Netflix's Woman of the Hour: 10 Must-See Movies If You Loved the Thrills!
Woman of the Hour: A Chilling Look at Survival and Intuition
Woman of the Hour, that new Netflix flick directed by and starring Anna Kendrick, takes on a unique angle in true crime storytelling. It tells the wild tale of Rodney Alcala, a serial killer who once was a contestant on The Dating Game (hosted by Cheryl Bradshaw). The genius? It centers on the survivors. No, really, not the killer's backstory! It shifts that typical focus and gives an intimate perspective to how survivors cope. It's refreshing; a welcome break from those often-criticized true-crime productions.
Lately true-crime media has often focused on criminals rather than the victims. Series like Ryan Murphy's Monster have drawn serious flak for neglecting to speak with Jeffrey Dahmer's victims' families before launching a series. Woman of the Hour, however, is vastly different. It shifts the narrative entirely. The sheer intimacy, that psychological tension generated from the survival; it all adds intense thrills! And as we see next, a lot of movies focus on the aftermath.
10 Movies to Watch if You Dig Woman of the Hour’s Unique Perspective
10. The Lovely Bones (2009): A Ghost's Eye View of Murder
Starring a young Saoirse Ronan, Mark Wahlberg, and Stanley Tucci, this supernatural drama follows Susie Salmon (Ronan), a young girl murdered by her neighbor George Harvey. It centers around the after-effects; It focuses on Susie's ghost observing her own murder investigation as her distraught father copes with the profound and impossible loss; it provides unique and amazing depth to those intense emotions surrounding the death of loved ones and this cinematic exploration presents this profound moment in a creative and insightful manner. While entirely fictional; many real-life elements in its creation.
9. Boston Strangler (2023): Journalists Versus a Misogynistic Killer
This Hulu film, starring Keira Knightley and Carrie Coon, shows Loretta McLaughlin and Jean Cole, two journalists who chase that notorious killer terrorizing Boston (1962-1964)! The film’s creative strength highlights both the personal and professional risks undertaken, especially since those initial investigative efforts frequently run afoul due to those extremely intense cultural elements present, specifically sexism; emphasizing their very real fight against such problems present in that timeframe, including the enormous pressures faced against women while simultaneously working on incredibly crucial work that helps victims and families, all shown against an historically critical timeline. That focus, showing reporters fighting prejudice while battling a killer– is compelling!
8. Extremely Wicked, Shockingly Evil, and Vile (2019): A Killer’s Path of Destruction
This Netflix movie portrays Ted Bundy (Zac Efron). The story unfolds through the eyes of Elizabeth Kendall (Lily Collins), Bundy’s ex-girlfriend who’s completely unaware of his true nature and horrific actions! While polarizing, many criticize its insufficient focus on Elizabeth. This does resemble Woman of the Hour; it's focused on those profoundly damaged relationships as a direct effect of this killer's actions; emphasizing what a very unique angle for focusing a crime narrative entails and is ultimately used to great effect in making the true tragedy extremely visceral for audiences.
7. My Friend Dahmer (2017): A Glimpse Into a Killer's Troubled Youth
Ross Lynch stars in My Friend Dahmer (Hulu). Unlike many movies here that explicitly feature the violence or crimes that had been done; this film explores instead, this intensely problematic teenager’s experiences in high school (the 1970s) highlighting how strange behaviors would already be developing, before the horrors were known. That focus shows what happened to a teen; before he later turned into that truly monstrous killer; those early seeds that suggest and show an incredible build up, something found quite effective for telling a truly creative narrative which had not been fully exploited yet, which would create an intriguing alternative to telling such a well-known narrative.
6. Zodiac (2007): The Unsolved Mystery and a Detective’s Obsession
This David Fincher classic shows those two men pursuing The Zodiac Killer (Jake Gyllenhaal and Mark Ruffalo), showing their increasingly obsessive investigation surrounding this enigmatic criminal in the 1960s San Francisco Bay Area. This movie resembles Woman of the Hour, it centers on the people affected by the mystery, making this focus far more personal rather than showing gruesome acts committed. The impact on investigators; victims; their relationships – all is beautifully shown against an intensely immersive, dramatic plot line that really keeps you hooked.
5. Summer of Sam (1999): A Community's Terror in the Wake of the Son of Sam
Spike Lee’s Summer of Sam (1999) captures that wild, intensely frantic NYC (the 1970s) during the infamous Son of Sam killing spree. The drama showcases both social issues that had previously not been explored very widely – it is very focused on how those particular kinds of situations had greatly affected a specific part of NYC’s population. The characters' emotional states—and how those reactions are conveyed visually and narratively; creates an immensely visceral, deeply relatable reaction that would be experienced in similarly scary situations.
4. Monster (2003): A Killer’s Story Through the Eyes of Her Lover
Charlize Theron is Aileen Wuornos, in this very powerful drama on this very difficult life. The film uses a truly interesting perspective; seen mostly through the eyes of Selby Wall (Christina Ricci), Wuornos's girlfriend. Unlike those other films, it forces the viewers to actively engage and think; it asks them to decide whether she's just a killer or something else, and even further questions: who's the “real” monster here? It’s surprisingly brilliant; showing that very effective narrative could entirely use unusual tactics to bring an otherwise simple topic to become a powerful examination; this exploration was both intelligent and compelling!
3. Sleeping with the Enemy (1991): A Domestic Violence Thriller
Not about a serial killer! It explores the plight of domestic violence survivors. Julia Roberts plays Laura Burney, who’s escaping an intensely dangerous situation where the possibility of death and injury hangs heavily. Her amazing intuition to get away – the act itself is what makes this intensely suspenseful! And those thrilling chase scenes, showing just how resourceful some people need to become! That gut-level knowledge; that need to escape for pure self-preservation, totally resonates with Woman of the Hour’s theme, even without focusing on crimes specifically.
2. Watcher (2022): A Woman’s Instincts Versus a Stalking Killer
This movie’s unique element: a woman suspects a killer before police notice! Julia (Maika Monroe) notices a strange neighbor in Bucharest, Romania. She becomes increasingly convinced he's “The Spider”—a local serial killer. The incredible use of paranoia, creating this tension, showcasing just how skilled she is— This becomes utterly compelling as viewers desperately hope this smart woman will overcome her potential dangers, creating an emotionally charged experience. That clever take— like Woman of the Hour’s focus on instincts over gruesome crime, really helps elevate its plot elements in extremely effective ways.
1. Gone Girl (2014): A Twisted Revenge Thriller
This psychological thriller flips things around completely, demonstrating how effectively narratives may use surprising tactics to increase audience attention and appreciation of even simple and relatively simple premises that everyone knows about – yet those ideas were expanded through that twist! Amy Dunne (Rosamund Pike) stages her death, and blames her husband. Her intense revenge plan; the clever social critiques— It’s a shocking examination of toxic relationships and toxic masculinity. This has all the great twists and thrills Woman of the Hour shows but goes beyond that in ways the similar true crime never truly attempted! And it demonstrates how important taking an alternate path truly is and highlights many relevant topics through these compelling plots!
Conclusion: Beyond the Crime Scene: Exploring the Psychological Impact
These films highlight aspects that were never widely examined. These provide compelling viewing; showing stories of resilience; survivors, and the human costs. The power of intuition – is key across these Movies– those insights found surprisingly common in real life. They show how true-crime’s potential exceeds those initial simple murder storylines and creates very intriguing explorations focusing entirely on specific characters that were never previously shown adequately in such effective and intensely well-crafted narratives.
