Necrophiliac serial killer Ted Bundy seems to be en vogue at the moment. Joe Berlinger’s documentary Conversations with a Killer: The Ted Bundy Tapes was a huge hit, yet led to Netflix putting out a statement reminding their viewers that this is not somebody to take a fancy to. That said, they’re going about it in a funny way, as they recently picked up Berlinger’s second Bundy project: Extremely Wicked, Shockingly Evil and Vile.
This one stars hunky heartthrob Zac Efron as Bundy, and judging by the latest trailer (above), they’re not shying away from portraying him as a seductive and charismatic individual. Among other things, the preview gives us a look into the structure of the movie, showing how Bundy’s girlfriend Elizabeth Kloepfer (Lily Collins) was manipulated in order to believe that he’d been falsely accused.
The film seems to centre around Bundy’s notorious trial, which was entirely televised and in which he defended himself. It appears that, as things continue, Berlinger will peel back the handsome good looks of Ted and remind audiences that while he might be sexy in a serial killer sort of way, he was also an absolute monster.
So far, the project has picked up quite a lot of praise. Michael Werwie’s script won the Nicholl Fellowship first prize and it was also featured on the famous Black List of unproduced screenplays. The film has also been screened at several festivals, scoring largely positive reviews at the Sundance earlier this year that praised Efron’s performance as totally committed and as conveying Bundy’s dark charisma.
There are a couple of flaws regarding the film’s limited POV, but the positive buzz is no doubt why Netflix decided Extremely Wicked, Shockingly Evil and Vile could join Conversations with a Killer in their burgeoning Ted Bundy category. Look for it to drop on May 3rd.