From Ryan Cordaro

True crime stories have always been on the outskirts for me. I do like shows like Criminal Minds and Law and Order (specifically SVU), but shows like Making a Murderer or even Monster just don’t hit on the same level for me. I do like the movies that focus on specific serial killers like Extremely Wicked, Shockingly Evil and Vile, where Zac Efron played Ted Bundy. Even My Friend Dahmer, where Ross Lynch played Jeffrey Dahmer in high school, hit on some good moment for me too. I wouldn’t even say that those are thrillers, but I’m surprised I’ve never watched any of these serial killer-centric true story movies that lean into being a thriller. It seems like Woman of the Hour will be that thriller, though, based on its first trailer.

Woman of the Hour follows the true story of The Dating Game Killer, when serial killer Rodney Alcala appeared on The Dating Game and won a date with Cheryl Bradshaw. At the time, Alcala was in the middle of a murdering spree, having killed five women out of the confirmed eight, possibly more. This event and overall time in history in general is something that’s eluded me now, especially since I like these true-crime movies, and I’m also a sucker for the actor-turned-director pipeline, this time with star Anna Kendrick. The film premiered at the Toronto Film Festival last year to raves, with a lot of praise going to Kendrick’s direction. Based on the trailer below, it seems like there could be a good, tension-filled ride here.

Woman of the Hour stars Kendrick (Up in the Air, Trolls), Daniel Zovatto (The Pope’s Exorcist, Station Eleven), Nicolette Robinson (One Night in Miami, The Affair), Tony Hale (Arrested Development, VEEP), Kathryn Gallagher (You, Gossip Girl), Kelly Jakle (Pitch Perfect, 42), Autumn Best, Jessie Fraser (The Man in the High Castle, Van Helsing), Taylor Hastings (Supergirl, iZombie), Jedidiah Goodacre (Chilling Adventures of Sabrina, Legacies), and Darcy Laurie (Virgin River, To Catch a Killer).

Woman of the Hour hits Netflix on October 18th, 2024. As of writing, there’s no reports of a theatrical release.

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