Anyone with a Netflix subscription will be entirely aware that anything focusing on serial killers and mass murder will be destined for a huge audience, whether we’re talking about a feature film, TV series, or documentary. The majority of them tend to be in-house originals, but the company has decided that Woman of the Hour is worth spending $11 million on to secure the distribution rights.
The feature-length directorial debut of Anna Kendrick, the actress also stars as a contestant on The Dating Game who opted to choose Rodney Alcala as her best option during an appearance on the popular show in 1978. Unbeknownst to everyone, he was actually a serial killer ultimately convicted of murdering at least eight women, but investigators are convinced the real number could feasibly be over 100.
Despite being a recently-released prisoner and sex offender, Alcala somehow managed to make it onto The Dating Game, with Kendrick’s Cheryl Bradshaw wisely deciding not to go ahead with their planned date after becoming convinced their was something unnerving about her would-be suitor.
After premiering to rave reviews at the Toronto International Film Festival, Woman of the Hour holds an impressive 93 percent approval rating on Rotten Tomatoes at the time of writing, and given that it ticks so many boxes that Netflix holds dear to its heart in terms of viewing figures and engagement, it makes a lot of sense for the company to swoop in and spend eight figures on a title that’s sure to rank as one of its biggest hits whenever it premieres on-demand.