 14-year-old daughter Jessica Lynn Wiseman and her 17-year-old boyfriend, Douglas Christopher Thomas. Thomas was executed in 2000, when the death penalty for juveniles was still a legal punishment, while Wiseman was tried as a juvenile and sentenced to six years in prison, from which she was released at age 21.
Plot
Jennifer Stanton is a wealthy, rebellious teenager whose father, Bill, is overprotective, strict, and controlling, while her mother, Susan, barely takes her side. When Bill prohibits Jennifer from attending a concert, this—along with Bill's strictness in general—becomes the last straw for her boyfriend, Brad, who breaks up with her. The following morning, Bill admonishes Jennifer for dressing in clothing he deems too 'revealing' for school and forces her to change. Jennifer and her best friend, Karen Winkler, detour to a gas station so they can get gas and Jennifer can change back into her original outfit in the bathroom. The attendant, Nick Ryan, accidentally walks in on her changing; afterwards, Jennifer realizes that she's lost her wallet, leaving her unable to pay the $10 gas fare. Nick, approaching her & Karen, tells Jennifer that it's no big deal and she can pay him later. Karen tells Jennifer that Nick was a former student at their high school and he was just recently released from jail for assault.
At school, Jennifer sees Brad with his new girlfriend, Emma Thomas. Jennifer tries to rekindle her relationship with Brad, but Brad remains staunch on no longer seeing her due to her father's overbearingness. Jennifer tries asking Brad to accompany her to her friend Mark Pearson's party being held that night, but Emma interjects and states that Brad has already asked her to be his date for the party. The both of them then leave for class as the bell rings, leaving a confused and bewildered Jennifer in their place.
In class, Emma and her friends sneer at Jennifer as the classroom gets ready for a pop quiz. Jennifer is suddenly called to the front office. She encounters Nick in the hallway, who's come to the school to bring her back her wallet, which she'd forgotten at the gas station. Nick asks her if she'd like to be his date for Mark's party, which Jennifer initially rebuffs, citing that her parents would disapprove. Realizing the opportunity to potentially make Brad jealous, Jennifer changes her mind and agrees to accompany Nick to the party.
That night, Jennifer lies to her parents and uses studying for a midterm on the French Revolution at Karen's house as cover for going to the party. At the party, Jennifer bonds with Nick and they play pool together; meanwhile, Karen and their other friend, Bobbi, observe Brad with Emma and remark how they couldn't believe he dumped Jennifer and got back together with Emma, who reportedly cheated on him by writing love letters to other boys. Brad sees Jennifer having fun with Nick and expresses jealousy.
Back at the Stanton household, Bill harbors suspicions that Jennifer lied about the French history exam so that she could go out and phones Karen's mother, Trish, to verify if his daughter is really studying at their house; Susan attempts to stop him, to no avail. Trish reveals to Bill that Jennifer and Karen are at Mark's party. Bill immediately drives to Mark's house to retrieve Jennifer. Meanwhile, back at the party, Brad waits for Jennifer outside the restroom and remarks his surprise that her dad allowed her out tonight; additionally, he apologizes for dumping her, while also expressing hurt at the fact that she ignored him and was with another guy all night. Bill disrupts their conversation and forcibly drags Jennifer out of the party in front of all of her friends; among the onlookers of this spectacle is Nick.
At home, Jennifer screams at her father for humiliating her tonight, as well as for being too strict and controlling in general, and laments that she wishes she could have the freedom her friends have. Bill is firm and unwavering, however, and states that as long as Jennifer lives in his house, she must abide by his rules. Susan goes along with Bill and does little to defend Jennifer, which only further enrages her. She storms off, even as Bill demands her not to walk away from him, and goes to her bedroom to calm down.
Nick then appears, having climbed onto Jennifer's second-story balcony, and gives her a rose flower he picked. Jennifer speculates the whole party must be talking badly about her after what happened tonight; to which Nick reassures her that they aren't. Nick confesses he's interested in Jennifer and expresses his desire to be in a relationship with her. Jennifer turns him down, invoking that her parents "are famous for ruining [her] relationships" and that because of this, it wouldn't work. Nick, however, is adamant and begs Jennifer to give him a chance. Jennifer ultimately relents, and they begin a secret relationship.
Bill and Susan are preparing for a weekend getaway when Bill's parents inform Susan that they can't stay with Jennifer over the weekend. Not trusting Jennifer to be on her best behavior while at home by herself, Bill tries to cancel the trip. Susan tells Bill to give Jennifer a chance to redeem herself and to lay off her, reminding Bill that he was "ten times worse" than Jennifer was when he was her age, and that they need this trip so that they can have 'a break' from being parents. Bill begrudgingly allows Jennifer to stay home alone and they go on the trip.
Jennifer goes to Nick's grandmother's house, where he shows her his grandfather's World War II Luger pistol. Jennifer, despite proclaiming that she "doesn't like guns," looks on at the weapon with intrigue. She then goes on a date with Nick, jaunting around various parts of town together. Jennifer brings Nick back to her house, where she gives him her father's watch (but lies and says it's her grandfather's). Nick expands on the story of the fight he was jailed for and hopes Jennifer doesn't see him differently; to which Jennifer responds that she doesn't and still desires to be with him. They end up having sex in her parents' bedroom that night.
Bill and Susan unexpectedly arrive home from their weekend getaway early, and Bill enters the master bedroom and finds her and Nick in bed. He chases Nick out of the house; afterwards, he grounds Jennifer for the rest of the school year, forbids her from using the car or hanging out with her friends, and announces that her mother will take her to and from school from now on. Jennifer calls Nick to come pick her up and she sneaks out of the house; before she does, she looks in her bedroom mirror at her 'black eye,' which is, in actuality, makeup she put on to make it appear as if her father hit her.
Jennifer and Nick meet up that night, and Jennifer feigns being hurt because of her 'black eye.' Nick is furious and exclaims that Jennifer's father has no right to hit her, and insists that Jennifer will be staying with him tonight instead of at her parents' house; Jennifer protests and says that she doesn't know what to do, but she doesn't want to lose Nick. Nick states that he'll make Bill listen to him. Jennifer sneaks back in through her bedroom window, where Karen leaves a message on her answering machine telling her to spill the details about her dalliance with Nick. Jennifer is confronted by Susan, who had been waiting in Jennifer's bedroom the entire time. Susan tells Jennifer that she is just as disapproving of Nick and her overall behavior as her father is and that she has "had it" with Jennifer's disobedience; she calls Jennifer "selfish, deceitful, and disrespectful," and informs her that after tonight, no longer will she be protecting Jennifer—which only makes Jennifer resent her parents more. Jennifer writes in her diary that Nick—along with her best friend, Karen—is "so easy to fool."
Nick visits Jennifer's house in an attempt to apologize for the night before and proclaims his love for her, but Bill doesn’t accept his apology nor does he validate their relationship and instructs him to leave. Infuriated, Nick confronts Bill about his harsh treatment of Jennifer, "warning" him to stop mistreating her or there'll be consequences. Bill responds by threatening to turn Nick in for statutory rape, and threatening to "kick his ass" if he doesn't get lost. Nick insists that Bill won't be able to keep him away from Jennifer despite, to which Bill responds that he'll see about that. Nick leaves a message on Jennifer's answering machine stating that he's not intimidated by Bill's threats; that he's in love with Jennifer, and he'll do whatever it takes to be with her at any cost. The next morning, Bill finds his car vandalized and contacts the police. Nick is questioned, but denies knowledge of the incident.
After overhearing her parents discussing how to deal with her, with her mother suggesting they send her away to live with Bill's parents while Bill considers using his police contacts to keep Nick away from her, Jennifer sneaks out of the house once again using Karen as a cover, then goes to Nick's. Jennifer elicits Nick's sympathy and plays into his belief that her dad hits her by displaying another fake bruise created with makeup on her arm. Using the fact that her father would "find [them] and kill [them]" if she left her parents' and moved in with Nick and the purported "abuse" as reasoning, she convinces him to get his grandfather's Luger and kill her parents in order for the two of them to finally be together. Jennifer sneaks off school property with Karen's car and meets up with Nick in a remote location to plan out the murder. They suggest the idea to stage it as a robbery and steal some jewelry. Nick is hesitant about actually doing this, but Jennifer convinces him it's the only way they're able to be together. They test-fire the Luger in the woods. In the meantime, Jennifer creates a diversion by lying to her friends that she and Nick have broken up; she also presents herself to Bill and Susan as their idea of a model teenager. Fooled by Jennifer's new act, they allow her to go to a slumber party with Karen and Bobbi. Later that night, Jennifer sneaks away from the slumber party and meets up with Nick, who's driving his grandfather's automobile in order to avoid his own being seen leaving the scene of the murder, to execute the plan.
Once they reach the Stanton house, Nick once again has second thoughts and tries to back out, but after Jennifer insistently pleads with him to do it, to "fight for their love," he shoots and kills the couple in their sleep. Trish Winkler arrives and informs Jennifer, Karen, and Bobbi that Jennifer's parents have been murdered; Jennifer feigns being distraught. The day after the killings, Jennifer goes to Brad's house and seeks out his comfort, revealing that she never loved Nick and in fact, the entire plan was carried out so that she could be with Brad again without her parents' interference all along.