Who was serial killer Rodney Alcala?

A new Netflix movie tells the true story of a serial killer who appeared on a TV dating show in the middle of his crimes.

Directed by Anna Kendrick, “The Woman of Now” tells the story of the crimes of Rodney Alcala, known as the “Dating Game Killer.”

Alcala appeared on the dating show as a bachelor in 1978, two years before he was convicted of murdering a 12-year-old girl.

He was eventually found guilty of a total of eight murders, but he is thought to have killed many more women and girls. Alcala died in prison in 2021.

Rodney Alcala was a serial killer and sex offender who committed eight murders between 1971 and 1979 in New York, California and Wyoming.

But he is suspected of murder More than 100 women and girls.

Posing as a fashion photographer, Alcala often targeted women, complimented them and then asked to be photographed.

In 1980, Alcala was sentenced to death in California for the murder of 12-year-old Robin Samsoo.

His conviction was later overturned by the California Supreme Court and he was granted a new trial. He received the same punishment at the second trial in 1986, but it was overturned again in 2003.

In the years that followed, investigators uncovered forensic evidence linking Alcala to other murders in California.

In a new trial in 2010, he was found guilty of killing Samsoe and four other women aged 18 to 32 between 1977 and 1979.

In 1994, while in detention, Alcala wrote a book called You, the Jury (1994), in which he argued that he was innocent.

Alcala was extradited to New York in 2012 after being charged with two other murders in 1971 and 1977.

In 2016, he was charged with the 1977 murder of Christine Ruth Thornton, a woman who investigators identified in one of his photos.

Alcala died of natural causes in 2021 at the age of 77 Hospital near Corcoran State Prison in California.

Alcala became known as the “Dating Game Killer” for appearing on television during the killings.

In September 1978, Alcala participated in the American television program The Dating Game, which was similar in format to the British program Blind Date.

In the show, a single woman poses questions to three potential partners, who are visible to the audience but not to herself.

At the end of the show, the woman chooses one of the men for a date based on the answers.

I thought Choose Alcala because He was tall, handsome and charming, and the producers did not conduct a background check.

In the episode in which he appeared, Alcala was cast by Cheryl Bradshaw at the end of the show.

But Bradshaw later said she thought he was “creepy” after speaking to him backstage and decided not to continue the date. This decision may have saved her life.

The original episodes of “The Dating Game” featuring Bradshaw and Alcala no longer exist in their entirety – only excerpts from them are available online.

“Women Now” opens in 1977, with Alcala photographing a woman named Sarah in a remote mountainous area in Wyoming, and while taking her photos, he encourages her to reveal details about her personal life.

Things take a sinister turn when Alcala suddenly turns evil and starts attacking her, setting the tone for his predatory approach to several of the women he encounters throughout the rest of the film.

The film’s timeline jumps around as the audience follows several different clues, each focusing on a different woman.

The murder itself does not appear on screen. Instead, the film focuses on Alcala’s first encounters with the women and the moments leading up to the killings.

A large portion of the movie focuses on the day the episode of “The Dating Game” was shot.

In addition to directing the film, Kendrick plays Bradshaw, a woman who appears on the dating show with Alcala.

Although the film is based on a real-life case, certain artistic license was taken. For example, Bradshaw went off-script and asked the bachelors his own questions against the wishes of the dating show host, making the movie even more feminist than it would have been in reality.

The date between Bradshaw and Alcala was also an invention. In fact, they never actually dated, but the film imagines their trip to the bar and subsequent argument in the parking lot.

One of Alcala’s victims, Monique Hoyt, managed to escape after being attacked, and her story is one of those told in the film.

In February 1979, Alcala knocked 15-year-old Hoyt unconscious and sexually assaulted her while she was posing for photos in a remote mountain area.

When she came to, Hoyt realized she had been raped, but in an effort to escape, she convinced Alcala that she was not angry and wanted to pursue a relationship with him.

The two returned to their car and continued on their way. When Alcala stopped at a gas station to use the restroom, Hoyt fled the vehicle and sounded the alarm.

In the film, the woman, named Amy, takes refuge in a nearby diner until police arrive and arrest him. Although Hoyt escaped, Alcala was actually released shortly after his mother posted bail for him.

Anna Kendrick was originally a producer and star of the film, but later signed on to direct. In press materials for the film, the 39-year-old said she knew it would be seen as a surprising choice by some.

She is probably best known for appearing in pitch perfect The film series and comedy “Up in the Air” earned her Oscar nominations, and she also appeared in the “Twilight” movies.

“I can understand why a movie that starts with something violent doesn’t seem like it’s in my wheelhouse,” she admits.

“But I feel like I’ve been through some experiences where I can be with another person and then all of a sudden you find out you’re with someone who is very unsafe.”

Speaking about the overall scheme, she said: “I think the story itself is very compelling because of this dangerous and violent man who goes on a show like The Dating Game and the goal is to choose a good man and win. , this is really ridiculous.

When asked about her attitude towards depictions of violence, she said: “In general, my approach is that beautiful things should be beautiful, and terrible things should be terrible.

“However, violence in movies is rarely literal or explicit. I wanted to take away the violence without erasing it.”

“Woman Now” premiered at last year’s Toronto International Film Festival, but due to the ongoing strike in Hollywood, Kendrick and the cast were unable to attend or promote the film at the time.

The film received generally positive reviews from critics, with some saying Kendrick showed promise as a director.

“Kendrick’s image as an actor is not necessarily associated with dark, edgy material, but as a director she has shown a talent for delivering Hitchcockian suspenseful scenes with her signature wit,” says IndieWire’s Katie Rife.

Patrice Witherspoon of Screen Rant was less than enthusiastic, suggesting that the film was “hindered by tonal imbalance and poor editing.”

but Benjamin Lee of The Guardian says Kendrick “becomes a convincing first-time filmmaker, capturing the feel of a time and multiple places with ease.”

In a genre where “the gore and gristle of serial killers can become too fetishized,” he continued, “Death is difficult to watch without being explicit and restrained without sacrificing necessary shock value.”

Lovia Gyarkye of The Hollywood Reporter summed it up: “While The Woman Now’s execution is sometimes shaky, its story is undeniably powerful.”