Woman of the Hour is a frightening true story about serial killer Rodney Alcala’s appearance on a television show called The Dating Game.
Woman of the Hour
Anna Kendrick not only stars in this film, but it is her directorial debut. Woman of the Hour is based on the true story referring to Rodney Alcala’s appearance on The Dating Game in 1978. Between the 70s and 90s there were almost 300 known active serial killers in the United States, which included Ted Bundy, John Wayne Gacy, Richard Ramirez, and Rodney Alcala. How on earth did a serial killer get to participate on The Dating Game, which was a forerunner to all the reality shows we see today?
The film begins with Rodney Alcala (Daniel Zovatto) photographing a woman. While he directs her different poses, she talks about her dreams of traveling across the country. Everything seems normal until Rodney’s true intentions are revealed in his eyes. I have to say that Daniel Zovatto’s acting skills were really put to task in this film. I found myself holding my breath because Zovatto so convincingly shifted from human to monster. This scene set the tone for the rest of the film. While Rodney Alcala is meticulously working his way through his rumored 130 victims, we are then introduced to Sheryl Bradshaw (Anna Kendrick), a struggling actress at another failed audition. Sheryl, who is not only very intelligent but extremely levelheaded, is ready to pack up and head home to New York. She is barely able to pay her rent, but her agent convinces her to appear as a contestant on a popular TV show. Apparently, a lot of famous stars got their first break on The Dating Game. What Sheryl, her agent, and the producers of the show don’t know is that a dangerous serial killer is also a contestant.
Conclusion
How was it possible for Rodney Alcala to convince women to go with him to the middle of the desert for a photo shoot? Yes, most serial killers can put on the charm when needed, but why did the women ignore the warning signals and their own gut feelings. Why weren’t the contestants vetted before the show? By the time that Sheryl Bradshaw is on the stage and ready to question the three male contestants who are out of her line of sight, we the audience already suspect what Rodney has planned for Sheryl.
The secondary plot is how the police have failed women when it comes to reporting a crime. Laura (Nicolette Robinson) recognizes Rodney at the show and believes that he is the man who murdered her friend, but neither her boyfriend nor the police want to hear her claims.
Cui Ci Sono Dei Mostri means “Here there be monsters.” Every woman reading this review has seen, at some point in their life, that shift in a man’s eyes…that friend who wants to take advantage; the co-worker who wants more than the weekly report; that stranger who convinces you to pose for him. Luckily for Sheryl and one of Rodney’s victims, Amy (Autumn Best), they understood the assignment. They saw the monster hiding behind human flesh…and they survived.
You can watch Woman of the Hour on Netflix. And ladies…always study the eyes. They are the window to the soul, and the eyes will tell you if you have found a friend, or a monster.
