Okay, let’s kick things off by me telling you a bit about myself here: I’m kind of obsessed with Ted Bundy. I know, I know, he is a terrible person to be obsessed with. The man was a fucking monster; he raped and killed at least 30 women (that we know of) during a murderous rampage from 1974 to 1978.
But it’s the story of Bundy that fascinates me rather than the bloke himself, how he was by all accounts smart, likeable, charming, very “normal” and no one could believe he was secretly a sexually sadistic psychopathic serial killer.
Usually serial killers look like serial killers, but the difference with Bundy, and what has people fascinated (but ashamed of it) is that he was quite the looker — and it’s probably what put his victims at ease when he approached them to help “carry his books” or whatever ruse he used that day to lure them to their deaths.
Bundy has been immortalised on film / TV several times, most famously by Mark Harmon (of NCIS fame) in 1986 made-for-TV movie The Deliberate Stranger. But next, he’ll be played by Zac Efron in upcoming flick Extremely Wicked, Shockingly Evil And Vile, set for release sometime next year.
The news that the former Disney star and extremely handsome / buff man had been cast as one of the most notorious serial killers and necrophiles in history had many people a little… confused about how and what to feel.
The film tells the story of Bundy’s relationship with former girlfriend Liz Kloepfer (Lily Collins), who he dated while carrying out his murderous rampage. While she was unaware of his true identity for several years, Kloepfer eventually became suspicious and even shared these suspicions with the police.
Earlier this year, Efron told ET a bit about the film, which also stars Metallica‘s James Hetfield, Jim Parsons and Kaya Scodelario:
I think the movie itself is really deep. It doesn’t really glorify Ted Bundy. He wasn’t a person to be glorified. It simply tells a story and sort of how the world was able to be charmed over by this guy who was notoriously evil and the vexing position that so many people were put in, the world was put in.
So far we’ve seen a couple of set pics from the film, mostly shared by Efron on his Instagram, and today the film’s official Facebook page shared gave us another little peek at the film, this time of Bundy in prison.
And let me tell you, Efron looks good with a glorious 1970s mane:
Earlier this year, Efron ‘grammed a pic when the shooting wrapped:
A release date for the film is yet to be announced, but we’ll keep you posted.
If you’re as creepily interested in true crime and mysteries as I am, you might enjoy PEDESTRIAN.TV‘s unsolved mysteries podcast, All Aussie Mystery Hour. Subscribe on iTunes HERE, or on Spotify HERE. Or, you can just listen / download below.
