What would you do if you met a serial killer on a reality TV show? Well, in this new thriller, Anna Kendrick does just that. Woman Of The Hour is based on the true story of Rodney Alcala, who was arrested for the murders of several women in 1979, but a couple of years earlier, appeared on the cult reality dating show The Dating Game. On the show, he was chosen by contestant Sheryl Bradshaw for a date but, in reality, this date never happened as Bradshaw described Alcala as “creepy”.

But in the film, Kendrick imagines what might have happened if the date had taken place. So, here’s everything we know about the film, including when and how to watch.

What is Woman Of The Hour about?

”The stranger-than-fiction story of an aspiring actor in 1970s Los Angeles and a serial killer in the midst of a yearslong murder spree, whose lives intersect when they’re cast on an episode of The Dating Game,” reads the Netflix synopsis. 

The Dating Game was a popular dating program that saw a contestant chat to three potential suitors from behind a wall, Blind Date-style, before deciding which one to take out on a date.

Kendrick’s Sheryl Bradshaw is an aspiring actor who agrees to make an appearance on The Dating Show to strengthen her career. In Kendrick’s version of events, Sheryl is an ahead-of-her time feminist hoping to redefine womanhood on the screen.

Who stars in Woman Of The Hour?

Kendrick stars as Sheryl Bradshaw, a fictionalised version of the real-life woman who picked Alcala for a date. Daniel Zovatto, who has previously appeared in Station Eleven and The Pope’s Exorcist, stars as serial killer Rodney Alcala. Veep and The Decameron’s Tony Hale takes on the role of presenter Ed.

Rounding out the cast are Jedidiah Goodacre, Kelley Jakle, Matt Visser, Nicolette Robinson and Autumn Best.

How did Anna Kendrick come to direct Woman Of The Hour?

Funnily enough, Kendrick was attached to the project as an actor and a producer for two years before she stepped up to direct. “In our case, we had a start date and no director,” she said to Entertainment Weekly. “We spent maybe 48 hours trying to find somebody to jump on board quickly. And we were certainly not looking at first-time directors.”

Suddenly, she had the idea that she could direct herself.  “I think there was something about the movie overall that I found compelling,” she said. “I was aware that while I liked the character, I was way more interested in the movie as a whole. And of course, the whole two years, I’m sitting there going, ‘Well, if it were my movie, this is how I’d do it.”

For Kendrick, one of the central themes of the film is the societal problem of victim blaming. “I was thinking about how even very subtle victim blaming is baked into our culture,” she said. “Even the most well-meaning people will say things like, ‘Yeah, you really just got to pay attention to those early red flags,’ which is not a nightmare of a thing to say, but man, woof.’”

Is there a trailer for Woman Of The Hour?

There is, and honestly, we’re already hooked.

When is Woman Of The Hour coming out?

Clear your weekend, because the film is now streaming on Netflix.

Images: Leah Gallo; Netflix