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Lakewood Times

Lakewood Times

Lakewood Times

    Controversy Over New Ted Bundy Film

    Controversy+Over+New+Ted+Bundy+Film

    “Extremely Wicked, Shockingly Evil and Vile”, a film chronicling the life and crimes of Ted Bundy was released at the 2019 Sundance Film Festival. The film has sparked much controversy over the portrayal of the notorious serial killer; many criticizing it as a glorified version of a dark and twisted true story.

    Ted Bundy is an American serial killer, rapist, and necrophiliac. He admitted to killing 36 women in the 1970’s, but he is believed to have killed around 100 women or more; the exact number of victims will never be determined.

    Bundy graduated from the University of Washington in 1972. It is suspected that his crimes started around 1974 as many women in Seattle and areas in Oregon went missing.

    Numerous women were lured to his car after he faked being injured. Women were also disappearing from a Utah Law School, which he began attending in 1974.

    Pulled over by the police, Bundy was arrested for possession of various tools, a mask, ropes, handcuffs and other suspicious items. He was soon after arrested for kidnapping Carol DaRonch, a women that had escaped his pursuit; he was found guilty and received a 15 year jail sentence.

    After an escape from prison and a handful of new victims, he was sentenced to three death sentences.

    Ted Bundy was executed in an electric chair on January 24th, 1989 at the Florida State Prison.

    The new film captures Bundy, (played by Zac Efron), as a handsome, approachable, and “normal” human being. The criticism here lies in that his charming nature is seen as a romanticization of an incredibly dark serial killer.

    However, I think that portraying Bundy as attractive and likable makes the film all the more accurate because that’s how it really was. Ted Bundy used his looks and charm to beat, torture, rape, and murder around 100 women. It’s a hard truth to accept, but he was the guy we smile at in passing and say excuse me to in the grocery store.

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