Series Review: The Woman in the House Across the Street from the Girl in the Window

A bereaved mother watches the world go by with a glass of wine (or a few bottles) from her living room window – until she witnesses a brutal murder… or did she?

Do not be fooled into thinking this is your classic mystery series, this is a satirical and dark take on mystery dramas such as The Girl on the Train, The Woman in the Window and Hitchcock’s Rear Window – I mean, just look at that huge title. This eight-part series has a 54 per cent critic rating and a 61 per cent audience rating on Rotten Tomatoes and I think it’s well worth a watch, however, it has had some pretty mixed reviews.

Kristen Bell (Forgetting Sarah Marshall) plays a heartbroken bereaved mother, Anna, turned alcoholic turned detective. When new neighbour and widow Neil moves in across the street with his daughter Emma, Anna quickly becomes obsessed and offers to make them a casserole for dinner (this woman LOVES a casserole.) After finding out Neil has a girlfriend, Anna becomes absorbed in washing down sleeping pills with red wine while watching the seemingly happy family from her window – until she witnesses the murder of Neil’s girlfriend, Lisa… or did she?

Anna’s imagination goes into overdrive, queue break-ins, stalking, police visits and… a ventriloquist dummy (I won’t give any spoilers.)

This short series has the typical mystery formula seen in Girl on the Train and The Woman in the Window – the nosy neighbour who tells everyone she can that Anna is an alcoholic, the police officer who doubts Anna and the murder she claims she saw, twists and turns in every episode that keep the audience guessing and the puzzle pieces coming together at the end.

https://twitter.com/KristenBell/status/1487157611929616385

I felt this series was well done and cleverly poked fun at the genre – something that isn’t done often. There are lots of little nods and hints at this being a satire, like the fact Anna is always reading (fictional) murder-mystery books such as The Woman Across the Lake and The Girl on the Cruise. I think this is well worth a binge-watch one evening, it still keeps the viewer guessing in between some ridiculous scenes and some very dark humour.

The Woman in the House Across the Street from the Girl in the Window is available to stream on Netflix from January 28.

Watch the trailer:

Thank you for taking the time to read this film review, do remember to come back and check this section for more reviews and remember, you can also follow us on Facebook and Instagram.