Ted Bundy biopic shows no murder, writer explains why

The Ted Bundy biopic Extremely Wicked, Shockingly Evil and Vile has finally hit Netflix, and if you’ve seen it, you know there is no murder shown on screen.

Now, the film’s writer has come forward to CinemaBlend to explain that creative decision when making the film.

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I was compelled by all of the mundane domestic details of his life and I thought an interesting way into a serial killer’s story would be to show no serial killing at all,” Michael Werwie, the writer, said. “I wanted to explore the love story of it all. This is more of a human side of the story. It’s about the people who had an emotional connection to Ted Bundy. This is about seduction, betrayal and it’s also about the truth. The emotional side of the story is what makes the movie different than the documentary.”

That’s definitely a new way to portray a biopic about a serial killer, and we loved the creative move.

The film is told through the perspective of Bundy’s (played by Zac Efron) longtime girlfriend, Elizabeth Kloepfer, played by Lily Collins.

Collins just revealed she believed she was contacted by Bundy’s victims’ ghosts while filming.

In other news, Efron shared praised for his fellow actor and Metallica frontman James Hetfield for his role in the film.

Hetfield plays Officer Bob Hayward in the upcoming film, the patrolman who arrested the real Bundy back in 1975.

Efron also just revealed how he had a hard time turning off his Ted Bundy mindset while filming the serial killer’s biopic.

“I’ve never played a role in which I really have to separate myself from when I go home at night, and it was almost impossible,” Efron says. “I’d like to say that I did it successfully but I couldn’t.”

“It’s a different perspective and not your run-of-the-mill serial killer cliché, body count gets higher and higher, and oh the guy you always knew did it, did it. This is what it was like to be there on the day, we didn’t know if he was innocent or guilty, we just saw Ted Bundy through their eyes.”

That said, Efron’s reservations are nothing new. Previously, the actor spoke about making sure he didn’t celebrate the killer in his portrayal amid backlash for the trailer.

Additionally, director Joe Berlinger defended the film after all the push back, saying that if people actually see the film, they will realize filmmakers are doing the exact opposite of glorifying him.

If you haven’t seen it, check out the trailer below.

Bundy was a serial killer, kidnapper, rapist and burglar who assaulted and murdered several women in the ’70s. He was executed in the electric chair at Florida State Prison on Jan. 24, 1989. He confessed to 30 homicides that he committed in seven states between 1974 and 1978. However, the true victim count will forever be unknown.

What do you think about the Ted Bundy biopic having no murder? Sound off in the comments!

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