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    3. Murder 101: The Locked Room Mystery

    Murder 101: The Locked Room Mystery

    Not yet rated·2008·1h 23m·Weirdness 7/10
    Bingo Card
    Murder 101: The Locked Room Mystery poster

    At a glance

    7/10

    Noticeably offbeat

    Setting
    Urban
    Time period
    Contemporary
    Leads start as
    Strangers
    Runtime
    1h 23m
    IMDbLetterboxdTMDBJustWatch

    Where to watch

    We haven’t pinned down where Murder 101: The Locked Room Mystery is streaming yet — check JustWatch.

    The premise

    Criminology professor Jonathan Maxwell investigates a murder at a new age retreat where the leader is killed in a locked room surrounded by people in a deep trance.

    Themes:second chancesskepticism versus faithhidden motivesgrief and mortalitytruth beneath appearancesromance across worldviews

    How unusual is it?

    Weirder than your average Hallmark — the strangest 12% of everything we've logged.

    A rare specific

    Tap to find the other Hallmark movies that share it.

    • Southwest setting1 of only 3

    Who’s in it

    Barry Van Dyke headshot

    Our Guy

    Barry Van Dyke

    as Mike Bryant

    Mia Cottet headshot

    Our Girl

    Mia Cottet

    as Arielle

    Alongside them

    • Dick Van Dyke headshot
      Dick Van DykeDr. Jonathan Maxwell
    • Shane van Dyke headshot
      Shane van DykeBen Manners
    • Carey van Dyke headshot
      Carey van DykeSolar
    • Scoot McNairy headshot
      Scoot McNairyPanache
    Show all 18 castShow fewer
    • Susan Blakely headshot
      Susan BlakelyCamilla Meera
    • Ned Schmidtke headshot
      Ned SchmidtkeDonald Merit
    • Anjul Nigam headshot
      Anjul NigamDevi Kanesh
    • Wendy Glenn headshot
      Wendy GlennJasmine Celestine
    • Glynn Turman headshot
      Glynn TurmanSheriff Bob Monroe
    • Charles Shaughnessy headshot
      Charles ShaughnessySamuel
    • Lisa Deanne Young headshot
      Lisa Deanne YoungCandace
    • Erin Chambers headshot
      Erin ChambersMadison
    • Brent Moon headshot
      Brent MoonBrendan
    • Pancho Demmings headshot
      Pancho DemmingsDr. Connell
    • Oscar Best headshot
      Oscar BestDetective
    • Kacey Camp headshot
      Kacey CampWoman

    Behind the camera

    ShowHide

    Directed by

    • David S. Cass Sr. headshot
      David S. Cass Sr.

    Written by

    • Walter Klenhard headshot
      Walter Klenhard

    Wait, what?

    The quirks and curveballs that make this one a little weirder than your average Hallmark. No spoilers, promise.

    • A locked-room murder happens inside a deep-meditation trance session
    • The investigation involves psychics, dreams, and energy circles
    • The killer uses a homemade silencer built from PVC pipe, baffles, and rubber washers
    • A spiritual healer appears to put people into cataleptic trances
    • A dog named Angel is trained with the command 'visit'
    • A healing ritual includes 'lava stones' and a fire puja with margarine scorpions

    Every trope, all in one place

    Here’s everything this one has going on, from the setting to the way it wraps up. Tap any of the 8 to find more movies that do the same thing.

    Setting2

    🌃Urban📍Santa Fe, New Mexico

    Time & season1

    🗓️Contemporary

    Characters4

    👥Lead: Private Investigator👥Love interest: Bookstore owner and intuitive🐕Dog🐕Pet

    Romance1

    💕Start as strangers

    How it all plays out

    Already seen it, or just can’t wait? Open this up for the whole story, ending included.

    Full story (spoilers)
    Private investigator Mike Bryant meets Arielle, the owner of a New Age bookstore, while his friend Jonathan Maxwell and Mike's nephew Ben help with the practical side of his cases. Mike and Arielle connect after she notices his shoulder injury and invites him to a healing session. Samuel, the leader of a spiritual center, is found shot in a locked meditation room while the people around him remain in a deep trance. The sheriff initially treats the death as suicide, but the lack of gunpowder residue on Samuel's hands proves someone else fired the weapon. Mike and Jonathan question Samuel's circle and learn that he had pancreatic cancer and planned to leave the center to charity. Ben and Jonathan reconstruct the shooting. A homemade silencer made from PVC pipe and rubber washers explains why nobody heard the shot, and records show that someone made a third key to the meditation room. The evidence clears Panache and points to Solar, the center's day-to-day manager, who would lose control and money under Samuel's plan. Solar captures Jonathan and Arielle and prepares an arson trap to kill them and erase the evidence. Mike and Ben arrive, Jonathan fights Solar, and the captives survive. Solar is exposed, Panache wakes from his trance and is cleared, and Mike and Arielle remain romantically connected after the case.

    Beat by beat

    1. 1

      Opening

      Mike Bryant and Jonathan Maxwell are introduced as a detective/professor team, while Mike meets Arielle at a murder-mystery dinner and is drawn to her intuitive, spiritual worldview.

    2. 2

      Inciting incident

      Samuel, the leader of a New Age spiritual center, is found dead in a locked meditation room, and the death is initially treated as a suicide.

    3. 3

      Rising action

      Mike, Jonathan, and Ben begin investigating the center and its inner circle, questioning Panache, Camilla, Jasmine, Donald, and Arielle while learning about Samuel's unusual behavior and possible illness.

    4. 4

      Midpoint

      Forensic evidence rules out suicide, Ben and Jonathan recreate the shot, and they discover the murder was covered by a homemade silencer and likely involved a third key to the meditation room.

    5. 5

      Conflict escalates

      The investigation reveals Samuel's terminal cancer and possible plan to leave the center to charity, giving a powerful motive to someone inside the organization; Arielle also begins having clearer psychic warnings.

    6. 6

      Climax

      Solar is revealed as the killer and captures Jonathan and Arielle in an arson trap, but Mike and Ben arrive and help stop him before he can erase the evidence.

    7. 7

      Resolution

      Solar is exposed and stopped, Panache is cleared after his trance-like coma ends, and Mike's relationship with Arielle deepens as the case closes.

    Where this one fits

    The corners of the catalog Murder 101: The Locked Room Mystery belongs to — handy if you’re after more of the same.

    Murder 101Part of the 4-film Murder 101 series.
    • 🤯Weirdest Hallmark MoviesScores 7/10 on our weirdness scale — comfortably in the strange end.
    • 🐶Hallmark Dog & Pet MoviesA four-legged matchmaker.
    • 🧁Hallmark Baking & Cooking MoviesPlenty of time in the kitchen.
    • 🔍Hallmark Mystery MoviesA whodunit at heart.
    BINGOA cosy interior full of warm lightingA shared errand turns into bondingSomeone’s guard finally comes downA heart-to-heart on a porch or benchSomeone gets flustered during small talkA pep talk that changes everythingA genuine Christmas miracleA change of heart by the final actThe town pulls together for one of its ownA shared meal around a crowded tableA first impression that turns out completely wrongA cup of cocoa, coffee or cider★Someone apologises and means itA quiet moment under string lightsAn old keepsake or photograph turns upA misunderstanding nearly ruins everythingA meaningful look held a beat too longA charming local cafe or dinerA best friend who has all the answersSomeone decorates a Christmas treeA classic Hallmark meet-cuteAn almost-kiss gets interruptedA big event everyone is preparing forA wise elder dispenses advice
    Hallmark Bingo

    Your Murder 101: The Locked Room Mystery card is dealt.

    Twenty-four squares pulled from this movie’s own quirks — the cosy classics, a few only-in-this-one curveballs, and a couple of decoys. Mark them as you watch.

    Open your card→

    Lines worth quoting

    The lines that stuck with us — the ones you’ll be repeating after the credits roll.

    • “There’s a light that shines to and from each of us. Welcome back.”
      — SamuelHe says this during the meditation session, and the phrase later becomes a clue about the trance state.
    • “I knew you'd be a good kisser.”
      — ArielleShe says this during their flirtatious tantra session after she and Mike begin getting closer.
    • “Tantra sounds like the ultimate safe sex, professor.”
      — Ben MannersHe jokes about Mike's unusual spiritual date night with Arielle.
    • “You’re disturbing my tantra.”
      — Jonathan MaxwellHe says this while being pulled into the bizarre breathing-and-meditation exercise.

    Meet the characters

    Who’s who before you press play. Nothing here gives the ending away.

    • Mike Bryant

      Lead

      private detective and former police officer

      main lead

      observantskepticalprotectivedry-witteddetermined

    • Arielle

      Love interest

      New Age bookstore owner and intuitive psychic

      Mike's romantic interest and investigative ally

      intuitivespiritualwarmperceptivemysterious

    • Solar

      Antagonist

      day-to-day manager of the spiritual center

      the true killer and final adversary

      deceptivecalculatingresentfulcontrolledscheming

    • Ben Manners

      Comic relief

      law student and assistant to Jonathan and Mike

      Mike's nephew and an assistant to Mike and Jonathan

      eagerbrashtech-savvyimpulsiveearnest

    • Jonathan Maxwell

      Supporting

      criminology professor

      Mike's friend and investigative partner

      intellectualcuriousanalyticaldryly funnyopen-minded

    • Samuel

      Supporting

      spiritual healer and leader of the center

      murder victim whose death drives the case

      charismaticenigmaticspiritualcompassionatesecretive

    • Panache

      Supporting

      Samuel's top assistant and heir apparent

      initial prime suspect and framed scapegoat

      devotedambitiousguilty-lookingspiritualvolatile

    • Camilla Meera

      Supporting

      actress and Samuel's spiritual wife

      witness and emotional figure in Samuel's inner circle

      glamorousdevotedsensitivejealouspoised

    • Jasmine Celestine

      Supporting

      model and actress

      a possible suspect and one of Samuel's spiritual wives

      attractiveguardedimpressionablecuriousambitious

    • Donald Marrit

      Supporting

      CEO of Marrit Industries and major donor

      suspect and donor with possible blackmail concerns

      wealthydefensivepragmaticsecretiveproud

    Questions people ask about Murder 101: The Locked Room Mystery

    How long is Murder 101: The Locked Room Mystery?

    Murder 101: The Locked Room Mystery runs about 1 hour and 23 minutes, and was released in 2008.

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    Sources:IMDb·TMDB·JustWatch

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