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Is Zac Efron's Ted Bundy Movie Romanticizing a Serial Killer?
The trailer for Extremely Wicked, Shockingly Evil and Vile has divided the internet.
Zac Efron slays in the trailer for his latest movie Extremely Wicked, Shockingly Evil and Vile, a biopic on Ted Bundy who confessed to murdering over 30 women in the 1970s.
The trailer hit the internet Friday and was instantly met with controversy as Zefron fans began to thirst over him as Bundy.
None— Milkerton (@Milkerton) 1548514077
\u201cIf Ted Bundy really looked like Zac Efron I would have been one of the first ones killed\u201d— kate smelley (@kate smelley) 1548560852
\u201cZac Efron\u2019s playing Ted Bundy and now I want to shag a serial killer. Cheers. Nice one. Kids crying.\u201d— Steph Johnson (@Steph Johnson) 1548502569
With Efron's winks at the camera and the trailer's cheesy music, many seemed to think that the trailer was romanticizing one of America's most notorious serial killers—and the outrage began to pour in from all corners of the internet.
\u201cI feel so bad for the families of the victims that have to sit there and see their terrors revived as a witty romantic thriller\u201d— anime yitties (@anime yitties) 1548463489
\u201cLook man. That Ted Bundy trailer? With him seeming like a sexy anti-hero? Almost a loveable rogue? They\u2019ve done that on purpose. It\u2019s on purpose, just like with You. They want to normalise/romanticise men doing terrible things, and they know that many women will buy into it too.\u201d— Charlie Kenobi (@Charlie Kenobi) 1548479440
\u201cThe music makes me feel ill. How you gonna play fucking action music with a film about ted bundy who raped and killed "over 30, perhaps as many as over 100" women. Barely touches on it in the trailer lol. Way to go\u201d— eva i guess\ud83e\uddc3 (@eva i guess\ud83e\uddc3) 1548561939
\u201cted bundy: I raped and murdered 80-90 women \ntrailer for ted bundy movie:\n\ud83c\udfb8\ud83c\udfb8\ud83c\udfb8\ud83c\udfb8\ud83c\udfb8\ud83c\udfb8\ud83c\udfb8\ud83c\udfb8\ud83c\udfb8\ud83c\udfb8\ud83e\udd20\ud83e\udd20\ud83e\udd20\ud83e\udd20\ud83e\udd20\ud83e\udd20\ud83e\udd20\ud83e\udd20\ud83d\ude0e\ud83d\ude0e\ud83d\ude0e\ud83d\ude0e\ud83d\ude0e\ud83d\ude0e\ud83d\ude0e\ud83d\ude0e\ud83d\ude0e\ud83d\udeac\ud83d\udeac\ud83d\udeac\ud83d\udeac\ud83d\udeac\ud83d\udeac\u201d— melissa lozada-oliva (@melissa lozada-oliva) 1548535679
Is it though? Efron previously told Indiewire that the film simply shows how people perceived Bundy as charismatic and charming when he was secretly so monstrous. "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. It was fun to go and experiment in that realm of reality."
Extremely Wicked is also told from his girlfriend Elizabeth Kloepfer's point of view, who was in deep denial about the horrible acts Bundy committed. Since Bundy was able to charm the world, perhaps Efron's casting in the film is purposeful, who has long been celebrated as an All-American boy-next-door type.
\u201cThat Zac Efron - Ted Bundy trailer is getting unfair criticism.\n\nDo people not understand that in real life Ted Bundy portrayed himself as a very charismatic, cool, American guy.\n\nWHICH IS WHY NO ONE SUSPECTED HIM TO BE THE MAN BEHIND THESE HORRIBLE ACTS OF VIOLENCE.\u201d— Skyler Shuler (@Skyler Shuler) 1548524849
\u201cI've seen a lot of talk about Ted Bundy\u2019s alleged hotness and would like to gently remind everyone that there are literally THOUSANDS of hot men on the service \u2014 almost all of whom are not convicted serial murderers\u201d— Netflix (@Netflix) 1548699481
\u201cPsst, hey woke twitter, in real life Ted Bundy was romanticized by the media and everyone he knew. That's what the Extremely Wicked trailer is reflecting and what the movie will attack head on.\u201d— Scott of Rivia (@Scott of Rivia) 1548554532
\u201cI don't think Ted Bundy is romanticized. We just forget that more often than not, the most abusive, violent, and hurtful people always have a veneer of charm. They can be affectionate, sensitive, and caring too \u2014 that's what makes them so monstrous.\u201d— Paige Occe\u00f1ola (@Paige Occe\u00f1ola) 1548557381
The debate still rages on, but this guy perhaps had the winning tweet out of all of this.
\u201cladies I may not be as hot as ted bundy but I will also not murder you\u201d— Trey (@Trey) 1548620826
Extremely Wicked, Shockingly Evil and Vile is looking for a 2019 US release. Will you be watching the film?
Taylor Henderson is a PRIDE.com contributor. This proud Texas Bama studied Media Production/Studies and Sociology at The University of Texas at Austin, where he developed his passions for pop culture, writing, and videography. He's absolutely obsessed with Beyoncé, mangoes, and cheesy YA novels that allow him to vicariously experience the teen years he spent in the closet. He's also writing one!
Taylor Henderson is a PRIDE.com contributor. This proud Texas Bama studied Media Production/Studies and Sociology at The University of Texas at Austin, where he developed his passions for pop culture, writing, and videography. He's absolutely obsessed with Beyoncé, mangoes, and cheesy YA novels that allow him to vicariously experience the teen years he spent in the closet. He's also writing one!
