Extremely Wicked, Shockingly Evil and Vile (2019) Review

Even if you are mildly interested in true crime and crime dramas, the names of Ted Bundy and Jeffery Dahmer are not unknown to you. The mainstream media and the internet have a strange yet understandable fascination with the minds of these twisted creatures. If you search for “Ted” on google, Ted Bundy would be the second recommendation on the site, which speaks volumes for the popularity of the psychotic serial killer. Even after 30 years of execution of Ted Bundy, he remains one of the most notorious serial killers on the planet. 

In 2019, American filmmaker Joe Berlinger directed 'Extremely Wicked, Shockingly Evil and Vile' which became the hot topic of American cinema. The film tells the tale of the crime and trial of Theodore Bundy. Starring Zac Efron as Ted, the movie has been very successful. As per my habits, I am late to the parade of trends. 

Of all the recommendations I read before watching the movie, the majority of the reviews had the same monotonous idea that this movie glamorizes the serial killer Ted Bundy especially by casting a famous teen movie star, Zac Efron as the murderer himself. Almost all the articles have these opinions, and they all looked a tad bit influenced. 

So did the movie actually aimed for us to sympathise with Ted? Did it really portray the serial murderer Ted Bundy as innocent? 

The Issues:

During my dissertation for the study of the Copy Cat Effect for my graduation, this movie was included in the majority of the latest research paper that I read. One of the reasons could be the subject himself. The movie was criticized and praised equally. Premiered at the Sundance film festival, the movie is now available on Netflix (like everything else). It's not just a fictional recreation of the book, it's based on the dramatization of the events that were reality of the people who lived it. 

Extremely Wicked, Shockingly Evil and Vile is criticized for their “glamorization” for Ted. It shows him in a sympathetic light. Starting Zac Effron would have added the wood to the fire. Not only Ted was and has been romanticized but he is also celebrated with his “devilishly good looks”. Though  hybristophilia existed before Ted Bundy did, is it right to blame the director for all the audience responses? Does the solution lie in boycotting the production and genre of true crime? How do we stop the said “ glamorization"?

The Defense:

The first rule of cinema is to deliver what the audience desires. To estimate the When it comes to the direction of a crime drama or true-crime entertainment, the production team has to cross so many bars and guidelines to produce less than two hours of entertainment.  All the hard work goes to waste if the end product doesn't work out. The career of people involved and a huge amount of money is at stakes, and that is the reason, established actors and profound actors such as Zac Efron are cast for the roles.

The similarity in the features of zac and Ted is vague yet uncanny. People criticize and admire Zac’s acting and imitation of the serial killer. When I made side by side comparisons of the indictment scene and courtroom scene from the movie and that is available on YouTube, the level of familiarity in the body language of both Ted and Zac was extremely impressive.

On his role, Zac said, “I really wasn’t interested in playing a serial killer. I’m not in the business of glamorizing a horrendous person or his acts, but there is something unique about the way we went into the psyche of Ted, and his longtime girlfriend Liz.”  

This brings us to the next issue. Many even accused the movie to represent Ted Bundy from a sympathetic point of view.  Those people missed the major point of the whole scene and definitely did not stick till the end credit. The movie ‘Extremely Wicked, Shockingly Evil and Vile’ directed by Joe Berlinger was not a biography of Ted Bundy, it was based on the book 'The Phantom Prince: My Life with Ted Bundy' written by Elizabeth Kendal (ex-fiancee ). It was the experience of his former fiancee Elizabeth Kendall. The movie was directed around her experience of the life she lived as a lover of a convicted serial killer that is responsible for the murder of 30+ women. 

The book (and the movie) revolves around her coming to terms with the guilt she carried for years after giving Ted's name to the authorities when he became a prime suspect. Yes! The movie shows Ted as an innocent, caring and family man. The reason? That is how Elizabeth saw Ted, as he behaved in such a way with her. Ted too loved Elizabeth, which she was completely aware of, that was the reason she could not shake the guilt of throwing Ted into this whirlpool of investigation and trials. 

She blamed herself, until the last days of Ted Bundy. As long as Ted took his stand, in the eyes of Elizabeth, and all his admirers, unfortunately, Ted was innocent. She believed that if she hadn't given his name, he would have not been caught, which is true. This brings us back to the point of why Ted was portrayed as innocent in the movie. It is for the reason we are at Ted looking through the lens of Elizabeth Kendall. 

Now, do you blame Joe Berlinger for representing Ted the way he did? Or for zac for playing the role?

The Solution:

Hybritrophelia or simply attraction to such serial killers and psychopaths (fictional and real characters) is not uncommon. From Ted Bundy to Harley Quinn, sexual attraction to criminals is A motif found in many Hollywood and Bollywood movies. 

Even before Hollywood started making movies on psychopaths and serial killers, Richard Ramirez got married in jail while being convicted for multiple murder charges. The reason for this is more deep-rooted than we believe. A simple mugshot (Jeremy Meeks) or "hotness" (Jody Arias) is enough for people to find the said romantically infatuating. 

There is no said "solution" to this attraction. This is a response that is not common but not rare either. This infatuation remains harmless till the viewer does not reenact the crime subject of interest. When the line between reel and reality is blurred, then only this admiration becomes problematic. 

Therefore it is very important to distinguish between facts and fiction. The users need to be aware of the crime and its effect on their lives. Hiding the gruesome details is not the solution, explaining the repercussions of the act is essential. Confiscating and restriction of art has never been the solution to any problem. Giving rise to a society where all adults can make an unambiguous difference between right and wrong is the way to go, starting with children.