Netflix's 'Extremely Wicked' has left some viewers feeling "sorry" for Ted Bundy

7 May 2019, 15:17

By Jazmin Duribe

"Extremely Wicked, Shockingly Evil and Vile had me catching myself feeling sorry for Ted Bundy multiple times which in of itself is terrifying. A true master of manipulation."

Extremely Wicked, Shockingly Evil and Vile has just come to Netflix and, surprisingly, it's not what you'd think it would be. People have somehow found themselves feeling weirdly sorry for serial killer Ted Bundy following the Joe Berlinger directed flick.

Extremely Wicked is based on the 1981 memoir of Ted's long-term girlfriend Elizabeth Kloepfer, The Phantom Prince: My Life With Ted Bundy, which tells the horrific story of his crimes through her eyes.

One of Ted Bundy's survivors has spoken out about Zac Efron's controversial film

The movie showed everything from Elizabeth "Liz" Kendall's (Lily Collins) chance meeting with Ted (Zac Efron) in a bar, to how he interacted with her daughter Molly from a previous relationship, and how Liz dealt with his subsequent arrests, trial and eventually his execution.

We saw the famously charming and charismatic side of Bundy, traits that he exploited to win his victim's trust. Because of his nature, Liz believed he was innocent, all whilst being tormented by her own guilt. Meanwhile, his wife Carole Ann Boone (Kaya Scodelario) also protested his innocence throughout his highly publicised trial.

The film doesn't graphically show the murders, apart from one extremely short clip. Bundy's actions were much more covert, which is how Liz managed to believe he was innocent, but that information is already public record.

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Behind the scenes filming #extremelywickedshockinglyevilandvile - we filmed in a prison for 2 weeks- my “trailer” was an actual prison cell. Countdown to #Sundance

A post shared by Zac Efron (@zacefron) on Jan 3, 2019 at 5:49pm PST

When the trailer for the movie first dropped, it was called out for glamourising Bundy and his crimes. With Zac Efron taking on the role, it wasn't long before people were thirsting over a man who brutally murdered and sexually assaulted at least 30 women.

With Bundy constantly protesting his innocence, taking on the father role to Liz's daughter Molly and breaking down in the courtroom when he was sentenced, people started to find themselves being taken in by him and actually feeling a little sorry for him.

The film showed how it was easy for the public to be manipulated by his looks and "kindness" to Liz.

Lets not forget Bundy was, as the title of the movie says, extremely wicked, shockingly evil and vile. But ultimately, the film showed exactly how he was able to get away with such disgusting crimes through his manipulation.