On Thursday, Netflix hosted an early screening for their new film Extremely Wicked, Shockingly Evil and Vile at the 2019 Tribeca Film Festival. Based on the life of and killings committed by notorious serial killer Ted Bundy, the film is not the first of its kind to be released on the popular streaming service.
Zac Efron portrays Theodore “Ted” Bundy, a mass serial killer who murdered and raped more than 30 young women throughout the United States during the 1970s, though law enforcement believed it may had been much more. Bundy spent the majority of this period getting arrested, escaping from jail on more than one account and escaping in order to kill more women.
One of his victims was said to be as young as 12 years old, and they all resided in Oregon, Idaho, Utah, and Florida where he was finally convicted for his crimes and received the death penalty in 1989. Many wondered how Bundy was able to get away with his crimes for so long, but his appealing personality, good looks and privilege as a white man in America were the main reasons. Bundy was a sociopathic narcissist who knew how to take advantage of people to get what he wanted.
The film is seen from the perspective Bundy’s fiancé at the time, Elizabeth “Liz” Kendall. Liz was a single mother when she met Bundy and he became an integral part of her and her daughter’s life shortly after. The film portrays the fast development of their relationship and how that ultimately made it even more difficult for Liz to ignore the gruesome killings that were happening around her. Ted and Liz are well into the “honeymoon phase” when it comes to an abrupt stop after Bundy is arrested in Utah for running a stop sign. The officer recognizes Bundy from the facial sketch that had then been publicized on every major news outlet. It is this event that cues a chain reaction of additional murders and arrests that follow right after.
Liz is played by Lily Collins (To The Bone, Snow White) who gives an emotional performance as the lover of Ted Bundy that is completely unaware of
Lily Collins and Zac Efron at the premiere of ‘Extremely Wicked, Shockingly Evil and Vile’. Photo by Getty Images for Tribeca Film Festival
who he is when they’re apart. Liz is aware of the multiple women popping up dead in the area due to the media’s nonstop coverage, and she becomes nervous when law enforcement releases a description of the suspected killer that is nearly identical to the man she is in love with.
Unbeknownst to Bundy, Liz calls into her local sheriff’s department and offers his name to the police in efforts to clarify whether he may be the right guy or not. Her only concern was to clear her own conscience and obtain peace of mind but, in the end, this only allowed police to get one step closer to capturing the killer.
The Knockturnal: What made you want to be a part of the film?
Lily Collins: I wanted to be a part of it because I felt it was such an interesting spin on what could’ve been just a normal, hack and slash film. We deal with the psychological and the emotional state of Bundy as well as Liz. As a woman, I felt like telling this story for other women was really important and to give her a voice that [Liz] never really ended up having was really important to me.
The Knockturnal: Ted Bundy is no longer alive but his ex-fiancé, Liz Kendall, who you play in the film still is. Were you able to meet and speak with her personally during the filming process?
Lily Collins: I was. I met with her and her daughter Molly and they visited set once. They were so giving and humble with their time to answer questions and give their support which I was really grateful for.
The Knockturnal: What was the biggest thing you learned from playing in this film?
Lily Collins: Wow. The biggest thing is, I guess, it just hits home yet again. You really can’t think that you know everyone just by looking at them because Ted was a charmer. He read the room, he knew how to perform for different audiences and people are really good at that. It’s not a matter of the 70’s, 80’s, 90’s or today. It will always be that way and it’s so important to trust your gut and to just be as safe as you can.
Another important figure that is rarely mentioned when discussing the people in Bundy’s life but is recognized throughout this film is Liz’s best friend, Joanna. Played by Angela Sarafyan who is best known for her role in the HBO series Westworld, Joanna is the best friend and voice of reason to Bundy’s fiancé Liz. She is the first person to suggest to Liz that her fiancé may not who she thinks he is. Initially, Liz is resistant and this comes as no surprise. For years, Liz was accustomed to only one version of Bundy and to then see that there may be another side to him, a very dangerous side, is nearly impossible for her to register.
The Knockturnal: What was it like working alongside Lily as her character’s best friend, Joanna?
Angela Sarafyan: It was great. I loved working with Lily. She’s so sweet and an absolute professional and it was a really good experience.
The Knockturnal: If you were ever in a situation like this in real life, could you see yourself being that supportive friend? Do you see any real similarities between you and Joanna?
Angela Sarafyan: Yes, and there are similarities between me and Liz too. I have both of those things where I could be lost in the idea of something and not see the truth. So, that part of me escalated in this movie and it was very timely in my life to play that type of role. It was empowering and exciting to tell the truth, even if you might be hated for it and I love doing that. I’ve had to talk to myself in that way and be that straight when I didn’t have it. So, it was like I got to do that to the fullest extent and it was great.
The director Joe Berlinger also directed the 4-part series Ted Bundy documentary released on Netflix a few months ago called Conversations with a Killer: The Ted Bundy Tapes. The series focused on countless victims that were murdered by Bundy and provided insight into the killer’s psych. We spoke to the director about why he chose to direct another Bundy film and what makes this version of the story different from the other versions that have already been told.
The Knockturnal: So, I know you’ve worked on a lot of crime related films in the past, and this isn’t the first Ted Bundy film that’s been done, so what was it exactly that drew you to Ted Bundy’s story and made you want to put your own spin on it?
Joe Berlinger: Well I was sent a script by Michael Werwie and I was immediately captivated by the script because it comes at the story from a different perspective. It comes at the story from the perspective of his long-time girlfriend who had no idea he was a serial killer because he was a good guy, to her. He was a wonderful boyfriend to her and wonderful surrogate father to her daughter from another relationship, and we haven’t seen that before. We’ve seen many serial killer films about killing. So, the fact that a serial killer is killing people is not new. What I wanted a younger generation to know who are not familiar with the Bundy story is that here’s a guy who epitomized betrayal and deception. People thought he was just not capable of these things and we live in an era of internet cat-fishing, people getting in to random car’s thinking it’s an Uber and it’s not really an Uber. So, this is a cautionary tale about the dangers of blindly trusting somebody because of how they look or feel, and who better than Zac Efron who is revered by that generation to portray that?
Zac Efron’s handsome features definitely came in handy for the film, as well as his uncanny resemblance to the famed killer. This may be his darkest role yet and he does an exceptional job at conveying the other side of Bundy that everyone around him seemed to be drawn to. Extremely Wicked, Shockingly Evil and Vile is now available to stream on Netflix. Watch the trailer for the compelling film below: