Ted Bundy Should Not Be Thrust Into the Spotlight Again

Many of you may have heard of the new Netflix series called The Ted Bundy Tapes, a recent release that showcases the life of serial killer Ted Bundy, one of the most infamous American serial killers ever. Netflix encourages watchers to “not watch it alone,” because it’s just that disturbing and horrifying. The series is a compilation of video footage from interviews with Bundy, interviews with psychiatrists and crime scene experts, and many photos detailing graphic and gory information about Bundy’s many crimes.

Another similar biopic (a biographical movie) was just premiered at Sundance Film Festival, starring Zac Efron as Ted Bundy. The film is called Extremely Wicked, Shockingly Evil and Vile and portrays the life of Bundy. Reviews of Efron’s performance are mixed, but what many critics are concerned about –with both Extremely Wicked, Shockingly Evil and Vile, (the trailer for which can be found online) and The Ted Bundy Tapes— is that they humanize and romanticize a criminal and portray him in a light which makes him seem almost likable and sensible.

Now this may go without saying, but the topics discussed in this article may be very disturbing. If any readers are uncomfortable with the topics of rape, murder, and necrophilia, this is your chance to make your escape. The following couple of paragraphs are a brief description of some of the specific details about Bundy’s crimes. Heed my warning.

Ted Bundy was a serial killer who raped and murdered 30 women that were accounted for, although these were only the women that he confessed to killing. He would kidnap young women often by luring them into his van with a false request for help. He would also pretend to be a police officer to persuade them to get into the van, where he would handcuff, rape, and kill them. He was very good at cleaning up his tracks and remaining unfound, which is why there were more than 20 murders connected to him before investigators all over realized they were looking for the same man.

He disposed of the bodies at a second site, where he would unclothe them, often have sex with them again, and many times dress them up or apply nail polish to them. All of his victims were white women, most from their mid/late teens to early 20s, and from primarily middle class backgrounds. Most were students in high school or college. Many witnesses reported him to be very charismatic, which is what made his pre-kidnapping performance so believable.

What makes the Netflix series and the Sundance biopic so controversial is the way that Bundy is characterized and the lack of sensitivities surrounding the victims’ murders. The very first tip-off should’ve been casting Zac Efron as Bundy. Efron is an actor that is known in part for his good looks, and the movie creators know this. They knew this at the time they casted him too, but it was a choice they made nonetheless. They chose an attractive actor to portray someone that society should, for all intents and purposes, see as an ugly person, inside and out. The trailer for the movie makes it look like they’re trying too hard to make it an adventure, or a comedy, or a romance, when it really couldn’t be farther from the truth. The trailer is overlaid with upbeat rock music, and they not-so-surreptitiously slip in a shot of Efron’s chiselled abs just for an added bonus.

The series doesn’t do much better. It glosses over information about the victims of these gruesome murders, hardly sparing a moment for their names, much less delving into their personal lives. It highlights many aspects of Bundy’s life and characterizes him as normal and charming, when in actuality, Ted Bundy was a sadistic rapist and murderer. He emotionally manipulated many women– and not just his murder victims either. Even after Bundy confessed to his crimes and was sentenced to prison, even after they executed him in the electric chair, the courts were still getting letters from many American women that he had captured the hearts of during his time on TV during the investigations. Women all over America found him inexplicably charming, although those who knew him personally knew that there was a much darker side to Bundy. He was incredibly smart and able to evade the police for quite some time. Despite this intelligence (or maybe because of it) he seemingly felt no remorse for his crimes. Bundy genuinely seemed to think that he did nothing wrong and even went so far to say that many of the women “invite abuse,” and they “radiate vulnerability.”

This is not a man we should be watching on our TV screens. It not only arguably dismisses all of the suffering from the victims and their friends and families, but it also invades their privacy by revealing grizzly details about their deaths and not sparing much time to honor their lives. Both of these releases glorify Bundy; they make him look like a cool, sexy, smart, suave guy that mostly spends his time at home with his wife and kills as a hobby. They make Bundy seem like the interesting and quirky anti-hero of his own story instead of an evil, vicious monster who manipulated women even from beyond the grave. Is that really what we should be portraying in the mainstream media for everyone to consume?

“All press is good press” is a phrase that commonly applies in life. Donald Trump got elected because this statement is true. The Columbine shooters have a tangible online presence because of it. Ted Bundy is going to gain sympathies and praise because of this statement.

With these new releases, more attention will be paid to Bundy. He’ll gain a mass of new fans, an exclusive niche that only contains fans of serial criminals, hate groups, and terrorists. An exclusive group that aim to terrorize society, hurt, harm and hate other humans. Why are we normalizing this? Why are we actively advertising this sort of behavior?

And, again, for anyone that’s going to argue, “They’re just trying to educate the public!” or, “it’s just for entertainment!” Yeah, well, “all press is good press.” His popularity will increase, awareness in this type of crime will increase, and this kind of behavior will seem less and less terrible.

I urge you to consider this and to remember this when you watch “The Ted Bundy Tapes” and “Extremely Wicked, Shockingly Evil and Vile.” Not only should you be aware that you are under the influence of their subtle (and often note so subtle) good press, but you should also maybe inform your friends and family of the same thing. And, if you’re feeling so inclined, you could even refuse to partake in watching these. A simple, old-fashioned boycott could work wonders on the movie industry, if it actually happened.

And for a final tip: Women! Stay sharp! Stay diligent! Men like this exist, and it is our jobs to look out for each other. We need to keep caution when we can. If you learn nothing from this article but one thing, learn this: there is nothing that we can do to stop men unless we stay extra alert and don’t take the manipulative bulls–t that many of them try to feed to us. Women are the only people watching out for other women, so we need to stay vigilant, and stay united.

(-A slightly angry female)