Another Ted Bundy movie? Why this serial killer is glamorized by Hollywood

While obsessing over serial killers may be an extremely popular guilty pleasure, it seems like many are feeling burned out. The announcement of yet another biopic about Ted Bundy has sparked major outrage on the internet. Many argue that these films glamorize the killer, and others seem disappointed that there are multiple Bundy-centric movies due out after the release of a movie & documentary series about him in 2019.

Ted Bundy confessed to killing thirty-six women in the 70s, but it’s believed he was responsible for more than 100 murders. He often bragged about his crimes after he was put behind bars, and he was executed in Florida in 1989. His defense attorney Polly Nelson said that he “was the very definition of heartless evil”. 

The trailer for ‘Ted Bundy: American Boogeyman’ starring Chad Michael Murray has been released. pic.twitter.com/VN4umAwHQS

— Film Updates (@FilmUpdates) July 12, 2021

Ted Bundy: American Boogeyman

The latest take on the story is Ted Bundy: American Boogeyman. The movie will feature One Tree Hill star Chad Michael Murray as Ted Bundy. The film would center on the time when Bundy was committing his heinous crimes and being hunted by the FBI.

Twitter netizens complained they were tired of seeing Bundy being characterized as charming & handsome. Bundy’s attractiveness is often asserted as if it were an indisputable fact, but it appears that a lot of people don’t think a rapist & murderer is all that hot. Others complained that there was a movie about Bundy released barely two years ago.

No Man of God

No Man of God is yet another Ted Bundy movie due out this year. This movie is based on the actual transcripts between the killer and FBI analyst Bill Hagmaier. It stars Elijah Wood as Hagmaier and Luke Kirby as Ted Bundy. No Man of God premiered at the Tribeca Film Festival and is set to hit theaters later this summer.

No Man of God has also been controversial. Director Amber Sealey publicly revealed emails with Joe Berlinger, the director of two other Bundy-related films. Berlinger accused Sealey of mischaracterizing his films to bring attention to her Bundy movie. Sealey defended herself, claiming Berlinger was trying to silence her and his aggressive email felt like mansplaining.

But wait – there’s more!

There is no shortage of movies & documentaries about Ted Bundy. Extremely Wicked, Shockingly Evil and Vile, directed by Berlinger, was released on Netflix in 2019. This movie starred Zac Efron as Bundy. Though many praised Efron’s performance the film was criticized for failing to address the impact of his crimes.

Conversations with a Killer: The Ted Bundy Tapes, also directed by Joe Berlinger, was released as a documentary companion to the Efron movie. The four-episode mini-series traces Bundy’s crimes chronologically. It features interviews with surviving victims, witnesses, journalists, and police officers who worked on the case.

The early 2000s saw the release of several Ted Bundy movies. These Ted Bundy movies presented largely fictionalized versions of the killer. Many of the films were low-budget, straight-to-DVD releases. The Deliberate Stranger was a three-hour biopic about Ted Bundy released in 1986. It starred NCIS’s Mark Harmon in the lead role.

Enough is enough

Hollywood will continue to capitalize on America’s obsession with true crime. However, the backlash against more Ted Bundy movies is not merely an argument of Hollywood’s lack of creativity. Many fans find the glorification of Bundy to be distasteful & misogynistic.

Bundy’s victims were humans with lives & families, so reducing their lives to plot devices is shameful. The families of the victims have to relive their grief & trauma while others profit.

Many true crime fans on Twitter expressed their dissatisfaction with Bundy being the subject of another film. Some seemed disinterested because he was the subject of so many recent releases. Others wanted to see a greater representation of female murderers in the media.

—

Do you think we really need another Ted Bundy movie? Let us know in the comments!