As I was relaxing in my dorm room and scrolling on Netflix at the beginning of the month, the warm orange hues and retro font of the Woman of the Hour banner caught my attention. Despite not being a big fan of psychological thriller movies, I’ve always loved reading psychological thriller novels. Endless nights of turning pages, afraid to go to sleep. The pages’ words infiltrated my brain and created paranoia that can only be described as a sinking feeling. I was filled with curiosity surrounding the film and clicked play.
While I was prepared to be entertained, I didn’t expect to be terrified. The film was exhilarating, entertaining, and engrossing. In the past, if people were to ask me about what I considered a horror movie, I would immediately think about movies such as The Conjuring, It, Scream, and Smile—jump scare movies. However, after watching Woman of the Hour, my perception on the horror genre has shifted. When considering the horror genre I know now that I should not forget psychological thrillers such as Silence of the Lambs, The Shining, and Gone Girl.
Woman of the Hour is the retelling of a true crime story by debut director Anna Kendrick, who also stars as the main character, Sheryl Bradshaw. Sheryl is an actress who struggles to find work. In order to get her more attention, her agent books her on The Dating Game, a TV game show where three bachelors are asked questions by a bachelorette. Each episode fo the game show ends when the bachelorette chooses one of the men to go out with.
While Sheryl competes, she also challenges misogynistic norms by changing the show’s dynamic. Originally, The Dating Game presented its female contestants as one dimensional and simple. Sheryl alters the questions she is told to ask into complex ones that actually test the bachelors. At the end of the episode, Sheryl chooses to go on a date with Rodney Alcala (Daniel Zovatto)—Bachelor #3. At first, Sheryl is interested in getting to know Rodney further but slowly realizes that she may be in danger.
Psychological thrillers explore the innermost thoughts faced by a protagonist and are driven by the fear and anxiety that they face. In comparison to novels that may explicitly state the mental states of characters, the movie shows the personal threats that Sheryl faces through her subtle facial expressions. While there are some gory scenes throughout the film, the true horror of the movie stems from Sheryl’s reactions to the threat she faces. Her smile fades throughout her date with Rodney as she speaks with him; she whispers terrified curses under her breath when she realizes that Rodney is following her. As an audience member, there was a buzz of nervousness that took over and resulted in my paranoia and anxiety growing throughout the duration of the movie up.
Watching horror staples like The Conjuring make for a completely different experience than watching The Woman of the Hour. There were moments of terror during the movie’s unexpected jump scares, but they faded away during the calmer points of the movie. Despite the warm lights and peaceful environment in my dorm room when I was watching Woman of the Hour, I was in a constant state of expectation and anticipation that never disappeared until the credits of the movie were shown. The piling tension led to multiple pauses during the film, which was arguably scarier than the happenings of the film.
Part of my fear throughout the movie may be attributed to the fact that I knew the movie was a retelling of a true story. However, the movie production and plot contributed to my engagement as an audience member as well. The cinematography and plot points of the movie kept me on the edge of my seat. While scenes during the Dating Show had bright colors, the scary moments happened in dim lighting and darkness. Even though nothing really happens to Sheryl, through the movie’s timeline, audiences are brought back and forth between the past, where we see what Rodney has done to past victims, and Sheryl’s present timeline. Seeing the terror that he causes other women in the past creates uneasiness in the present.
In the past, I overlooked psychological thriller movies, considering them an unimportant part of the horror genre. But it's not only it's content matter, which in such cases like Woman of the Hour, is based in reality. Even camera angles, such as close–ups, and audio effects (or lack thereof) are incredibly effective in creating powerful and intense watching experiences; they are focused much more on showing versus telling, something that cannot be recreated for typical jump scare movies.
Psychological thrillers linger. If you are looking for a movie that will leave you thinking about it for minutes, hours, days, and weeks after watching it, consider watching Woman of the Hour. Psychological horror movies will make even the most serene dorm rooms—with photos of my highschool friends and family taped up on the walls and my stuffed animals decorating my bed—a place to be afraid.
