Averie Anderson (Her Study of a Killer)

**Averie Anderson** (Jenna Michno) is the main villainess from the 2023 Lifetime film, *Her Study of a Killer* (originally titled, *High School Revenge*; airdate March 9, 2023).

## Introduction

Averie Anderson is a successful stage actress and a former high school classmate of main protagonist Ellie Bauman, with both women being part of a reunion which also served as a celebration of the life of their stage teacher, Mrs. Meadows, who was killed in the film's opening. Their shared backstory revealed that Ellie beat out Averie for the lead role in their school's performance of *MacBeth*, with Ellie later playing Lady MacBeth on the Broadway stage.

The film's progression saw Averie form a bond with Brooklyn Bauman, Ellie's daughter with her husband, Daniel Bauman, while Ellie was being stalked and harassed by someone leaving an ominous message on her bathroom window. After Daniel was being hospitalized due to being struck by a car, Averie appeared at the hospital to console Ellie, while making statements that suggested that she was envious of Ellie's more quiet life.

## Heel Turn

    At the time of the accident, Daniel revealed to Ellie that he had fathered a child with another woman, with the child being the result of a one-night stand at a high school party 15 years prior, though the child, Isabelle Brown, was killed in a car accident when she was five. Though the other woman wasn't identified by Daniel, the film's climax saw Ellie learn from Tiffany that Averie was pregnant at the time of their high school graduation, and as for Averie, she messaged Brooklyn and arranged a meeting at Averie's car, where Averie stated that she had a card for Daniel and food for Brooklyn in the back of the car. Averie turned heel once Brooklyn entered the car, doing so by chloroforming and abducting Brooklyn.

Tiffany's revelation to Ellie ended up revealing that Averie was Daniel's mistress at the party, though as Daniel revealed, Averie drugged Daniel and took advantage of him that night. She became pregnant as a result, though her baby, Isabelle, was given up for adoption, with Mrs. Meadows helping out with the adoption process. Averie would grow to regret giving up her daughter, but Isabelle's death drove her to obsession, and after finding out about Mrs. Meadows' role in helping with Ellie's pregnancy with Brooklyn, Averie murdered Mrs. Meadows, and stalked Ellie in her quest, which included writing the message, "Blood will have blood" on Ellie's bathroom window. The villainess later ran down Daniel before abducting Brooklyn and taking her to the school's stage, where she texted the aforementioned message to Ellie, who found Brooklyn tied up on the stage.

At that moment, the evil Averie appeared to Ellie with a knife, and revealed her intense jealousy of Ellie while also admitting to her tryst and voicing her belief that Brooklyn was her daughter, claiming that Mrs. Meadows gave her baby to Ellie. The madwoman also admitted to killing Mrs. Meadows before swinging her knife and vowing to take Brooklyn, only to be knocked off the stage by Ellie, who gave the signal for Brooklyn to escape. Averie attempted to kill Ellie once again, only for Ellie to knock out the villainess with a prop from the stage. Averie was arrested and place in a psychiatric facility, where she gazed at a photo of Daniel and Ellie and recited lines from *MacBeth* as part of her maniacal vow to reunite with her perceived family.

## Trivia

* Jenna Michno also played villainess Jamie Williams in 2021's *Labor of Lies*.