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When the first teaser trailer for the new Ted Bundy biopic, Extremely Wicked, Shockingly Evil and Vile, was released a few months ago, many claimed it was too satirical and light-hearted for the heavy subject matter. Today, the narrative took a turn as sharp as Bundy’s transition from charming to deadest chilling as a new trailer released with Zac Efron proving he is more than worth the watch.
The new trailer feeds our pop culture obsession with murderous types – hello Joe Goldberg in television series You, Chris Dawson in podcast The Teacher’s Pet, John Meehan in television series Dirty John, the list goes on. Netflix also recently released Conversations With A Killer: The Ted Bundy Tapes, a gripping documentary which stirred up audience interest in America’s most handsome serial killer.
Scheduled for release on Netflix on May 3, Extremely Wicked is told through the eyes of Bundy’s wife, Elizabeth Kloepfer (played by Golden Globe nominee Lily Collins) as she navigates through the motions of whether or not to believe the man she is dating is responsible for a string of gruesome murders and rapes in the late 70s.
After more than a decade of denials, Bundy confessed to committing more than 30 homicides across seven states between 1974-1978. It was however his grizzly treatment of them after their deaths that was perhaps most disturbing. He reportedly would visit the crime scenes and perform sexual acts on the decomposed bodies until it was physically impossible to do so anymore. He also allegedly beheaded at least 12 of his victims. Attractive and charming, Bundy would groom his victims prior to killing them and even escaped from prison twice and continued his murder spree.
Bundy was sentenced to the electric chair in Florida in 1989.
During his court appearances, which saw groups of ladies sit in the courtroom, Bundy appeared calm and flirty. While mixed reviews were written at the Sundance Film Festival, it seems a case of the Bohemian Rhapsody’s – a sub-par film with an outstanding lead actor. Like Rami Malek’s portrayal of Queen frontman Freddie Mercury, Efron is astounding as Bundy.
The film’s producer Nicolas Chartier backed Efron’s ability to play the killer. “He can play both the depth and the charm that this guy had in equal measures, and which allowed him to manipulate these women in such a terrifying way,” he told Deadline.
The final scene of the trailer shows a “dreamy” Bundy talking to his wife in prison. When he promises her it’s all going to end soon, she replies with “It’s only going to end with the truth.” You can see Bundy’s mind snap into psycho-mode at this very point.
Watch the trailer now:
