A new trailer was dropped last week on YouTube. It was for the Zac Efron lead, Ted Bundy biopic Extremely Wicked, Shockingly Evil, and Vile. Naturally, various people are outraged at the fact that the trailer glorifies or glamorizes Ted Bundy and his killing spree.
If you are aware of Ted Bundy, you must know that he was known to be an extremely good-looking, manipulative & charismatic serial killer. The director, Joe Berlinger is aware of these criticisms and he insists that the film is true to its character. For instance, Berlinger also directed the Netflix documentary Conversations with a Killer: The Ted Bundy Tapes. Surely he must have a deep understanding of the subject matter, right?
Now, morally it may be difficult for people to watch this movie on the pretext that he may be glorified. It is quite understandable as he has done various horrible things but one cannot judge a movie by its trailer. One should watch a movie before accusing its makers of something so horrible.
Ted Bundy
Art has no restrictions. Glorifying bad people could be morally difficult but it should not be criticized. There are various art forms in the entertainment field such as Dexter, where it is morally justified to kill people. In Hannibal, cannibalism was shown artistically. Martin Scorsese’s Wolf of Wall Street about fraud showed Jordan Belfort as a smart, charming, intelligent & successful person. In The House That Jack Built, the serial killer’s killings were justified and glorified. There is nothing wrong with this concept and if the director wants to show that perspective to the audience then he/she is morally and artistically free to do so.
Extremely Wicked, Shockingly Evil and Vile has premiered at the Sundance Film Festival & is currently slated to release in theaters sometime in 2019.
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