‘If I was alive in the 60’s and Ted Bundy looked like Zac Eron I would 100% be dead.’
Before we get to the reaction, first let us deal with the actual trailer.
Zac Efron stars as true-life serial-killer Ted Bundy in the upcoming crime-thriller Extremely Wicked, Shockingly Evil and Vile, and this week the first trailer for the movie was released.
Let us just say that the tone of the movie, which deals with one of the most notorious murderers ever, is a tad more light-hearted than you might have expected…
Clip via Voltage Pictures
Is that… a romantic comedy? A quirky, edgy, winky thriller about a handsome man who is trying to get away with actual murders??
We know that we probably shouldn’t be judging a movie on the trailer alone, but we can judge the trailer for seemingly trying to get the audience on the side of Ted Fucking Bundy.
The trailer was cleverly released the same weekend as Netflix’s latest docu-series Conversations With A Killer: The Ted Bundy Tapes, which also seemed to suffer from a similar problem:
Five minutes into the Ted Bundy doc on Netflix and they've called him good looking 395 times
— Rudi Kinsella (@RudiKinsella) January 26, 2019
And it was a similar issue with You, a recent (at least fictional) show on Netflix about a charming serial killer that viewers openly admitted to really fancying, which then led to the actor playing the killer to remind viewers that, y’know, he was a psychopath and probably shouldn’t be fancied.
So now here we are with Efron-as-Bundy, and the reactions have been similar, with half the viewers disgusted that the movie seems to be taking a light-hearted approach to a very serious subject matter, and the other half super attracted to the serial killer:
https://twitter.com/BexKell/status/1089161289446932480
Can we not sexulize Ted Bundy?
He raped, murdered, and decapitated women and had sex with their dead bodies. Not here for this hyper-sexualized Zac Efron film.
I know the youth of twitter will obsess over him, and I’d prefer not to read thirst tweets about a serial murderer
— Kayla Stetzel 🏳️🌈 (@KaylaStetzel) January 26, 2019
all the girls digging Joe from 'YOU' are gonna have some NASTY ASS tweets when Zac Efron plays Ted Bundy aren't they
— lyss the corporate girlie (@abciofani) January 24, 2019
with the ted bundy netflix series + with the zac efron bundy movie dropping later this year this is ur friendly reminder that any sexualization/romanticization/glorification/general hybristophile nonsense will not!! be!! tolerated!!! it’s 2019 get a fucking hobby u monsters
— k8 (@winterandwidow) January 25, 2019
Zac Efron’s playing Ted Bundy and now I want to shag a serial killer. Cheers. Nice one. Kids crying.
— Steph Johnson (@ScouseBirdBlogs) January 26, 2019
That Zac Efron – Ted Bundy trailer is getting unfair criticism.
Do people not understand that in real life Ted Bundy portrayed himself as a very charismatic, cool, American guy.
WHICH IS WHY NO ONE SUSPECTED HIM TO BE THE MAN BEHIND THESE HORRIBLE ACTS OF VIOLENCE.
— Skyler Shuler (@SkylerShuler) January 26, 2019
I’m sorry but Zac Efron cannot play Ted Bundy. I’m not emotionally ready to be attracted to a murdering psychopath.
— groovy (@jadxe_) January 26, 2019
https://twitter.com/levitatemybIood/status/1088909214175637507
There is no set release date yet for Extremely Wicked, Shocking Evil and Vile, but the movie is getting its world premiere at the Sundance Film Festival this week.
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