“Extremely Wicked, Shockingly Evil and Vile,” a vibrant string of adjectives, but who is it referring to? Ted Bundy. Played by the ex-Disney dreamboat Zac Efron, Bundy is portrayed as the handsome, charmer he was described as. The film also stars Lily Collins as Liz Kloepfer, Bundy’s longtime girlfriend. “Extremely Wicked, Shockingly Evil and Vile” is directed by Joe Berlinger who also created The Bundy Tapes, The Killing of Jessica Chambers, and many other popular films. I also had the pleasure of meeting Joe at the Cleveland International Film Festival last weekend during a pre-release screening of “Extremely Wicked, Shockingly Evil and Vile”.
For those of you who don’t know, Theodore Robert Bundy was a convicted serial killer who was active during the 1970s. He confessed to 30 murders, but authorities believe the number to be much higher. Bundy was also one of the first people with continuously televised trials. He had hundreds of adoring fans, mostly women, who swooned at his good looks (I don’t see it) and charm. It’s also common knowledge that Bundy had some variation of Antisocial Personality Disorder because of his lack of empathy, accountability, and remorse. Regardless, buckle up because the Bundy story is true and wild.
Before I get into it, the title, “Extremely Wicked, Shockingly Evil and Vile” was said by Judge Edward Cowart at the end of Bundy’s sentencing. I had to go through 75 minutes of the time to realize that the title was actually a quote and not just a general consensus of Bundy’s personality.
Ted Bundy and his horrific crimes are well known across the world. There have been documentaries, mockumentaries, books, podcasts, and anything else you can think of, made on Bundy’s crimes. All of the gritty details of assault and dismemberment are laid bare to the public and it prompts one to think: haven’t we exhausted the “Bundy Killings,” how much more can we take? One more. “Extremely Wicked, Shockingly Evil and Vile” gives viewers a new angle on the life and times of Bundy. Geared toward the perspective of Liz Kloepfer, we get a glimpse of what Bundy was like in his relationship with Liz. The film is more about Liz fighting with herself and her emotions about Bundy. This is a sharp contrast to most Bundy films which focus on the atrocities inflicted upon young women.
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“Extremely Wicked, Shockingly Evil and Vile” is a worthy film overall. The acting itself was amazing and believable; there’s nothing worse than bad acting that takes you out of a film. You will also find supporting characters played by familiar actors like Jim Parsons and Haley Joel Osment. I was also pleasantly surprised at the accuracy of the narrative to the real-life events. I won’t spill the beans on that one because of ~spoilers~. Even if you know the Bundy StoryTM you will still enjoy watching the film from a different perspective. “Extremely Wicked, Shockingly Evil and Vile” will be released later this year on Netflix, so you’ll have to wait for Zac Efron’s buns (spoiler, sorry).