Woman of the Hour review: The true crime movie of the year

Anna Kendrick’s directorial debut takes on the real-life story of Rodney Alcala’s appearance on The Dating Game in 1978 – and by most accounts, Woman of the Hour is a huge win for the genre.

Woman of the Hour isn’t about a serial killer who appeared on a dating show. It’s about the moment of realization.

It’s about the small shift in seemingly menial conversations that causes the hairs on the back of your neck to stand up. The precarious bridge between a normal interaction and one that leaves you wondering if it really was as harmless as you thought.

In the gaps between Anna Kendrick’s Woman of the Hour – between the chaos and bright lights of the television studio – it’s easy to see how the story of the Dating Game Killer is one of hiding in plain sight.

The argument for sensationalizing true crime

It’s no secret that many pushers of true crime, particularly Netflix, often make the same mistake. Cases that are already inherently interesting or hard to believe have to be bigger, have to be more, and it results in overwrought dramas that are often half fantasy, half fan fiction.

The crimes of Rodney Alcala are already unbelievable. Alcala, who posed as a photographer and is suspected of murdering up to 130 people (despite only being convicted for seven), made an appearance on the real-life TV show, The Dating Game, in 1978.

Netflix

It was only a year later that audiences would come to know of his atrocities, which is part of what makes this story so terrifying. Thankfully, director Anna Kendrick and screenwriter Ian McDonald keep Woman of the Hour as focused on this astonishing truth as possible.

They rearrange rather than embellish, manipulating smaller details like Alcala’s real-life placement on the show (in reality, he was Bachelor Number One, not Three) and contestant Cheryl’s non-scripted questions. All this boosts the elements of horror that already exist deep within the roots of this story.

The biggest diversion from the real story is the hypothetical. What if Cheryl really did go on a date with Alcala? In reality, she brushed him off shortly after the show, getting “weird vibes” from the then-unknown killer. In Woman of the Hour, the two go for a drink immediately after filming.

The scene has no real consequence on the reality, and serves only as a benefit to understand the true threat of Alcala. Ultimately, after this scene, it becomes clear that this is a movie for women.

Anna Kendrick’s director debut is a smash

It’s easily the best and most bone-chilling scene in the movie. Kendrick displays an obsession with moments gone wrong by having their invented date spiral into a quiet nightmare. As Cheryl realizes she might be in trouble, Woman of the Hour proves itself to be a bona fide horror movie.

Although Kendrick’s dual role only came about after the original director, Chloe Okuno, left the project, she proves herself to be a capable storyteller with an instinct for intense moments.

Netflix

Woman of the Hour isn’t completely convincing as a period piece, and it’s not pushing itself to be particularly artistic or inventive when telling its story. But as a whole, it’s a tense, troubling, and ultimately cathartic piece of work.

Kendrick also proves herself the perfect person to play Cheryl, the wannabe actress who finds herself on The Dating Game out of desperation for exposure. With Kendrick’s signature stop-start deliveries and jittery, grinning politeness, Cheryl isn’t forced to be a heroine – she’s a vessel who showcases how easy it is to walk into a dangerous situation.

A killer under the microscope

As is the case with a lot of serial killer stories, the suspect in question is often presented as something “other.” They’re the embodiment of evil and a shadow that stalks and slashes. But in Woman of the Hour, Rodney Alcala isn’t an ominous entity. He’s just a guy.

He’s the co-worker in the office full of braggadocio, or the friendly man you ask to help move some heavy furniture. But he’s also the man that can’t handle being laughed at or talked about, so he offsets these feelings by entrapping and killing women.

Netflix

Daniel Zovatto does a great turn as Alcala, and the decision to make him a rounded person with charm and intelligence is a testament to the frightening reality.

The characters feel fleshed out through smaller interactions. One sees Alcala quietly setting off the inner alarm bells of another bachelor, and another has Cheryl navigate her nerves with the make-up ladies. These moments are critical, because they still allow us to indulge in our biggest curiosities about the real-life event.

Woman of the Hour review score: 4/5

It’s difficult to talk about the state of true crime without thinking of Netflix’s recent controversies, but it’s safe to say that Woman of the Hour has proven that it can at least be done right.

Trimmed free of schlock and opulence, it plays around with timelines and perspectives to cut through a predictable narrative. Scenes of violence and brutality (of which there are many) are portrayed as what they are, and it’s enough. No need for thumping dance tracks and slow-motion tricks here.

Kendrick isn’t inventing more than needs to be invented and recreating in gruesome detail – she’s committing to a feeling. Ryan Murphy, eat your heart out.

Woman of the Hour is out on Netflix on October 18.

For more, take a look at all the new true crime and documentaries out this month. You can also learn more about the Menendez Brothers case, and the Sweet Bobby case explained. Don’t miss all the other new movies on streaming this month, too.