Cheryl Bradshaw trusted her gut when she refused to go on a date with Rodney Alcala, and that decision may have saved her life.

Anna Kendrick's directing debut, Netflix's 'Woman of the Hour,' tells the true story of how serial killer Rodney Alcala won 'The Dating Game' in 1978.

"The Dating Game" seemed like a cute way to connect the sexes, until serial killer Rodney Alcala won, as seen in the Netflix film "Woman of the Hour."

The main reason for that is Anna Kendrick, who makes a formidable, clear-eyed directorial debut in addition to playing Bradshaw. Using plenty of her own career experiences, Kendrick presents Bradshaw’s story as a grimly common one of pervasive,

That simply cannot be true” is the reaction many will have to the narrative centerpiece of Anna Kendrick’s directorial debut, “Woman of the Hour.” And yet: On a 1978 episode of “The Dating Game,” one of the “eligible bachelors” was a serial killer in the midst of a murder spree.

Interspersed with several discomforting episodes from Alcala’s criminal life is the story of Bradshaw — a struggling actress in Los Angeles whose agent tosses her the paltry bone of an appearance on the show.

The actress stars in and directs a Netflix film based on the true story of a contestant on ‘The Dating Game’ who was unwittingly matched with a serial killer in 1978.

We know that Anna Kendrick can act alongside vampires. We know that she can sing (and move about cups around at the same time!). And now, with her directorial debut Woman of the Hour, we know that she is talented on the other side of the camera,