Ah yes, the good ole days of the internet talking about Ted Bundy have returned. For those unaware of who Bundy is (like how though?), he’s one of America’s most infamous serial killers. So infamous that I wrote an article the last time this started to happen … which happened to be January of this year. Why are we so into Bundy this year?
With Netflix’s Zac Efron-starring Extremely Wicked, Shockingly Evil, and Vile on its way after its premiere at Sundance, the streaming platform released The Ted Bundy Tapes to get everyone talking about him, and it seems as if there has been an influx of Bundy in the cultural conversation. Last night, though, everyone was seemingly staying up late to get their Bundy fix when the movie dropped, which is … certainly a choice.
I knew #ExtremelyWickedShockinglyEvilandVile would drop @ 3am est so I stayed up. @ZacEfron was mesmerizing.. I found myself sweating/clenching my fists @ times & I already know every detail of the story 😳 Rich set design, great casting, 10/10 watching again 2mrw 😴🌌🌅 gnite 🙋🏻♀️ pic.twitter.com/kC65ACEcbu
— Jessica Knapik ✨ (@JessicaKnapik) May 3, 2019
What I found the most interesting was an interview that Zac Efron did about Bundy and what makes him a figure we still want to learn about.
A look behind the scenes of #ExtremelyWicked, Shockingly Evil and Vile.
In cinemas and on @SkyCinemaUK today. @ZacEfron @lilycollins pic.twitter.com/UN24Ldd4ie
— Sky Cinema (@SkyCinemaUK) May 3, 2019
“He was charming. Most people were wooed over by the guy and that’s what intrigued me about this opportunity to play a dark character,” Efron said and it pretty much hit the nail on the head about what was so interesting (and continues to be so interesting) about Ted Bundy.
Sure, charm can get you far—just look at Jack Nicholson—but there was something else about Bundy that was so sinister, something that made his actions that much worse. Not only was he “charming” and the kind of man that you didn’t think could commit these crimes, but he constantly got away with it, too. Bundy continues to be a representation of what an attractive white man can get away with, and now, as we’re talking about him again, it’s important to note why he’s still relevant.
I mean, look, it’s not the same extreme, but a man recently literally got away with rape, and it isn’t surprising that he’s a white man. It’s nowhere near the extent of Ted Bundy’s crimes, but we’re in 2019 and all of this is still happening on a semi-continual basis. So maybe it’s good to bring back the power of Bundy so we can see how still, something like this could probably happen.
Even now, we’re dealing with another case of a serial killer with the Hollywood Ripper. Bundy may have been dead for the last thirty years, but his story is still a relevant one.
(image: Netflix)
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