Is Woman of the Hour based on a true story? Explained

Modified Sep 18, 2024 16:39 GMT

Anna Kendrick seen in Woman of the Hour (Image via Instagram/@annakendrick47)

Woman of the Hour is a crime thriller directed by Anna Kendrick in her directorial debut. The film was written by Ian McDonald and produced by Miri Yoon, Roy Lee, Raphael Margules, and J. D. Lifshitz. It premiered at the Toronto International Film Festival on September 8, 2023, and is slated to premiere on Netflix on October 18, 2024.

The film stars Anna Kendrick as the actress Cheryl Bradshaw, who has a close encounter with the serial killer Rodney Alcala (Daniel Zovatto) after meeting him on the television show The Dating Game. The official logline of Woman of the Hour, as per Netflix, reads:

"The stranger-than-fiction story of an aspiring actress in 1970s Los Angeles and a serial killer in the midst of a yearslong murder spree, whose lives intersect when they’re cast on an episode of The Dating Game."

Woman of the Hour is based on the true story of the serial killer Rodney Alcala, who killed multiple women and young girls in the 1960s and 1970s.

Who was the real Rodney Alcala depicted in Woman of the Hour?

Daniel Zovatto in an image from the horror film (Image via X/@Anna Kendrick)

Woman of the Hour is based on the true story of Rodney Alcala, who became known as 'The Dating Game' serial killer due to his appearance on the popular show from the 1970s.

Rodney was a native of San Antonio, Texas, and was considered an academically gifted student with a high IQ of 135. He enrolled in the United States Army at 17 and later studied at prestigious universities like the UCLA School of Fine Arts and New York University. However, his life took a dark turn after this time.

Rodney committed his first known crime in 1968, when he kidnapped, ra*ed, and brutally assaulted the eight-year-old Tali Shapiro. Over the next decade, he continued the cycle of attacking women, serving jail time, getting parole, and violating his parole. Between 1977 and 1979, he went on a killing spree of young girls and women across California.

It was during this time that he came face-to-face with Cheryl Bradshaw. She was a young, dynamic drama teacher and not an aspiring actress, as shown in the movie. In 1978, Cheryl appeared as a bachelorette on the dating show The Dating Game in search of love. She was introduced to three potential suitors, one of whom was Rodney Alcala.

After getting to know all three through a fun question-and-answer round, Cheryl chose Rodney as the episode's winner. According to the show's format, the two were set to go on a date the following day, but Cheryl canceled their tennis date after getting a 'creepy' vibe from him.

The tense date between Cheryl and Rodney in the film's teaser did not occur in real life. Decades later, in 2012, Cheryl spoke to the Sydney Telegraph about her gut feeling about Alcala:

"I started to feel ill. He was acting really creepy."

Her strong gut instinct saved Cheryl, and she narrowly escaped being one of his victims. Nevertheless, Rodney continued his chilling murder spree until July 1979, when he was finally caught. The notorious serial killer was convicted of seven murders, although it is believed that his true victim count could be up to 130. He spent the rest of his life in jail and died on July 24, 2021, from natural causes, aged 77.

Woman of the Hour plot summary

Woman of the Hour is set in the 1970s and features an aspiring actress, Cheryl Bradshaw, who appears on the popular dating show The Dating Game, looking for a romantic partner. She leaves the show with the charming Rodney Alcala, unaware that he is a notorious serial killer on the run.

Although she initially finds Rodney interesting, Cheryl feels increasingly creeped out by him on their date. The film delves deep into Rodney's killing spree, which ended up claiming more than 100 women's lives.