At some point during your time as a student at the University of Washington, you are bound to hear about the infamy of Ted Bundy.
(photo via E!)
During my first year at UW, my friend Alyssa asked me, “You know how Ted Bundy went to school here?” And honestly, I didn’t. She went on to tell me how Bundy was a student at UW who was seemingly average, aside from the secret killings. Late we discovered that he had even lived on the same side of campus as us.
As the year went on and I learned more about campus, someone asked me if I had ever heard the “Ted Bundy Phone” ring. Perplexedly, I asked, “The Ted Bundy phone??” They laughed and they told me about the rumor of how the payphone near the art building was one of the locations of a Bundy murder and that the phone is broken but sometimes, it still rings.
This may not be the actual phone but this photo by Andrew Guenther is an accurate representation.
I laughed off the ghost story and went on my way. A month later, walking home from a study group on the poorly lit streets of North Campus, I heard the chilling ring of the “Bundy Phone.” I’m not proud to admit that for a second I believed the rumors and quickened my pace, spooked by the never-ending rings.
While all of this occurred in my first year at UW, I never really thought about the impact and monstrosity of the Bundy serial murders. The Netflix docuseries, Conversations with a Killer: The Ted Bundy Tapes turns the whispers of gossip into cold, hard, horrifying fact.
On Thursday, January 23, 2019, almost 41 years after the Bundy’s last crime, I sat down with my friend Alyssa to watch the Tapes. We settled in for the four hour recount of Bundy’s terrifying lifestyle with a big bowl of popcorn and blankets.
As we watched, the story became more and more disconcerting. We quickly realized how much we didn’t know about the Bundy story. Listening to him tell his story from his point of view was more chilling than the ring of his supposed phone. Hearing that friends and acquaintances viewed him as personable and engaging makes you suspicious of the people around you. The tales of the disappearances of his victims were nightmarish.
Bundy would often change his appearance so victims and police wouldn’t recognize him. (photo via Oxygen)
At the same time, the docuseries shows how much criminal investigation and technology has developed. It brings into sharp relief how times have changed and how women and children have been conditioned to be fearful of such situations.
This docuseries is disturbing but in the most interesting way. It is definitely worth the watch. I would recommend inviting a buddy to watch with you (and maybe don’t walk home in the dark like I did afterwards).
If you’re feeling brave, dive into the facts of the infamous Ted Bundy on Netflix.
Other interesting Ted Bundy related articles:
*warning: contain case facts that may be disturbing to some audiences*
True Crime Magazine: Was Ted Bundy a Criminal Mastermind?
NY Daily News: The Day Ted Bundy Was Executed in Florida in 1989
The Everett Herald: Photographer Who Spent Hours with Ted Bundy Awaits TV Show
Life! Death! Prizes!: Creepy Quotes From Serial Killers That Will Leave You Cold