Woman of the Hour: Anna Kendrick movie is based on real-life serial killer who won dating show

In 1978, Rodney Alcala appeared on ‘The Dating Game’ while in the midst of a killing spree

Anna Kendrick is making her directorial debut with the forthcoming thriller Woman of the Hour, which is based on the true story of serial killer Rodney Alcala.

Scheduled to release in theaters on September 8, Woman of the Hour recounts the real events of Alcala (played by Daniel Zovatto), who appears as a contestant on the popular game show The Dating Game, where he competes and wins a date with the episode’s bachelorette, Cheryl Bradshaw (Kendrick).

In the movie’s first trailer, released on Tuesday (August 13), Alcala introduces himself on the game show, telling Cheryl: “We’re gonna have a great time together.”

Afterward, as the two are sitting together on their date, Cheryl confesses that she doesn’t date often. She explains she went on the show “because my agent said it would get me seen.”

“Did you feel seen?” Alcala asks. “You know most people don’t like to be seen because you have to be comfortable with yourself. I never hide who I am.”

Who was Rodney Alcala?

Alcala was an American serial killer and sex offender who was sentenced to death in California after being found guilty of committing five murders between 1977 and 1979.

He became known as the “Dating Game Killer” due to his appearance on a 1978 episode of the popular dating game show, which he ended up winning and earning a date with the episode’s star, Cheryl Bradshaw. Following the taping, however, Cheryl reportedly turned down the date after she was turned off by Alcala’s “creepy” vibes.

By 1979, Alcala was finally apprehended by Orange County authorities and convicted of raping and murdering 12-year-old Robin Samsoe. He was sentenced to death the following year, but the judgment was soon reversed in 1984 by the California Supreme Court.

Daniel Zovatto as Rodney Alcala in ‘Woman of the Hour’ (VVS Films)

After being retried a few times, Alcala was eventually convicted and sentenced to death in 2010 for the murder of Samsoe. His DNA was also found to match evidence in four other Orange County murders, so he faced four more counts of first-degree murder.

Alcala was later convicted of murdering two other women nearly a decade earlier when he was a film student at New York University in 1971.

Although it remains unknown how many people Alcala actually murdered, authorities believe the number may be closer to 130, according to The Associated Press.

While on death row, Alcala died of natural causes on July 24, 2021, at the age of 77.

Woman of the Hour is scheduled to be released sometime on Netflix, an exact date is TBD.