This article contains mentions of murder, rape, and sexual assault.
This article contains spoilers for Woman of the Hour.
Anna Kendrick’s directorial debut, Netflix’sWoman of the Hour,is based on thereal-life serial killer Rodney Alcala (Daniel Zovatto), but it does leave out some details. The film is based on Alcala’s real-life appearance on the popular 1970s television showThe Dating Gamein search of his next victim in 1978, which led tohow Rodney Alcala was ultimately caught. This appearance has widely dubbedAlcala as “The Dating Game Killer"in the years since his imprisonment for his crimes.Woman of the Hourtouches upon a number of Alcala’s later crimes surrounding his appearance on theDating Game, butultimately focuses on how one woman’s intuition saved her life.
InWoman of the Hour, Anna Kendrick playsCheryl Bradshaw, the real-life host ofThe Dating Gamethat day, and after choosing Alcala from her lineup of bachelors, ultimately told the producers that she sensed something strange about Alcala and would not go out with him. However,the film does not touch upon Alcala’s initial arrest, sex offender registration, or criminal trial.
6The Tali Shapiro Case
The Case Marked Alcala’s First Documented Assault
The real Alcala narrowly fled the scene after the 1968beating and sexual assault of 8-year-old Tali Shapiro. Shapiro only survived because a neighbor called the police to the scene upon seeing Alcala luring the child into his home (viaABC 2020). Shapiro was lured into Alcala’s home on the lie that he knew her parents. Shapiro’s family was then residing at the storied Chateau Marmont in Los Angeles.
When police arrived at the scene, they found that the young Shapiro had been brutally beaten with a steel bar. Shaprio remained in a coma for 32 days, and ultimately survived her attack. Following his attack on Shapiro, Alcala went on to attack 23-year-old flight attendant Cornelia Crilley in New York City in 1971. Crilley was strangled with a pair of her stockings, as shown inWoman of the Hour. Crilley’s murder remained unsolved until 2011 due to the lack of witnesses, as Alcala had helped her move furniture into her empty apartment (viaNew York Post).
Woman Of The Hour: What Happened To The Real Amy, Monique Hoyt
Since Woman of the Hour’s Amy is based on a real person, Monique Hoyt, many viewers may be curious about what happened to her after the film’s events.
After the FBI added Alcala to their Most Wanted list,he was identified by campers at the girls' arts camp he was employed at in New Hampshire. Shaprio’s family had already relocated to Mexico and refused to allow her to testify. However, as Shaprio’s case was the only one that bore witnesses to an attempted murder, Alcala was only charged with child molestation, and served two years in prison until 1974. He then kidnapped, assaulted, and provided marijuana to another 13-year-old girl upon his release, resulting in another two years in prison, and he was released in 1976 (viaOC Weekly).
5Alcala Was Placed On The FBI’s Most Wanted List
The List Led To His First Arrest
Alcala was on the FBI’s Most Wanted List several years before his appearance onThe Dating Game. Following the Crilley murder, Alcala fled New York City for New Hampshire, where he worked as a camp counselor at a girls' arts camp under the alias John Berger. Two campers identified Alcala based on his photo on an FBI poster, leading to his initial arrest for child molestation (viaPEOPLE).
This first arrest led Alcala to register as a sex offender, a repeat offense he would continue to commit. Following his prison stay post-New Hampshire,Alcala went on to murder Ellen Jane Hover, the 23-year-old daughter of nightclub owner Herman Hoverand goddaughter of singer-actors Dean Martin and Sammy Davis Jr (viaInside Edition). He lured her under his false name of John Berger, inviting her to be photographed by the Hudson River. Her remains were found near the John D. Rockefeller Estate a year later (viaThe New York Times).
4He Was Questioned As The Hillside Strangler
The Stranglers Were Later Revealed To Be Two Other Killers
Following the Hover disappearance, Alcala fled back to California, where hefound work as a typesetter atThe Los Angeles Times. In 1978, he was interviewed by police who were a part of the Hillside Strangler task force, who ultimately concluded that he was not the strangler. He was arrested yet again for marijuana possession (viaLA Weekly). This event is alluded to inWoman of the Hour, though it is not expanded upon as to why Alcala was interviewed in the first place.
Alcala murdered Jill Terry Barcomb of Oneida, New York, in Los Angeles in 1977. The 18-year-old had been raped, beaten, and bound with rope ties. Her body was discarded on a dirt path near Mullholland Drive. This murder was initially believed to have been connected to the Hillside Stranglers, Kenneth Bianchi and Angelo Buono (viaLA Weekly).Neither confessed to the murder, and it was later tied to Alcala.
The Killer Later Studied at New York University
WhileWoman of the Hourdoes mention that Alcala studied under Roman Polanskiat New York University, the film does not include Alcala’s earlier educational journey. Alcala grew up in middle-class Monterey Park and graduated from Cantwell High School in 1961, where he ran track and was a member of the yearbook committee. Alcala enlisted in the U.S. Army at 17 years old,where it was revealed thathe boasted a near-genius level IQ of 135.
He was later discharged from the army on medical grounds. Alcala went on to earn a bachelor’s degree from the UCLA School of Theater, Film and Television in 1968.His intelligence and education are in part what allowed Alcala to evade authorities for as long as he did,as his high intelligence coupled with several mental illnesses led to his elaborate plots (viaPasadena Star News).Woman of the Hourpicks up several years later, shortly after his studies at NYU, when he commits the Crilley murder and more.
2Alcala’s Spree Continued After The Monique Hoyt Assault
Robin Samsoe’s Murder Is What Ultimately Got Him Convicted
Woman of the Hourdepicts a teenage runaway named Amy (Autumn Best) narrowly escaping Alcala and calling the police on him, leading to his arrest. Thereal Amy was a woman named Monique Hoyt, who really did survive her attack, but was far from Alcala’s last victim in 1979. A text epilogue explains that Amy testified in court against him. In reality,Monique’s case was not the final nail in the coffin,as Alcala’s mother posted his bail upon his arrest (viaKABC).
Months later, Alcala killed 21-year-old Jill Marie Parentaeu in her Burbank apartment. She was raped and beaten to death. Alcala was incriminated by blood samples years later, as he cut himself escaping through a window. Still, Alcala managed to escape,until he would meet his final victim days later – Robin Christin Samsoe.
Samsoe was a 12-year-old girl from Huntington Beach, California, who had been riding her bicycle home from ballet class. Samsoe’s friends later told police that Alcala approached the group of young girls on the beach and asked to photograph them. He went on to kidnap, rape, strangle, and stab Samsoe. Her body was found on the side of Santa Anita Canyon Road.Alcala’s parole officer recognized him from police sketches, and this became his final arrest, putting an end to a decade-long murder spree (viaThe Los Angeles Times).
He Was Originally Sentenced To Death
Alcala originally stood trial in 1980 in California and was sentenced to death. This conviction was later overturned after jurors revealed they were not informed of his status on the sex offender registry. He was sentenced to death for a second time, but was later overturned after Alcala filed ahabeas corpuspetition. In2003, with updated technology, authorities placed Alcala at the scene of more crimes than initially anticipated,leading to his indictment in five further California murders. He attempted to defend himself in court in 2010, resulting in a third death sentence (viaCBS News).
Alcala narrowly escaped that death sentence after he was extradited to New York in 2012 to answer for more crimes, as the state of New York outlawed the death penalty in 2007. As a result, he was instead sentenced to 25 years to life in prison when he returned to imprisonment in California. The killer died of natural causes at a hospital in Kings County in 2021.
His extensive portfolio of nude and gruesome photos continues to be investigated by authorities for potential victims of cold cases. It is now estimated that Alcalacould have up to 130 victims(viaAP). This trial is now showcased inWoman of the Hour,making the real case that much more horrific.
Sources:ABC 2020, PEOPLE, Inside Edition, The New York Times, OC Weekly, LA Weekly, Pasadena Star News, The Los Angeles Times, CBS News, AP
Woman of the Hour
Cast
Woman of the Hour is a biographical thriller directed by Anna Kendrick, who also stars in the film. The movie chronicles the infamous real-life story of Cheryl Bradshaw’s appearance on the 1978 edition of The Dating Game, where one of the contestants, Rodney Alcala, would later be revealed as a notorious serial killer. The film delves into the chilling intersection of entertainment and true crime.
