New Netflix film with 91% on Rotten Tomatoes is true story almost too horrific to believe

Woman of the Hour: Tony Hale as gameshow presenter Ed, Anna Kendrick as Cheryl and Daniel Zovatto as Rodney (Image: Leah Gallo/Netflix)

Netflix's new film, Woman of the Hour, is getting high praise for its quality, its performances and its powerful messages.

Anna Kendrick, the star and director of the film, has been lauded by critics who say she "proves herself a formidable talent on both sides of the camera" as she "taps into the treacherous sexism that was hardwired into the entertainment industry and wider culture of the time".

Woman of the Hour is based on a true story and is one of the standout films on Netflix this year. It tells the chilling tale of Cheryl Bradshaw, a contestant on the 1978 episode of The Dating Game, and Rodney Alcala, another participant.

The Dating Game was a popular TV show where a single man or woman would ask questions to three hidden contestants, hoping to select one for a date sponsored by the show. The more modern UK equivalent would be Blind Date.

However, what no one on the show knew is that Alcala was a serial killer already in the middle of a murder spree believed to be far greater than the eight murders he was eventually convicted for. Bradshaw actually ends up choosing Alcala (portrayed by Daniel Zovatto) on the show after hearing each of the contestants' answers, reports the Irish Star.

Anna Kendrick as Cheryl Bradshaw and Daniel Zovatto as Rodney Alcala in Woman of the Hour (Image: Leah Gallo/Netflix)

Former homicide prosecutor Matt Murphy, who was involved in the Alcala case and provided insights for Woman of the Hour, told The Guardian: "It speaks to the narcissism, the arrogance of psychopaths. He's in the middle of a murder spree and he went on The Dating Game and he was selected."

Despite Cheryl picking Alcala on The Dating Game, she had a chilling change of heart after their introduction. She opted out of the date, expressing her unease to the show's staff.

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Ellen Metzger, the contestant coordinator for The Dating Game, recounted to an ABC News documentary how Bradshaw felt: "She said 'Ellen, I can't go out with this guy. There's weird vibes that are coming off him. He's very strange. I am not comfortable.'"

Bradshaw's instinct proved right and she never encountered Alcala again.

What were Rodney Alcala's crimes?

Rodney Alcala was convicted for the murders of eight women across the United States, but many believe the number of victims is substantially higher, with some saying it potentially surpasses 100. Prior to his appearance on the television show, he had already claimed the lives of several women, with two killings occurring in southern California, which is also the location where The Dating Game was produced.

Serial murderer Rodney Alcala enters the courtroom before the start of final arguments in his death penalty trial in 2010 (Image: Michael Goulding/MediaNews Group/Orange County Register via Getty Images)

He was convicted of the following murders:

Robin Samsoe, 12, in 1979Jill Barcomb, 18, in 1977Georgia Wixted, 27, in 1977Charlotte Lamb, 32, in 1978Jill Parenteau, 21, in 1979Cornelia Crilley, 23, in 1971Ellen Jane Hover, 23, in 1977Christine Ruth Thornton, 28, in 1977.

One of Alcala's victims miraculously managed to escape after a heinous attack that is portrayed in the film. She was merely 15 years old when Alcala assaulted her, having lured her to a secluded area with the pretence of a photoshoot. However, she outwitted him by feigning a desire for a relationship. Seizing an opportunity when Alcala went into a petrol station toilet, Hoyt made her daring escape from his vehicle and sounded the alarm.

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Alcala was sentenced to death for his crimes, but died of natural causes on July 24, 2021, while still on death row, aged 77.

What are critics saying about Woman of the Hour?

In the Observer, Wendy Ide states Anna Kendrick "taps into the treacherous sexism that was hardwired into the entertainment industry and wider culture of the time".

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Rodney James Alcala's mughsot in black and white (Image: Digital First Media/Orange County Register via Getty Images)

Jonathan Romney of the Financial Times comments: "This is an accomplished watch, entertaining and troubling in turns."

The Associated Press's Jake Coyle remarks: "Woman of the Hour will surely send many looking up this stranger-than-fiction story. But Kendrick's achievement is in capturing, from a woman's point of view, just how hard it can be to pick a serial killer out of an all-male line-up."

Carla Meyer from the San Francisco Chronicle indicated: "Anna Kendrick's tense, insightful directing debut, re-centers the narrative on Alcala's victims and the rampant misogyny that pervaded the 1970s."