Anna Kendrick Leads Intense New Thriller Woman of the Hour
With Ella Purnell’s Sweetpea and new BBC drama Kidnapped, there’s a lot of female-led crime thrillers hitting our screens at the moment, with another arriving this year, the creepy Woman of the Hour, starring Anna Kendrick. Based on a true story, Kendrick plays a contestant on a dating game show, who happens to be invited to appear at the same time as a dangerous serial killer. It’s set to release later this year in October in cinemas and Netflix- here’s everything you need to know:
What is Woman of the Hour about?
Woman of the Hour doesn’t just star Anna Kendrick, it’s also directed by her in her filmmaking debut behind the camera. She portrays Cheryl Bradshaw, a woman who is chosen to appear as a contestant on The Dating Game, a popular American game show in the 70s which revolved around a bachelorette different bachelors (basically a US version of Take Me Out for us Brits). Unbeknownst to her, one of the “bachelor” contestants is Rodney Alcala, a serial killer who has already killed several women, and is appearing on the show as part of his façade. It’s based on events that really happened in 1978, with Kendrick and actor Daniel Zovatto (Don’t Breathe) playing their real-life counterparts.
The lights go up, the cameras turn on, and now Cheryl is live on TV in front of millions- but unfortunately for her, her matchmaking pick is Rodney, on the surface charming and charismatic. As we see in the film’s official trailer, the two do end up heading off on a date together, as she admits that she doesn’t date much at all. But as she spends more time with him, will she realise Rodney’s true identity and past, saving herself before it’s too late?
What else do we know?
Not much else is revealed in the trailer, but we do see a gripping montage of shots that suggest that this is going to be a real hair-raising thriller. Hauntingly, one of the set assistants on The Dating Show advises her that the question Carrie should be asking of them is “Which one of you will hurt me?”
Who else stars?
In addition to Kendrick and Zovatto, Woman of the Hour also stars Nicolette Robinson (The Affair), Tony Hale (Veep), Kathryn Gallagher (You), and Kelley Jakle (Pitch Perfect). The film premiered at the Toronto International Film Festival to glowing reviews from critics and is set to release in cinemas on 18th October. You can watch the trailer below.