Anna Kendrick's Woman Of The Hour Is Terrifying, And There's One Part Of The Netflix Movie I Think Other Directors Should Learn From (2024)

Anna Kendrick's Woman Of The Hour Is Terrifying, And There's One Part Of The Netflix Movie I Think Other Directors Should Learn From (1)

Spoilers ahead for Woman of the Hour.

Anna Kendrick has had a wildly successful career on the stage and screen, and now she's adding another hyphen to her name: director. Her directorial debut Woman of the Hour is now streaming for those with a Netflix subscription, she shocks it out of the park. As a horror fan I was thrilled to see how genuinely terrifying it was, and there's one part of the Netflix movie I think other directors should learn from.

I got to see Woman of the Hour at the 2023 Toronto International Film Festival, a year before it finally got its release on Netflix. And on the second watch I was once again taken with how expertly Anna Kendrick built the movie's tension throughout its 94-minute runtime. And perhaps more importantly, it sticks the landing and has a wildly successful conclusion.

Woman of the Hour's critical response has been overwhelmingly positive, with plenty of journalists noting just how terrifying it is. For one, there's the device of being shown Rodney killing a number of victims. This shows as Anna Kendrick's Cheryl prepared for and films an episode of The Dating Game. And more chillingly, while she connects with the killer aka Bachelor #3, allowing for the audience to steadily worry more and more about the movie's protagonist.

Anna Kendrick's Woman Of The Hour Is Terrifying, And There's One Part Of The Netflix Movie I Think Other Directors Should Learn From (2)

And once Woman of the Hour runs of out of flashbacks, things feel even more dire. Cheryl and Rodney go out for drinks after wrapping their episode of The Dating Game, and it becomes clear that now Kendrick's character was in very real danger of being just the latest in a long list of victims from the serial killer.

After a tense, wordless exchange with a waitress refusing another round of drinks, Cheryl leaves the bar... along with Rodney. This is almost wordless parking lot pursuit plays out like the finale of any horror movie, but without any actual blood violence. Instead, the audience stays with Cheryl's POV, and feels every bit of fear as she tries to distance herself from the killer. It's a remarkable scene that leaves one breathless, and completely relieved when Anna Kendrick's character manages to make it out alive.

But Woman of the Hour isn't over there, and in fact what follows makes the ending of Kendrick's directorial debut all the more satisfying. When the audience is introduced to yet another young victim of Rodney's named Amy, it feels like a grim death sentence given what we know. Despite having no power she finds a way to manipulate Rodney and eventually escape when given the chance. So after all that pain and fear, we get a happy ending, as well a postscript that reveals what happened to each of the real-life charaters.

CINEMABLEND NEWSLETTER

Your Daily Blend of Entertainment News

So many horror movies fail to have a satisfying ending, or get boring after the premise or one too many jump scares occur. And as such, I think there's a lot to be learned from Kendrick's work on the Netflix movie.

With both her performance and directorial vision for Woman of the Hour, I'm ready to elevate Anna Kendrick to full scream queen status. Give us another upcoming horror movie, please! For now, check the 2025 movie release dates.

Corey was born and raised in New Jersey. Graduated with degrees theater and literature from Ramapo College of New Jersey. After working in administrative theater for a year in New York, he started as the Weekend Editor at CinemaBlend. He's since been able to work himself up to reviews, phoners, and press junkets-- and is now able to appear on camera with some of his favorite actors... just not as he would have predicted as a kid. He's particularly proud of covering horror franchises like Scream and Halloween, as well as movie musicals like West Side Story. Favorite interviews include Steven Spielberg, Spike Lee, Jamie Lee Curtis, and more.

More about streaming news

Selena Gomez Had Another Viral Moment Amidst The Diddy Brouhaha, But This One Was A Gaffe The Internet Has Latched OntoTaylor Swift Totally Brought Sabrina Carpenter On Stage Amid Latest Eras Tour Stop, And Now I Can't Sleep Rewatching The Video Of Her Surprising The Fans

Latest

Venom: The Last Dance Has A Blink-And-You'll-Miss-It Ghostbusters Easter Egg (I Totally Did)
See more latest►

TOPICS

Most Popular
There's Already Chatter About Gladiator II's Oscar Chances, And I'm So Stoked Early Reactions Are Specifically Pointing To Denzel Washington 'Stealing' The Movie
How To Watch Generation Z Online And Stream Every Episode Of The Gory Horror Comedy For Free From Anywhere
Tim Allen Is Heading Back To TV, And I'm Loving His Take On Why His New Show Makes Him 'Feel Like Tom Brady'
'I Couldn't Find A Sound Effect For It': The Weird And Honestly Shocking Story Behind How Dune's Sound Designer Created The Giant Sandworm
I Already Love Adam Brody And Nobody Wants This, But Hearing His Reaction To All The Memes About The Show Makes Me Adore Him Even More
Armor Wars Writer Reacts To Marvel Pivoting The Project From A Show To A Movie
'Working At NBC Is Safer.' Hoda Kotb Gets Candid About Finally Deciding To Leave Network TV (But I'm Excited For What She Wants To Do Next)
Paul Bettany Shared His Thoughts On Agatha All Along, And It's Making Me Even More Excited For His Vision Show
After Alleged It Ends With Us Drama, Justin Baldoni Talks About Receiving Support From Gina Rodriguez
Katee Sackoff Wants To Appear In The Star Trek Franchise, And Next Generation’s Jonathan Frakes Has A Great Idea About Who She Could Play
James Gunn Responds To Report That Dua Lipa Has Been Cast As A Major Heroine For The DCU
Anna Kendrick's Woman Of The Hour Is Terrifying, And There's One Part Of The Netflix Movie I Think Other Directors Should Learn From (2024)
Top Articles
Latest Posts
Recommended Articles
Article information

Author: Jeremiah Abshire

Last Updated:

Views: 5558

Rating: 4.3 / 5 (54 voted)

Reviews: 93% of readers found this page helpful

Author information

Name: Jeremiah Abshire

Birthday: 1993-09-14

Address: Apt. 425 92748 Jannie Centers, Port Nikitaville, VT 82110

Phone: +8096210939894

Job: Lead Healthcare Manager

Hobby: Watching movies, Watching movies, Knapping, LARPing, Coffee roasting, Lacemaking, Gaming

Introduction: My name is Jeremiah Abshire, I am a outstanding, kind, clever, hilarious, curious, hilarious, outstanding person who loves writing and wants to share my knowledge and understanding with you.