Written by Ian McDonald
Directed by Anna Kendrick
Starring Anna Kendrick, Daniel Zovatto, Nicolette Robinson and Tony Hale
USA, 2024
Now for the second “based-on-a-true-story” flick of Horrorfest 2024, WOMAN OF THE HOUR, directed by its star, Anna Kendrick. This is the tale of the so-called “Dating Game Killer” – a serial killer who, incidental to his crimes, once appeared on the 70s game show… and WON.
Going in, I figured the entire story would be limited to the circumstances surrounding the killer’s (Daniel Zovatto) appearance on the game show, but the movie declares how intense it’s really going to be with a disturbing opening sequence that approaches one of the crimes with the same level of mastery and suspense as a classic like ZODIAC.
This does cause a bit of a flip-flopping tone, because the movie cuts between the killer’s past, present and future crimes, all around the central thrust of a struggling actress (Anna Kendrick) appearing opposite him on the Dating Game. The Dating Game sequences, while suspenseful and disturbing in their own right, seem like they’re from a totally different kind of movie than the flashbacks and flash forwards to the killer’s crimes. As a result, the movie’s a little uneven, but you have to admire the attempt, I think. It would have been too easy just to treat this thing like a joke.
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