A new Netflix film has revealed the horrifying true story behind a photo of a man smiling after winning a dating game show.
True crime is an incredibly popular genre that spans many media forms including books, TV shows, podcasts, and documentaries, and, of course, movies.
In the US, 41% of people watch true crime on TV, as per YouGov.
And it’s a new Netflix original movie of just that genre that has left viewers haunted by the events that unfold on screen.
The movie has been flooded with praised by fans.
One writes: “Not even horror films have scared me as much as this one did. It’s truly terrifying being a woman in this world.”
Another adds: “This film is so good, so well-crafted, and so thought-provoking. It’s almost unbelievable how well it tells a compelling story with imagery.”
“This movie scared the s*** out of me. Even more so since it’s based on a true story. The acting is amazing and makes it a lot more unsettling,” a third says.
Actress Anna Kendrick has made her directing debut with this new Netflix original movie.
The 39-year-old star is best known for her roles in films such as the Pitch Perfect franchise, A Simple Favour, and the Twilight saga.
Kendrick not only directed the hit film but also starred as the lead character.
She spoke to The Wrap about her preparation for making a movie based on a true story.
“So I did a lot of research,” she began. “A lot of it was just me and a subscription to Newspapers.com — was very, you know, low-budget film vibes.
“The prosecutor [on the case] really made himself available as a resource to me, which was incredibly generous. And there are so many details that felt incredibly moving and haunting that we wanted to keep in the film,” Kendrick added.
The movie also stars Daniel Zovatto, who has been in films such as It Follows and Ladybird.
The film has received an impressive 90% on Rotten Tomatoes and 6.7 on IMDb.
Critics have also praised the movie.
Kevin Maher from The Times states that it’s ‘a fiercely committed depiction of murder and misogyny in 1970s America.’
Jake Coyle for The Associated Press writes: “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.”
“A true-crime thriller that also operates as a damning commentary on societal misogyny—especially in Hollywood—it’s as chillingly sharp and canny as its deranged fiend,” Nick Schager from The Daily Beast reviews.
Netflix’s synopsis for the movie reads: “An aspiring actress crosses paths with a prolific serial killer in ’70s LA when they’re cast on an episode of The Dating Game. Based on a true story.”
The film follows the heinous crimes of Rodney Alcala, who became known as the ‘Dating Game Killer.’
Alcala appeared as a bachelor on the blind dating show in 1978, just two years before he was convicted of the murder of a 12-year-old girl.
The murderer would target women under the pretense that he was a photographer, often complimenting his victims and asking to take photographs of them.
The premise of The Dating Game is that a single woman would ask questions to three potential partners who could be seen by the audience but not by her.
The contestants would not see each other face-to-face until the woman had made her pick.
Matt Murphy, a former homicide prosecutor who worked on the Alcala case 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.”
Alcala was picked as the winner of the date by contestant Cheryl Bradshaw.
He had appeared as charming and charismatic on the show and the haunting, now infamous, photo captures the serial killer’s reaction after he won the show.
However, luckily, Bradshaw never went on the date with Alcala after a conversation they had backstage left her feeling uneasy about him. This decision saved her life.
Contestant coordinator Ellen Metzger told ABC News that Bradshaw rang her to cancel the date: “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. Is that going to be a problem?’ And of course, I said,’‘No.’”
Bradshaw later spoke of the experience to Alan Warren, author of ‘The Killing Game: The True Story of Rodney Alcala’: “When they were both standing there on the break behind the scenes. She got chills and shivers and she thought there’s something off about him. She thought this guy’s weird.”
After his TV appearance, Alcala would go on to commit at least three other murders, before being arrested on 24 July 1979 and being sentenced to death.
He was a serial killer and s** offender who was found guilty of eight murders across New York, California, and Wyoming between 1971 and 1979.
Despite only being convicted of eight murders, he is suspected of killing over 100 women and girls.
Alcala died of natural causes in 2021 aged 77 at a hospital near the Corcoran state prison in California.
Zavatto, who plays Alcala in the film spoke to Comic Book Resources about his experience playing the serial killer.
“I think Rodney’s like a lion playing with his prey. He’s not just going for the kill and that’s it,” he said.
“He was addicted to this power and being God for the next hour or two. He thought, ‘I’m going to choke you, and I’m going to let you come back to life.’ There was so much of that disgusting behavior that he loved.
“He loved doing that to his victims and feeling like he controlled their lives. Their lives were in the palm of his hand.” Zavatto continued.
Kendrick shared with Rolling Stones how important it was for her to accurately portray the killer’s crimes on screen: “He kept trophies, usually jewelry, the mental image of him, in the aftermath of violating and brutally killing a person.
“Taking the time to remove a delicate piece of jewelry, haunts me. He preserved them for years. He treated an earring with more respect than a human being.”
Woman Of Hour is now streaming on Netflix.
