He sat there.
That’s the part that sticks in your throat when you watch Anna Kendrick’s directorial debut. Rodney Alcala, a man who had already murdered multiple women and at least one child, was sitting under neon studio lights on a national television set. He was charming. He was "Bachelor Number One." And he was winning.
The film Woman of the Hour isn't just a thriller; it’s a reckoning with how a serial killer managed to hide in plain sight during a 1978 episode of The Dating Game. If you're looking for a simple slasher flick, this isn't it. It’s much more uncomfortable because it focuses on the systemic failures that allowed a monster to thrive. Honestly, the reality of the Woman of the Hour serial killer Rodney Alcala is actually far darker than what the movie could even fit into a two-hour runtime.
Who Was the Real "Dating Game Killer"?
Rodney Alcala wasn't your stereotypical "creepy guy" in a trench coat. That’s why he was so dangerous. He was a polymath, an artist, and a graduate of New York University where he studied under Roman Polanski. He had a genius-level IQ. He used a camera as his primary weapon, posing as a fashion photographer to lure victims into a false sense of security.
By the time he appeared on The Dating Game, Alcala was already a convicted child molester. Let that sink in for a second. In 1968, he kidnapped and raped an 8-year-old girl in Hollywood. He fled to New York, changed his name, and was eventually caught, but due to a series of legal mishaps and a lack of centralized databases, he was paroled. The show's producers didn't do a background check. Back then, they basically just checked if you had a pulse and a decent suit.
The movie captures this vibe perfectly. It portrays Alcala as a man who understood the "rules" of social interaction well enough to manipulate them. He knew how to play the game. Literally.
The Moment Cheryl Bradshaw Smelled Trouble
In the film, Anna Kendrick plays Sheryl (spelled Cheryl in real life) Bradshaw. The movie takes some creative liberties with the dialogue, but the core truth remains: Cheryl chose him, but she never went on the date.
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Why? Because Alcala gave off a vibe that bypassed her polite exterior and triggered her survival instincts.
During the show, Alcala’s answers were weirdly aggressive and sexually suggestive. He described himself as a "successful photographer" and leaned into a persona that was supposed to be edgy. While the audience laughed and the host, Jim Lange, played along, Cheryl felt a coldness behind his eyes. After the cameras stopped rolling, they met backstage. Alcala was reportedly "creepy" and overly intense.
Cheryl actually called the contestant coordinator the next day and said, "I cannot go out with this guy. There’s weird vibes that are coming off of him. He’s very strange. I am not comfortable. Is that going to be a problem?" It wasn't a problem for her, but it didn't stop Alcala. He went on to kill at least three more women after his TV appearance.
The Massive Scope of Alcala’s Crimes
It’s hard to talk about the Woman of the Hour serial killer without mentioning the sheer volume of his victims. He was officially convicted of seven murders, but authorities believe the number is closer to 130.
When Alcala was finally arrested in 1979, police found a storage locker in Seattle. Inside was a literal treasure trove of trauma: thousands of photographs of women and children. Many were in "high fashion" poses, but others were unconscious or clearly in distress. In 2010, the Huntington Beach Police Department released over 100 of these photos to the public, hoping that people would recognize the women and help solve cold cases.
It worked. Several families identified their missing loved ones.
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The Victims We Know
- Robin Samsoe: The 12-year-old whose disappearance finally led to Alcala’s undoing.
- Jill Barcomb: Found in the Hollywood Hills.
- Georgia Wixted: A registered nurse.
- Charlotte Lamb: Found in a laundry room in El Segundo.
- Jill Parenteau: Murdered in her own apartment.
The movie chooses to focus on the psychological atmosphere of the era rather than a body-count-style narrative. It highlights how the 1970s was a "perfect storm" for men like Alcala. No DNA testing. No digital records. A culture that told women to be "nice" even when their gut was screaming at them to run.
Why the Film Matters Now
People often ask why we need another serial killer movie. Honestly, it’s a fair question. We’ve been saturated with Ted Bundy and Jeffrey Dahmer content for years. But Woman of the Hour feels different because the camera stays on the women.
It looks at the casual sexism of the The Dating Game set—the way the makeup artists talked to Cheryl, the way the host belittled her intelligence, and how that same dismissiveness allowed a murderer to share a stage with her. If the men in charge had bothered to look closely at Alcala, or if they had listened to the women who expressed discomfort, the "Dating Game Killer" might have been caught years earlier.
Alcala died of natural causes in 2021 while on death row in California. He was 77. He never showed remorse. He actually acted as his own attorney during his trials, which was a nightmare for the victims' families. He would cross-examine witnesses and even refer to himself in the third person. It was his final performance.
Moving Beyond the Screen
If you’ve watched the movie or followed the case, the takeaway isn't just "be careful who you date." It’s about the importance of intuition and the failure of institutions.
The story of the Woman of the Hour serial killer is a reminder that monsters don't always look like monsters. Sometimes they look like Bachelor Number One.
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To truly understand the gravity of this case and the impact on true crime history, here are the best ways to engage with the facts:
1. Review the Huntington Beach "Alcala Photos"
The police still have unidentified photos from Alcala's collection. Public help is still the primary way these cold cases get closed. If you have an interest in true crime advocacy, looking through these archives (available on various law enforcement and news sites) is a direct way to contribute to potential justice.
2. Study the "Gift of Fear" Principle
Gavin de Becker’s famous book The Gift of Fear uses cases exactly like Cheryl Bradshaw’s to explain why "vibes" are actually sophisticated biological radar. Learning to distinguish between social anxiety and true intuition is a life skill that the film highlights through Cheryl’s decision to cancel the date.
3. Support Cold Case Organizations
Since Alcala’s crimes spanned multiple states (California, New York, Washington, and potentially Arizona), his case is a benchmark for why national DNA databases like CODIS were created. Supporting organizations like Project Cold Case helps ensure that the gaps Alcala slipped through are permanently closed.
4. Watch the Original Footage
If you can stomach it, the original 1978 clip of Alcala on The Dating Game is available online. Watching it after knowing his history is a chilling exercise in spotting "the mask of sanity." You can see the exact moments where his charm feels performative and where the "Bachelor" persona slips.
The credits might roll on the movie, but the reality for the families of Alcala's victims is a lifelong sentence. The best way to honor them is to remember their names, not just the name of the man who took them.
Actionable Insights for True Crime Enthusiasts:
- Fact-check the dramatization: While the film is accurate in tone, remember that certain characters are composites to protect privacy. Use the Samsoe case as your primary source for trial facts.
- Investigate the 2010 photo release: This was a turning point in digital forensic investigations and remains a fascinating study in "crowdsourced" justice.
- Focus on victim advocacy: Shift the narrative from the "genius" of the killer to the systemic failures of the 1970s justice system to understand how to prevent history from repeating itself.