Rodney Alcala, also known as The Dating Game Killer, won the "Dating Game" TV show as Bachelor Number One in 1978.

This scene is true to the real-life story, as the end titles reveal that a teenage runaway escaped Rodney by asking him to keep the encounter a secret on Feb. 14, 1979. Amy had run away to a nearby diner and called for help, where she watched out the window as police arrived at the gas station and arrested Rodney.

This story contains mild spoilers for “Woman of the Hour,” now streaming on Netflix. “Woman of the Hour” screenwriter Ian McDonald faced a unique challenge with his sophomore feature: Tell a true crime story that felt “necessary and useful.

Netflix’s new No. 1 film, “Woman of the Hour,” is based on the true story of serial killer Rodney Alcala. Here’s what happened in real life and where the “TV dating show killer” is now.

The eerie, ‘70s-set thriller, which hit streaming on Netflix on October 18, 2024, primarily focuses on a fictionalized version of the woman (played by Kendrick) who appeared on a dating reality show with—and picked—a man eventually dubbed “The Dating Game Killer” (Daniel Zovatto).

Woman of the Hour, currently streaming on Netflix, recounts how serial killer Rodney Alcala became known as The Dating Game Killer after appearing on a TV gameshow

The story of serial killer Rodney Alcala — the so-called "Dating Game Killer" who actually appeared on and won the show — has been turned into a new movie called "Woman of the Hour."