On the Jan. 24, 1989, Ted Bundy was executed in the Florida State Prison, and now 30 years later we are still remembering the horrific murders and crimes he committed. Netflix has comprised a four-part “docu-series” that is based upon a book by journalists Stephen Michaud and Hugh Aynesworth, who recorded 75-80 tapes with over 100 hours of conversations with Bundy. In these audio tapes, Bundy speaks in a descriptive language about his childhood and past relationships, while avoiding the topic of the cases and charges held against him. His conversations with Michaud were business-like and cautious, wanting to tell others about his career and childhood from his own perspective. He only started to open up and admit to his crimes when he was a few days out from his execution when there was no hope of escaping his inevitable fate.
Ted, at first, refused to talk about anything other than his idealized childhood and places he traveled and lived until Michaud suggested Bundy speak on the crimes in the third person. By disassociating himself with his actions, he was able to talk through how and why he became a killer. Bundy’s thoughts are compelling and horrifying. While still being able to compartmentalize his crimes, he told Michaud and the world what he believed caused his own violent actions. It is odd seeing a man who was able to have normal relationships with women, his family, and friends, still able to commit so many atrocious acts. He would say things like, “I just wasn’t too fond of criminal conduct and using anti-war movements as a haven for delinquents who liked to feel that they were immune from the law.” This shows how sociopathic and dissociated his tendencies were.
Courtsey: CBS News
In addition to the tapes containing first-hand witnesses from Bundy’s childhood and life, there are interviews with people who personally worked on the cases. The series shows the conversations with Bundy taped in 1980 while he was on death row, testimonies from the people who knew Bundy personally, as well as the series of events that led to his execution. As a child, he was described as being different and introverted, but there was a switch when he became an adult as he was said to be charming, personable and easy to talk to. We see in the videos that Bundy loved the attention and continued to receive attention when he became a sort of “celebrity” serial killer that is still so well-known now 30 years after his death and will probably continue to be known for long into the future. This documentary serves to show how Bundy was different than most serial killers and how he achieved such a status. His normal demeanor and charming attitude were what caught people in thinking of him as innocent and allowed him to continue on with his crimes for so long. The docuseries overall provides the viewers with a step by step, straight-forward recount of Ted Bundy’s crimes and investigations up until his execution, interspersed with Bundy’s tapes.
Netflix warns its viewers to “not watch it alone.” Too late for me. Unless you are a regular purveyor of true crime shows, don’t watch it alone as I did. Joe Berlinger, the director of the docuseries, uses many grainy photos, drawings and images that give the viewer an uneasy feeling. It is very sinister in nature that will definitely have you checking every door. Be sure to look out for another Ted Bundy film, Extremely Wicked, Shockingly Evil, and Vile, starring Zac Efron as the notorious serial killer that is set to premiere this year as well.
Courtesy: Giphy