Anna Kendrick is showing a new side to her talent in the upcoming Woman of the Hour, which just got its first teaser trailer ahead of a release fairly soon on Netflix.
The horror-thriller is her directorial debut, and she also stars in the movie, which looks almost certain to be a pretty scary look at a historical serial killer who, astoundingly, appeared on a dating show while in the middle of his spree.
That killer was Rodney Alcala, played here by Daniel Zovatto, and he committed his crimes in the late 1970s, making this a period piece. Kendrick plays Cheryl Bradshaw, a real-life contestant on the game show The Dating Game who was matched up with Alcala and met up with him for a date.
From the teaser trailer, it looks like we're getting a glimpse of how that date unfolded, from the creepily remote bar he chose to his odd behaviour throughout, and a reluctance to leave Bradshaw alone as things wind up.
Woman of the Hour won't be limited to that evening, though – it promises to walk us through Bradshaw's entire experience of meeting Alcala, including that infamous game show taping and more. There are doubtless some other extremely tense sequences to enjoy in the full film.
How Kendrick fares as a first-time director will be fascinating to see, and the early signs are hugely positive. The movie has already had a big wave of critical reviews from film festivals and screenings, and sits on an impressive 90% fresh score on Rotten Tomatoes.
It got snapped up by Netflix, which is always looking for new ways to cement its position as the best streaming service for horror fans, and will premiere on the service on 19 October worldwide. That means it might be a perfect one to cue up if you're looking to have a spooky movie night around Halloween.
Before then we'll probably get another, longer trailer, so you'll get a second opportunity to get a glimpse of the scary true story it aims to tell, to see whether it merits being added to your watchlist.
