’Woman of the Hour’ true story: The real horrifying crimes in the Netflix thriller

Directed by Anna Kendrick in her (directorial) debut, Woman of the Hour tells a fascinating true crime thriller story based on the chilling tale of the infamous serial killer Rodney Alcala. Shot against the backdrop of a bizarre game show appearance in the late 1970s, Woman of the Hour takes us across the seemingly delicate lines between entertainment and horror as Alcala used his natural charisma to mask the stench of his crimes as shown in the trailer. All information that you may have regarding the true story of Woman of the Hour as well as its trailer, cast and release date.

Woman of the Hour true story: A haunting exploration of evil and deception

Synopsis and premise

This crime thriller film is set in 1978. Then, Alcala was already deep into his killing spree that would claim the lives of five or more women. The story is about the participation of Alcala as a guest on the popular dating reality show The Dating Game, in which he was awarded a date with one of the show’s participants, Cheryl Bradshaw (played by Anna Kendrick). This scenario, in and of itself quite unbelievable, sets the stage for a story that vividly portrays this horror as contrasted between Alcala’s grinning appearance on camera and the horrific reality of his off-camera activities.

Cheryl Bradshaw was a lovely, talented contestant who refused to go out with Alcala, finding him creepy. It was a choice that seemed trivial at the time, but that was to have profound repercussions because it expressed the instincts that are normally overlooked in the face of superficial charm. Alcala had already testified to such manipulative behaviour and would go on to commit further crimes after the dating reality show, making the scene a pivotal moment to the film’s s concept of danger masquerading as normalcy.

The true story of Rodney Alcala

Born Rodrigo Jacques Alcala Buquor on 23 August 1943, in San Antonio, Texas, Rodney Alcala was traumatised in the early years and violence. His father left when Rodney was just 11. That led to relocation to California. Rodney was academically talented as well as well-liked by all his friends, but all his things changed as he joined the US Army, where he displayed manipulative and violent behaviour.

Alcala first appeared on a list of most wanted criminals in 1968 when he abducted and assaulted an eight-year-old girl. Fleeing California to avoid arrest, he used many aliases after that and held jobs that gave him access to children and young adults. His charm and charisma eased his way of manipulation to savour a double life as an emerging photographer while committing unspeakable acts.

Between this time, Alcala was formally charged with a number of murders: Cornelia Crilley, a stewardess whose body turned up in her apartment. He was captured but could not be nailed by physical evidence since the key witnesses had disappeared; he was instead convicted of petty offences. This cycle opened a pattern of good fortune and subsequent crimes that would carry through into the late 1970s.

The Dating Game appearance

As mentioned above, the film is inspired by Alcala’s appearance on The Dating Game, wherein he was at the same time evading law and order personnel and had thus far murdered several women. He was introduced to the audience as a photographer who had done very well for himself. However, despite the outwardly charming persona, Alcala not surprisingly turned out to be a sick freak with odd opinions, whose demeanour sat uneasily with the host as well as other contestants on the program. One of the bachelors recalls Alcala as “a pretty strange guy.”

This instinctive rejection of Alcala by Bradshaw embodies a powerful theme in the film — to listen to your gut. The episode became notorious, with Alcala going on to be dubbed “The Dating Game Killer.” This juxtaposition of Alcala’s charismatic public self and his private monstrosity raises interesting questions about the nature of evil and how easily it can be disguised.

A life of violence and manipulation

After his appearance on the game show, Alcala continued his killing spree, murdering several women, including Jill Barcomb and Georgia Wixted. He circulated photographs of his victims as a photographer, taking their sexually explicit images. Many of these photographs were eventually located by detectives and have fuelled much conjecture over whether he murdered other victims.

The prosecutors in the trial described his methods as sadistic — that he liked to play with his victims and strangled them until they were unconscious and then revived them to prolong the agony. This chilling fact reveals a man who had great pleasure in control and domination.

Despite serving several life terms for multiple murders, the amount of bodies Alcala left behind cannot be determined. By calculations, he stands to be responsible for about 130 deaths. He kept on denying his crimes until his death in 2021.

Woman of the Hour

Woman of the Hour, the Netflix thriller movie released on October 18, 2024, promises to be both an entertaining and insightful cinematic experience (judging by the trailer) which reminds us about the dangers lurking below charming facades. The serial killer movie throws light on larger implications — of trust, of manipulation, and the darker aspects of human nature through a singular focus on Alcala’s game show appearance.

Indeed, we must not forget the truth real victims in this story. The ease with which Alcala moves from the glitzy world of television to the grim reality of his crimes will always haunt us. This movie will undoubtedly kick off discourse on the nature of evil and the dangers of misplaced trust. The good news is Woman of the Hour release date is not far away.

Woman of the Hour trailer

Watch the full Woman of the Hour trailer below.

What is the Woman of the Hour release date?

Woman of the Hour release date is 18 October on Netflix.

(Hero and featured image: Courtesy of IMDb)