Everyone Is Talking About Ted Bundy Again

It is the year of our Lord 2019 and again, we’re talking about Ted Bundy. Maybe it’s because many of us have a morbid fascination with learning about serial killers to distract from our actual nightmare dystopian existence. “It could be worse than this,” we say comfortingly to ourselves.

Or maybe Bundy is just a special case, but no matter how many times we make documentaries about him or cast Zac Efron as a hot Bundy, we’re all still just as obsessed with this maniac as we were when the details of his crimes were released to the public.

Prior to the release of the trailer for Extremely Wicked, Shockingly Evil and Vile, Netflix released a documentary about the Bundy tapes, The Ted Bundy Tapes, that already had the internet abuzz about the murderer no one expected. Labeled as traditionally attractive, Bundy was socially charming, and it isn’t that hard to see how he lured in his victims.

The thing is: We know he did it, he admitted to his crimes. So why does this trailer seem like a fun take on Bundy and what he did?

What’s even scarier is that when you stop and look at Bundy, it makes sense. He was handsome, engaging, could make you laugh—so the idea that he could have a family and be happy doesn’t seem that far fetched. If you were his ex-wife, you’d probably have some questions as to what he was doing all the time, but even when it came out that he was accused of murder, countless women defended him.

For many, it is the idea that so many would let him get away with the thing because of his looks that is terrifying, and it is important to remember that, you know, he’s still a murderer.

Now we have a new layer to this story: do we need a movie making Ted Bundy out to be a Zac Efron-type?

When I watched the trailer, I got a lot of the same vibes as I did when I watched I, Tonya and honestly, I hope the movie doesn’t attempt to sell me “innocent and/or sympathetic Ted Bundy.” That’s one storyline that can never pass our screens.

At the end of the day, Ted Bundy was a murderer and the police were incompetent to catch him for whatever reason.

But we know that Bundy is not someone to lust over. Not someone to look up to.

So please, for the love of god, can we talk about monster Ted Bundy while remembering that he was … you know … a monster?

(image: screengrab)

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Rachel Leishman

Rachel Leishman (She/Her) is an Assistant Editor at the Mary Sue. She's been a writer professionally since 2016 but was always obsessed with movies and television and writing about them growing up. A lover of Spider-Man and Wanda Maximoff's biggest defender, she has interests in all things nerdy and a cat named Benjamin Wyatt the cat. If you want to talk classic rock music or all things Harrison Ford, she's your girl but her interests span far and wide. Yes, she knows she looks like Florence Pugh. She has multiple podcasts, normally has opinions on any bit of pop culture, and can tell you can actors entire filmography off the top of her head. Her current obsession is Glen Powell's dog, Brisket. Her work at the Mary Sue often includes Star Wars, Marvel, DC, movie reviews, and interviews.

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