Blog Post #2: Extremely Wicked, Shockingly Evil and Vile

Extremely Wicked, Shockingly Evil and Vile (2019)

Film Data:

Country: USA

Director: Joe Berlinger

Writer: Elizabeth Kendall (based on the book "The Phantom Prince: My Life with Ted Bundy" by) | Michael Werwie

Cumulative Worldwide Gross: $10,219,049

Production Company: COTA Films

Release Date: May 3, 2019 (USA)

Runtime: 110 minutes

Genre: Crime, Drama, Thriller, Biography

Film data found on IMDb (https://pro.imdb.com/title/tt2481498/companycredits)

Synopsis:

   One night in 1969, single mother Elizabeth Kendall (Lily Collins) is at a college bar with her friend Joanna (Angela Sarafyan). Liz (Elizabeth) meets a handsomely charming man that goes by the name of Theodore 'Ted' Robert Bundy (Zac Efron). Ted and Liz make their way back to Liz's house where they platonically sleep together. The following morning when Liz awakes, she finds that her daughter, Molly, isn't in her crib and Ted is not in the bed with her. In a panic, she rushes to the kitchen where she finds Ted making breakfast and Molly sitting in her high chair. 

   While a montage of Liz and Ted together while raising Molly is being showed, there is a news report in the background of a series of violent murders involving female victims. The perpetrator is described as man faking a broken arm in a cast luring women to his car in Lake Sammamish by asking them for help loading a boat onto his car. A sketch of the perpetrator is printed in the newpapers which resemble Ted.

   In Utah in 1975, Ted is pulled over and arrested. He is tried for the alleged kidnapping of Carol DaRonch (Grace Victoria Cox). Ted's lawyer, John O'Connell (Jeffrey Donovan), was able to get Ted's bail reduced so he could get back to Liz. Once Ted makes it to Liz's house, she is furious with him for his arrest. Ted tells Liz that his name was given to the police which led to his arrest. Ted notices a black car following him around since his bail. Ted makes it to the library and is kicked out by a security guard after another individual in the library recognized him from the papers. Once outside the library, Ted finds the car that has been following him around and decides to run up to the car as it takes off. 

   Ted is found guilty of attempted kidnapping of DaRonch and remains at Utah State Prison. With Liz devastated upon hearing the verdict, Ted reassures her that he will prove his innocence. 

   Detective Mike Fisher (Terry Kinney) begins to investigate Ted and also contacts Liz for the case. Wanting to believe that Ted is innocent, Liz begins to feel the stress from the trials and starts to drink. The more that Ted contacts Liz, the more fed up she gets. She begins to find comfort in her work friend Jerry Thompson (Haley Joel Osment).

   In Aspen, Colorado, Ted is on trial for the murder of Caryn Campbell. Noticing an open window in the court rooms library, Ted begins to plan his escape. During a recess trial, Ted makes his way to the window an escapes. He takes refuge in the Colorado forest for 6 days before being caught and brought back for sentencing. Once caught and captured, Liz visits Ted to let him know that she will no longer be supporting him in the trials and leaves him with a drawing Molly made for him. 

   Later on in that same year, Ted escapes prison again by cutting a hole in the ceiling on his cell. 2 weeks later, in January 1978, Ted makes his way to Florida where he finds 2 sorority girls who are later murdered before other female students report being attacked by a man with a heavy wooden log. Ted gets pulled over once again, and proceeds to hit the police officer to make an escape, but is recaptured. 

   During his trial for the murders of the sorority girls, he is allowed to defend himself in the trial. Ted's old friend, Carole Ann (Kaya Scodelario), visits Ted in prison, and even moves to Florida to be closer to him. In order to gain support from the public, Ted and Carole Ann decide that she will be persuading the public by talking to news reports about how she believes Ted is innocent. Ted's trial gained a lot of publicity and many young women began to support Ted Bundy claiming his innocence. Later on in the trail, Ted and Carole Ann get married, and she becomes pregnant with Ted's child. 

   The jury found Ted Bundy guilty on all charges. Judge Edward T. Cowart (John Malkovich) sentences Ted to death by the electric chair. 

   In1989, Ted sends Liz a final letter as he is about to be sentences to death. Liz goes to visit Ted on death row in order to get closure on whether Ted actually committed these crimes or not. While questioning him, Ted continued to deny having any relation to the murders. Liz then pulls out a picture of one of the victims decapitated. Liz asks Ted what happened to her head, and he wrote on the glass between them, "HACKSAW". This was enough for Liz to understand that Ted had just confessed to the murders of these women. As Liz makes her way out, she looks back on her relationship with Ted and begins to notice all the red flags from the very beginning of their relationship. She is met outside the prison by her daughter Molly who is now a teenager, and Jerry. 

Synopsis (https://pro.imdb.com/title/tt2481498/details)

   

Genre Comparisons

   Movies that fit into crime, drama and thriller center around criminal acts, more specifically its investigation, and typically has to do with murder being the criminal act. Extremely Wicked, Shockingly Evil and Vile (2019) can be categorized into genres of crime, drama thriller, and biography. Similarly, The Silence of the Lambs (1991) dir. Jonathan Demme also has to do with crime and drama. Although The Silence of the Lambs wasn't based off of events from real life, it has similarities to Extremely Wicked, Shockingly Evil and Vile in that they both have to do with individuals who violently and perversely murder others and their persecution. 

(https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0102926/)

Cultural Context

   Ted Bundy is one of the America's most notorious serial killers and has been the subject of various books and documentaries. One documentary that follows Bundy's murders and trials is Conversations with a Killer: The Ted Bundy Tapes (2019). Bundy was found guilty of murdering 30 women which he confessed to before dying, however, it is speculated that Bundy probably killed many more women that have not been identified or have not been traced back to Bundy. 

   Although the film adaptation focuses on Ted Bundy's crimes and trials through Liz's perspective, the film still highlights Bundy's charisma and the public appraisal he got especially from women. Ted Bundy was seen as an attractive man who was able to use his "sweet talk" to lure many women to their death. The film even challenges the viewer into questioning whether he actually committed these crimes by withholding his confession in the movie until the very end. Throughout the movie, the audience is not provided with any scene of him comitting these crimes prior to his confession, so many viewers who don't know who Ted Bundy is are left similar to the jury present during his trial. Although there was sufficient evidence linking Bundy to these murders, many people, particularly women, were convinced that Bundy was innocent. This could be due to his charisma and ability to make himself seem like just a regular guy not capable of murdering anyone. 

(https://talenthero.io/2019/05/04/ted-bundy-a-charismatic-serial-killer/)

   Evil Incarnate

   Psychopathy and sociopathy fall under Anti-social Personality Disorder. This disorder is characterized by lack of empathy, difficulty forming close relationships, violate social norms, and is often ties with other mental illnesses. 

   In terms of Ted Bundy, many people can agree that he clearly fits the description of a psychopath. Not only was he charismatic, he always had a calm demeanor throughout his trials and was extremely intelligent. He was able to manipulate so many people before and during his persecution. His inability to feel empathy or remorse for his victims and his actions is another symptom that links him to psychopathy. Bundy did not value human life or care about the consequences of his actions. 

   Many believe that Bundy's desire to murder and rape his victims came from his need to feel dominant and in control. He enjoyed torturing his victims. He was no motivated on a sexual desire but rather one of control, and this could explain why he also partook in necrophilia. When Bundy was in college, he was in a relationship with a young woman who ended up breaking up with him, leaving Bundy devastated. Following this relationship, Bundy apparently came back as a social and likable individual. Many articles also reference how many of his victims have a similar physical resemblance to his ex girlfriend. This could explain Bundy's motivation for murder by wanting dominance and control. 

   Overall, Ted Bundy was guilty of murdering over 30 women and was put to justice. There is no doubt that he could be classified as a psychopath and that he evidently was motivated to murder through his need to feel in control.

(https://www.biography.com/crime-figure/ted-bundy)

(https://www.psychologytoday.com/us/blog/wicked-deeds/201912/understanding-serial-killer-ted-bundy)