True crime is hitting the big screen later this year with the Ted Bundy biopic Extremely Wicked, Shockingly Evil And Vile . Just days after the film’s official trailer was released, the internet has had a mixed bag of reactions.
Many fear the movie glamorizes the serial killer, who was convicted for the brutal murders of at least 30 women between 1974 and 1978.
He was sentenced to death by electric chair and was finally executed on January 24th, 1989.
His trial was highly publicized as it was one of the first to be shown on TV across the country.
Bundy also made history by insisting he provide his own defence, calling back to his law school experience for assistance.
Many people have critiqued the movie as a “glamorization” of the murderer, and fear the platform will inspire new crime sprees.
It’s also no secret that Ted Bundy was viewed as a sex symbol before and after his conviction, due to his good looks and charming personality.
Young girls would flock to the courtroom in hopes of catching a glimpse of the killer.
Reporters began to notice some women were dying their hair the same shade of dark brown that all of Bundy’s victims had in an effort to draw his attention their way.
These reasons are exactly why many people argue Efron is the perfect choice.
Ted Bundy was a notorious womanizer, who was able to get away with his crimes for so long due to his seemingly normal and mundane everyday life.
The romanticization of serial killers in general has been an issue for decades.
The phenomenon of women lusting after killers was analyzed in Psychology Today , “Some believe they can change a man as cruel and powerful as a serial killer.”
Other women believe they can see the child the killer once was, and feel a strong desire to nurture.
Some women would even want to date a killer because of the publicity and media attention.
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Lastly, there’s the theory that an incarcerated killer could be the “perfect boyfriend.” You’d always know where he is.
Unsurprisingly, this attraction may not make sense to most of us, but it’s an undeniable part of serial killer folklore.
Enter Kathy Kleiner Rubin, a survivor of a Ted Bundy attack in January 1978.
She was assaulted by Bundy in the middle of the night in her Florida State University sorority house on January 15th 1978. She spoke to TMZ about her thoughts on the upcoming film.
She said she doesn’t mind Efron’s “hot take” on the killer.
“I believe that, in order to show him exactly the way it was, it’s not really glorifying him, but it’s showing him. And when they do say positive and wonderful things about him, that’s who they saw. That’s who Bundy wanted you to see.”
The ability for Ted Bundy to turn his “killer” side on and off so easily is part of what made him so terrifying.
“I think the movie does glorify more than I think he should be, but like I said, I think everyone should see it and understand him as what he was, even when he was the perfect son.”
Kathy continued to say the movie could be educational for women.
“I think hopefully it will make women—mainly that’s my heart, to care for the women—to be more aware of their surroundings and to be cautious.”
She concluded with advice for young men and woman about following your own instincts.
“He had different tactics that he used to help people- to help people get in cars or do things. In your gut, if you feel that something doesn’t feel right, just say no.”
Of course, the concern about the sexualization of a killer is understandable.
Especially with a Hollywood sex symbol like Zac Efron playing the role.
However, showing Bundy in a “normal” light is essential to realizing his impact on women, as painful as it may be to watch.
What do you think of the trailer? Will you see the movie?
