A new Netflix film released today (18 October) tells the true story of a serial killer who ended up going on a TV dating show
The directorial debut of Anna Kendrick, who also stars as dating show contestant Cheryl Bradshaw in Woman of the Hour.
The film tells the true story of Bradshaw’s appearance on 70s dating show The Dating Game and her encounter with serial killer Rodney Alcala (Daniel Zovatto).
By the time Alcala appeared on the show in 1978 he was already a serial killer, and Cheryl refused to go on a date with him because she found him creepy when they actually got to meet face to face.
Her instincts would prove to be spot on as he was a dangerous serial killer who would go on to murder at least three more people after his appearance on the show.
She got a bad feeling about the man, he turned out to be a serial killer. (ABC)
Alcala was arrested the following year and sentenced to death for his crimes, but instead died of natural causes in 2021.
The serial killer, aged 35 when he appeared on The Dating Game, was introduced as a photographer who was interested in skydiving and motorbiking.
As for how he made it onto the show, at the time he got on he’d already been in prison after being convicted of child molestation and had been on the FBI’s top 10 most wanted list.
However, The Dating Game didn’t do a background check to discover this and the serial killer ended up as ‘bachelor number one’ on an episode.
Speaking to ABC, TV producer Michael Metzger said he thought that Alcala ‘had a very strange personality’ but his wife Ellen thought the serial killer was attractive and early concerns were overruled.
Daniel Zovatto plays serial killer Rodney Alcala in Woman of the Hour. (Netflix)
Bradshaw could not see her prospective dates as she asked them questions such as ‘what’s your best time’, to which Alcala answered ‘the best time is night’ and said that was because ‘it gets really good’.
She also asked the unseen trio of men: “I am serving you for dinner. What are you called and what do you look like?”
Alcala’s answer was that he’d be called ‘the banana’ and said she should ‘peel me’.
While he was chosen for a date which was supposed to include tennis lessons and a trip to the Magic Mountain amusement park, Bradshaw got a bad feeling from him and insisted she wouldn’t go on the date.
In Woman of the Hour they are shown going out together, with Bradshaw signalling bar staff that she’s not comfortable while Alcala’s back is turned before he confronts her and demands she give him her number.
Woman of the Hour is available to stream now on Netflix.