By: Danielle Zois
Netflix unveils their new film, titled, “Extremely Wicked, Shockingly Evil and Vile,” which uncovers the relationship between Ted Bundy and his then girlfriend, Liz Kendall.
Bundy is responsible for the murder of at least 30 women and he finally confessed to those malicious acts moments before he was put to death by the electric chair. Officials believe he had murdered many more which have still never been found. It was in 1970 when women began missing and found brutally murdered and Bundy was found as the primary suspect. He continued to claim his innocence throughout every trial, every escape and every phone call he had made to his girlfriend, Kendall.
The story is portrayed through Kendall’s experience and battle with Bundy’s true character. Kendall is played by Lily Collins and Bundy’s chilling performance is played by Zac Efron. In a recent interview, Efron said at the Sundance Film Festival in January when the film premiered that he felt a responsibility to make sure it wasn’t a “celebration of Ted Bundy . . . But, definitely, a psychological study of who this person was.”
Efron’s worry was justified because of the fact that Bundy was infamously glorified by women all across the country during his trial. What was ironic is that they all shared something in common with his victims. He had accumulated a fan base and was able to use it to his advantage in the court room since it was the first publicly broadcasted court case in history.
According to APNews.com, “It was a deliberate choice on the part of filmmaker, Joe Berlinger, now something of a Bundy scholar with this fictionalized film and his popular Netflix documentary series, “Conversations with a Killer: The Ted Bundy Tapes.” Berlinger wanted to convey a message to the audience about how Bundy effected the lives of those closest to him when they still believed him until the end.
Collins’s stated, “It’s based on what Liz would have seen, which is nothing. In order to make the audience feel like they’re in the mindset of Liz at the very end of the movie, you have to earn that. And it almost heightens the anxiety because you’re teetering on the edge of ‘is he or isn’t he guilty?” The film is able to capture an audience and make them feel torn about their feelings towards a killer. Twitter user @SamanthaLynne1020 said, “It’s incredible how much Zac Efron transformed into Ted Bundy. INCREDIBLE. I know his whole entire story but caught myself a few times feeling bad for him…?!?! Wtf. A great portrayal of a master manipulator. They’re out there…”.
For those who still question his motives, the story proves that the ones he loved felt the same way. There was not explanation for his vicious crimes but it begs the question as to why he never harmed Kendall? The Netfilx movie ends with a chilling scene between Bundy and Kendall displaying his affection towards her and how much he cared for her until the end. She begs for his truth but even couldn’t even find an explanation as to why he did the things he did.
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