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'Shockingly Evil' Hits Screens Today But Critics Say It's Missing Some Important Details

Rachel Andrews

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'Shockingly Evil' Hits Screens Today But Critics Say It's Missing Some Important Details

Featured Image Credit: Sky Cinema

New Ted Bundy film Shockingly Evil, Extremely Wicked and Vile hits UK cinemas, Sky Cinema and NowTV today, but critics aren't convinced by its portrayal of the infamous serial killer.

The biopic film charts the heinous crimes committed by Bundy (played by High School Musical alum Zac Efron), who murdered an estimated 30 women in the 1970s.

Viewers have noted that the film highlights Bundy's 'celebrity' status by focusing on his good looks, charming mannerisms and female fans while neglecting some of the gory details of his horrific crimes.

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His crimes seem at odds with the charming character portrayed by Zac, and this seems to have been picked up by fans who've watched the flick already.

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But it appears this was entirely intentional from the director, Joe Berlinger, who was also behind Netflix docuseries The Ted Bundy Tapes, because this is what happened in real life.

Rather than solely focusing on the terrible things he did, it shows him as a family man and an adoring boyfriend, something which has attracted a huge amount of negative critique from reviewers and fans for supposedly 'glorifying' and 'romanticising' the killer.

Credit: Voltage Pictures
Credit: Voltage Pictures
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Zac previously defended the film, saying: "This movie was really about a human being, somebody that perhaps I would have been friends with. And a love story from a very unique perspective.

"I've never seen that before. It's intriguing to me. I think it's more psychological and even more kind of a mindf*ck."

But the whole point of portraying him in this way is that it gives those watching a true insight into *how* he was able to commit those terrible crimes and keep everything hidden from his partner.

Credit: PA
Credit: PA
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Viewers may even warm towards Bundy because of his persona - again something which must have happened in real life for his victims, too.

And the film sheds light on Bundy's six-year relationship with Elizabeth Kloepfer (played by Lily Collins), who was completely unaware of his crimes.

Credit: Voltage Pictures
Credit: Voltage Pictures

While Liz may not have known that Bundy was leading another life as a depraved serial killer, the audience knows the true story, making this biopic all the more chilling.

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Despite the negative comments about the film perhaps not portraying him as a monster right up until the very end, the film is arguably a more honest representation of Bundy and how he managed to get away with murder for years.

And there's plenty of viewers who are loving the director's take on Bundy:

In other Shockingly Evil news, actress Lily says that she was visited by the ghosts of Bundy's victims during filming.

"I would go downstairs and have a cup of tea, trying to figure out why I had woken up again," she told the Guardian. "I started being woken up by flashes of images, like the aftermath of a struggle."

She added: "I didn't feel scared - I felt supported. I felt like people were saying, 'We're here listening. We're here to support. Thank you for telling the story'."

Shockingly Evil, Extremely Wicked and Vile is available to watch in UK cinemas and on Sky Cinema from today and on NowTV. And if you're in the US, you can watch on Netflix.

Topics: Ted Bundy, TV Entertainment, Zac Efron

Rachel Andrews
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