Is Woman of the Hour a true story? The chilling real tale behind the Anna Kendrick Netflix thriller

Netflix's latest true-crime thriller, Woman of the Hour, is landing on the streaming site this month. With its connection to a real-life serial killer, fans are already fascinated to know if the film is based on a true story.

Anna Kendrick’s directorial debut, Woman of the Hour, was shown last year at the Toronto International Film Festival (TIFF), and viewers were gripped by the frightening tale. The film tells the chilling story of 1970s notorious serial killer Rodney Alcala. Despite his heinous crimes, Alcala appeared on national television on the TV show The Dating Game, where he encountered aspiring actor Cheryl Bradshaw, portrayed by Kendrick in the film.

Kendrick’s latest film, Woman of the Hour, takes a unique approach to the traditional true-crime format as it delves into the lives of Alcala’s victims, both the ones who died and managed to escape. So, what do we know about the story that inspired Woman of the Hour?

Warning: This article contains references to sensitive subject matters, including sexual violence.

Is Woman of the Hour based on a true story?

Yes, Woman of the Hour is based on the real-life killer and rapist Rodney Alcala who is played by Daniel Zovatto in the Netflix film.

The film is a dramatised version of Alcala's story, highlighting his time in the limelight before he was apprehended for the murders of at least seven women and girls in the United States during the 1970s. However, according to the Associated Press, authorities believe that Alcala could have killed as many as 130 people.

The serial killer was a professional photographer who often lured his victims in by offering to take their photos before he repeatedly strangled them to prolong their suffering. Steve Hodel, a retired Los Angeles police detective who helped investigate Alcala for a child sexual violence case in 1968, told the LA Times, “This guy is a killing machine."

After serving a 36-month prison sentence for the first crime he was charged for, he escalated to committing murders and even appeared on a popular TV show at the time, The Dating Game. When his crimes came to light, he became known as the 'Dating Game Killer' as a reference to his time on the show.

When Alcala appeared on the popular TV show as 'Bachelor No. 1' in 1978, he drew viewers with his charm and charisma. Like other contestants, his answers often contained innuendos. When he was asked what food he would be eating, he said, "I'm called 'The banana,' and I look really good. Peel me."

Despite having already committed multiple murders and cases of sexual violence by this time, he won a date with Cheryl Bradshaw, who is named Sheryl Bradshaw in the film.

After the show, Cheryl backed out of the date upon meeting him in person. According to ABC News, she told contestant coordinator Ellen Metzger, "I can’t go out with this guy. There’s weird vibes that are coming off of him. He’s very strange. I am not comfortable." Decades later, in 2012 she told the Sydney Telegraph, "He was acting really creepy. I turned down his offer. I didn't want to see him again."

One of the other contestants from Alcala’s episode, Jed Mills, said Alcala was "kind of good-looking but kind of creepy." In the green room before the show, Alcala told him, “I always get my girl.”

In 1979, a year after appearing on a show, Alcala was arrested for the murder of a 12-year-old girl who was found stabbed to death near Huntington Beach, California. He was found guilty of her murder and received the death penalty twice, but successfully appealed his verdict twice.

During his third trial, prosecutor Matt Murphy decided to re-examine evidence they had found in a storage locker owned by Rodney when he was arrested. The evidence ended up linking Alcala to four other murders in the 1970s and contributed to an Orange County jury convicting Alcala on five counts of first-degree murder in 2010, for which he was sentenced to death.

He later pled guilty to two more murders, which gave him another 25 years in prison in 2013, and was charged again with the murder of a 28-year-old woman who died in 1977.

Rodney Alcala passed away on death row in 2021, aged 77, from natural causes.

Woman of the Hour will be available to stream on Netflix from October 18th.