Featured Image Credit: Netflix
Topics: Netflix, TV And Film, Crime, True Crime
Rhianna Benson
In the handful days since landing on the streaming service, Netflix's latest true-crime thriller Woman of the Hour has colossally divided viewers.
Aspects of the feature-length film which some fans are heaping praise onto, some critics are making complaints about.
And while the majority of filmmakers go into their jobs knowing they can't please everyone, the real-life, criminal nature of the story being told has sparked an unexpectedly heated response among viewers.
For those out of the loop with the eerie star-studded thriller that has set millions of tongues wagging in recent days, Woman of the Hour tells the tale of Rodney Alcala who - in the 1960s and 70s - is understood to have murdered around 130 women and girls.
In the midst of his killing spree and unbeknownst to the cops, the Texas murderer appeared on a popular match-matching TV show in a bid to 'find romance' during which he was paired up with an aspiring actress named Cheryl Bradshaw.
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After he and two other 'bachelors' answered a series of questions that Cheryl had prepared before he was chosen as her 'match' and a date was arranged for the two of them.
Thankfully, however, the real Cheryl - played in the movie by Pitch Perfect star Anna Kendrick - grew concerned about the 'creepy' man she'd been set up with and cancelled the date.
In the years that followed, Alcala was found guilty of eight murders across California, New York and Wyoming between 1971 and 1979, but it’s thought he may have killed more than 100 others.
He died in prison in 2021.
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As we say, Woman of the Hour has sparked a mixed reaction in the days since its release, with one integral aspect of the blockbuster seeing some fans thrilled but leaving others wanting more.
Taking to the popular Facebook account 'Netflix Bangers', one fan opened up a conversation about the flick, asking their fellow internet users what they thought of it.
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"It's refreshing to see a serial killer movie where the serial killer is not the main focus," they penned.
Unlike many other recent adaptations of true-crime cases, including the portrayal of Ted Bundy in Extremely Wicked, Shockingly Evil and Vile and Jeffrey Dahmer in Ryan Murphy's first instalment to the Monsters franchise - Woman of the Hour focuses on Cheryl.
As opposed to centring Alcala's heinous crimes, the story is told from her point of view, as well as that of several of the other women he interacted with prior to his arrest.
But the same viewer also highlighted a common complaint about the film.
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She continued: "But I wished they had focused more on that girl, the reason the serial killer was caught. What do you think about Woman of the Hour?"
The viewer in question was seemingly referencing the film's ending, which sees Amy (Autumn Best) escape Alcala's clutches and turn him into the police.
Another viewer agreed the film should have focused more on Amy, and also said more should have been made of side character Laura, who tries to raise the alarm about Alcala.
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They wrote: "Am I the only one that feels #WomanoftheHour should have been centered around Amy the runaway or Laura?
"It was centered around Cheryl but Amy’s survival skills and Laura’s persistence is why he died in jail I’m sure. Still enjoyed it though."
A third said: "Why did it abruptly end when there’s so much story left to tell?
"Why didn’t we follow Amy’s life the whole time?"
However, many viewers commended movie bosses for the focus on Cheryl.
"It was good," one agreed. "I have found that many serial killer movies either focus solely on the victim escaping or on the serial killer.
"This point of view was different than others but still captivating and psychologically thrilling."
Another fan confessed: "I liked it, not only about the killer & victims but also how women were treated back then & how they were expected to act.
"The game show scene was prime example. Women were not taken seriously, why do you think he got away with it for so long..."
A third added: "I loved this movie. Amazing take on a serial killer movie. The way it centred on the moment the woman realizes she's doomed instead of the actual death was brilliant."
"Highly original, skilfully crafted, captured injustices," another went on.