Netflix is on a roll with dramatized true crime as of late, with the streamer recently putting outRyan Murphy’s latest series,Monsters: The Lyle and Erik Menendez Story. Soon, the platform will be at it again with another project based on the real life story of a killer. TitledWoman of the Hour, the movie starsAnna Kendrickin what will also serve as theA Simple FavorandPitch Perfectactress’s directorial debut. In the latest trailer, audiences get a better idea of how an appearance on the uber-popular show of yesteryear,The Dating Game, almost made one woman the victim of a ruthless serial killer.
Staying on par with his past projects in the horror genre,Daniel Zovatto(It Follows,Don’t Breathe) steps into the serial killing shoes of real-life murderer Rodney Alcala in the latest trailer forWoman of the Hour.Kendrick plays Cheryl Bradshaw, an up-and-coming actress who goes onThe Dating Gamein hopes that it will put her in the spotlight and open her up to big league opportunities. Unfortunately, out of the three men vying for some alone time with the eligible bachelorette, Cheryl lands on the one who just so happens to be hiding a sinister secret. Unbeknownst to the aspiring movie star, her future date has been killing women like her for years, and now their worlds have collided, leading to a possible disastrous outcome.
Along with Kendrick and Zovatto, the film will also feature performances fromTony Hale(Arrested Development),Nicolette Robinson(One Night in Miami…),Pete Holmes(Crashing),Autumn Best(4400),Kathryn Gallagher(Gossip Girl), andKelley Jakle(Pitch Perfect 3). Along with directing and starring inWoman of the Hour, Kendrick also served as an executive producer alongsideStuart Ford,Zach Garrett,Miguel A. Palos Jr.,Joe Penna,Matthew Helderman,Luke Taylor,Paul Barbeau,Sean Patrick O’Reilly,Andrew Dane,Stephen Crawford, andIan McDonald, the latter of whom wrote the movie’s script.
The True Story Behind Rodney Alcala
By the time Alcala appeared onThe Dating Gamein 1978, he hadalready murdered five women. A true narcissist and sociopath, his first known attempted murder and vicious assault befell an eight-year-old while he was living in Los Angeles. The police were fully onto Alcala after this first offense, so the future killer fled across the country to New York City, where he took on the name John Berger. Under his new alias, he continued his assaults and slayings, before being arrested for child molestation, only to be released after two short years behind bars.Shockingly enough,when he returned to life outside of prison, Alcala picked right back up where he left off. While theNetflixmovie may depict it differently, the real Cheryl Bradshaw refused to go out with Alcala because she got a bad vibe from him which, in the end, likely saved her from the same fate as so many others. Alcala wouldn’t be arrested for his crimes until 1979.
You can check out the latestWoman of the Hourtrailer above and tune into Netflix on October 18 for the film.
Woman of the Hour
Based on the true story of Rodney Alcala, the “Dating Game Killer,” this film explores the chilling events surrounding his appearance on the TV showThe Dating Gamewhile in the midst of his murder spree. Anna Kendrick stars as the unwitting contestant who chooses Alcala as her date.
Watch On Netflix
