“We want to be able to say we can identify these dangerous people. And the really scary thing is you can’t identify them. People don’t realize that there are potential killers among them.” -Ted Bundy
The novelty and shocking aspects that composed the entirety of Ted Bundy’s case and trial are what keeps us interested in his life 30 years after his execution. His impeccable ability to shape shift his appearance and personality traits gave him a unique advantage in the world of serial killing; his anonymity became his saving grace. The thought that “someone like him” could perform such atrocities was baffling. His charismatic nature and suave charm enabled him to trap not only women, but any who came into contact with him.
So, what’s this “Bundy Binge” all about? Why are we so fascinated with such a devilish person? Is it a healthy curiosity with which we eagerly anticipate Zac Efron’s role as the charming killer? Is Ted still fooling us into feeding his narcissism postmortem? It’s safe to say that Bundy would be sickly satisfied with the copious amounts of attention and coverage he has been receiving as of late.
Ted’s ability to control people, not exclusively women but just about any person he met, is what I posit our curiosity stems from. How can someone “flip a switch” like that and become the antithesis of what they are portraying on a day to day? Our lack of understanding sends us into a frenzy to know more, a fearful interest of that which eludes our comprehension. It confounds us to know that even “charming good-looking people” are capable of evils such as his.
The uniqueness of the case itself fueled the fires of obsession. Being the first televised trial in history, it showed the grinning well-dressed Bundy eloquently, at times humorously, defending himself to not only the court but the nation. Media chose to cover him because he and his victims were attractive, the screen loved them and thus viewers did too. He was quite open to the press, often engaging in interviews with reporters while imprisoned to further promote a favorable image. Ted didn’t fit the profile of a murderer, in fact the New York Times stated, “He was a young man who represented the best in America, not its worst.” People were blinded by a wolf in sheep’s skin.
The media fell into his trap, feeding his ego and so did many women from around the country. After his death, numerous ‘sensitive, intelligent and kind young women’ stated their utter depression, each claiming “he was the one.” I can’t help but think of the parallels between Netflix’s show You and Bundy’s similar ability to con women into believing whatever he wanted them to believe. His coworker and acclaimed true crime novelist Ann Rule at one point claimed him to be one of the most empathetic persons she knew. After the trial and his confession she stated, “People like Ted can fool you completely… his mask was perfect.” Then as Ted described in the recent Ted Bundy Tapes on Netflix, “People don’t realize that murderers do not come out in the dark, with long teeth and saliva dripping off their chin.” It is important to realize while we binge on Bundy that while serial killing seems distant and “handled” there are still wolves out there pretending to be sheep.
Sources: My Favorite Murder, Conversations With a Killer: The Ted Bundy Tapes, The Stranger Beside Me by Ann Rule