Extremely Wicked, Shockingly Evil and Vile

Last updated

Extremely Wicked, Shockingly Evil and Vile
Extremely Wicked, Shockingly Evil, and Vile poster.png
Official release poster
Directed by Joe Berlinger
Screenplay byMichael Werwie
Based onThe Phantom Prince: My Life with Ted Bundy
by Elizabeth Kendall
Produced by
Starring
Cinematography Brandon Trost
Edited byJosh Schaeffer
Music by
Production
companies
Distributed by Netflix
Release dates
  • January 26, 2019 (2019-01-26)(Sundance)
  • May 3, 2019 (2019-05-03)(United States)
Running time
108 minutes
CountryUnited States
LanguageEnglish
Box office$9.8 million [1]

Extremely Wicked, Shockingly Evil and Vile is a 2019 American biographical true crime drama film about the life of serial killer Ted Bundy. [2] Directed by Joe Berlinger with a screenplay from Michael Werwie, the film is based on Bundy's former girlfriend Elizabeth Kendall's memoir, The Phantom Prince: My Life with Ted Bundy. The film stars Zac Efron as Bundy, Lily Collins as Kendall, Kaya Scodelario as Bundy's wife Carole Ann Boone, and John Malkovich as Edward Cowart, the presiding judge at Bundy's trial. The title of the film is a reference to Cowart's remarks on Bundy's murders while sentencing him to death.

Contents

Extremely Wicked, Shockingly Evil and Vile had its world premiere at the Sundance Film Festival on January 26, 2019, and was released in the United States on May 3, 2019, by Netflix. The film received mixed reviews from critics, though Efron's performance was praised.

Plot

In 1969 Seattle, law student Ted Bundy meets Liz Kendall, a young secretary and divorced mother. The two begin dating, and Ted helps Liz raise her young daughter, Molly.

By 1974, news reports announce the recent murders of multiple young women, including two who disappeared in broad daylight at Lake Sammamish; a man resembling Ted was seen by several people asking women to help him load a kayak onto a Volkswagen Beetle. A composite sketch of the attacker is released and, following hundreds of phone calls, Ted is arrested the following year.

A young woman named Carol DaRonch picks Ted out of a police lineup, claiming he had kidnapped and threatened to kill her before she managed to escape. Ted is released on bail, returning home to Liz who is upset after reading an article about him in the newspaper. Ted explains that Carol was shown his picture before the lineup took place, which is why he looked familiar to her, and says he believes he is being set up. After a four-day bench trial, Ted is found guilty of aggravated kidnapping and is sentenced to serve a minimum of one to a maximum of 15 years in the Utah State Prison.

A few weeks later, Colorado authorities charge Ted with the murder of Caryn Campbell, and he is transferred to Aspen, Colorado, in 1977. Liz refuses to believe Ted is guilty, but the events start to take a toll on her, and she begins drinking heavily as a result. While at Pitkin County Courthouse, Ted elects to serve as his own attorney and, as such, is excused from wearing handcuffs or leg shackles. During a court recess, Ted escapes from the courthouse by jumping out of a second-story window and running to the mountains through the town, but is recaptured after six days.

Liz visits Ted and ends their relationship. He later escapes again after sawing a square into his cell's ceiling. Two women at a sorority house are murdered at Florida State University, followed by vicious attacks on three more. After Ted is arrested, he tries to contact Liz, but she hangs up on him. He starts to receive a following of women who are fascinated by him, some even claiming they love him. Ted is also visited by an old friend, Carole Ann Boone, who believes he is innocent and moves to Florida to be closer to him during his upcoming murder trial.

A pre-trial plea bargain is negotiated in which Ted would plead guilty to killing the two sorority girls, Lisa Levy and Margaret Bowman, and twelve-year-old Kimberly Leach, in exchange for a 75-year prison sentence instead of the death penalty, but he refuses. Ted and Carole Ann grow closer as she visits him regularly; the two begin a relationship, but Ted continues to reach out to Liz who is following his trials via television. She carries the guilt of being the person who gave Ted's name to the Seattle authorities in 1975. Ted later proposes to Carole Ann mid-trial and they marry.

Incriminating physical evidence is provided in court, including a match of a plaster cast of Ted's teeth to the impressions of bite wounds left on Levy's buttocks. In under seven hours, the jury convicts Ted of the murders of Levy and Bowman, three counts of attempted first-degree murder, and two counts of burglary. Trial judge Edward Cowart imposes death sentences for the murders.

Ten years later, Liz receives a letter from Ted and visits him, taking a photograph given to her by a detective. She demands the truth but Ted continues to deny having anything to do with the murders and proclaims his innocence. She then shows Ted a photograph, a crime scene image of one of his decapitated victims, and he finally admits that he sawed her head off by writing the word "hacksaw" in the condensation on the visiting room window that separates them. Liz leaves the prison in shock but is met outside by her new husband Jerry, and Molly, now a teenager, and she proclaims that she is finally okay.

As the film ends, archival footage and on-screen text say that Ted was executed in January 1989, aged 42 years old. Ted had confessed to over 30 murders days before his execution, and his ashes were scattered in the Cascade Mountains, where he had deposited the remains of numerous victims.

Cast

Molly Kendall, Liz's daughter, is portrayed at different ages by Macie Carmosino, Ava Inman, Morgan Pyle, and Grace Balbo. Director Joe Berlinger and cinematographer Brandon Trost make cameo appearances as the presenter and cameraman who interview Ted in Colorado.

Production

The project was unveiled at the 2017 Cannes Film Festival, with Zac Efron set to star as the serial killer Ted Bundy, and documentary filmmaker Joe Berlinger signed to direct. [3] In October 2017, Lily Collins was cast as Bundy's girlfriend Elizabeth Kendall. [4]

In January 2018, John Malkovich was cast to play Edward Cowart, the judge presiding over Bundy's case. Principal production began on January 18, 2018, in Covington, Kentucky. [5] Angela Sarafyan, Jeffrey Donovan, Grace Victoria Cox, Kaya Scodelario, Jim Parsons, Haley Joel Osment, Dylan Baker and Terry Kinney joined the film throughout the rest of January, [6] [7] [8] [9] [10] [11] with Metallica guitarist and lead singer James Hetfield being added in February. [12]

Release

The film had its world premiere at the Sundance Film Festival on January 26, 2019. [13] Shortly after, Netflix acquired the domestic distribution rights to the film for $9 million. [14] It was digitally released on the platform on May 3, 2019, along with a limited theatrical release. [15] [16] [17]

The film was theatrically released in several overseas markets, grossing a total of $9.8 million, with its largest markets being Mexico ($5.6 million) and Italy ($1.1 million). [1]

Critical response

On review aggregator Rotten Tomatoes, the film holds an approval rating of 54% based on 182 reviews, and an average rating of 5.7/10. The website's critical consensus reads, "Extremely Wicked, Shockingly Evil and Vile often transcends its narrative limitations through sheer force of Zac Efron's compulsively watchable performance." [18] On Metacritic, the film has a weighted average score of 52 out of 100, based on 31 critics, indicating "mixed or average reviews". [19]

Owen Gleiberman of Variety praised Efron's performance for his accuracy in portraying Bundy, and wrote: "Extremely Wicked doesn't rub our noses in the horror of Ted Bundy. It shows us just enough, keeping the horror where it belongs, in the recesses of our imagination, where it remains what it should be: dark as midnight, and altogether too much to fathom." [20] The Guardian 's Benjamin Lee gave the film three out of five stars, also praising Efron but calling the film itself a "pedestrian and graceless drama". He criticized Collins's performance, saying she was reduced to a stock character. [21] Writing for Vulture , Emily Yoshida had a similar perspective, praising Efron but disliking the rest of the film, and saying, "The narrative feature from veteran documentarian Joe Berlinger seems as though it's setting out to be the story of serial killer Ted Bundy told through the eyes of his girlfriend ... But Berlinger's film gets sucked into the gravity of sensational events that are already a matter of public record, and spends so much time meticulously recreating them that the perspective is diluted." [22]

Sonia Rao of The Washington Post wrote that the film failed to distance itself from the glorification of Bundy and did not address the impact of his crimes on his victims' loved ones. [23]

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">James Hetfield</span> American musician (born 1963)

James Alan Hetfield is an American musician. He is the lead vocalist, rhythm guitarist, co-founder, and a primary songwriter of heavy metal band Metallica. He is mainly known for his intricate rhythm playing, but occasionally performs lead guitar duties and solos both live and in studio. Hetfield co-founded Metallica in October 1981 after answering an advertisement by drummer Lars Ulrich in the Los Angeles newspaper The Recycler. Metallica has won nine Grammy Awards and released 11 studio albums, three live albums, four extended plays, and 24 singles. Hetfield is often regarded as one of the greatest heavy metal rhythm guitar players of all time.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Haley Joel Osment</span> American actor (born 1988)

Haley Joel Osment is an American actor. Beginning his career as a child actor, Osment's role in the comedy-drama film Forrest Gump (1994) won him a Young Artist Award. His breakthrough came with the psychological thriller film The Sixth Sense (1999), which won him a Saturn Award and earned him nominations for an Academy Award, a Golden Globe Award and a Screen Actors Guild Award. He achieved further success with the drama film Pay It Forward (2000), the science fiction film A.I. Artificial Intelligence (2001) which won him a second Saturn Award, the comedy film Secondhand Lions (2003) which won him a Critics Choice Award, and the animated film The Jungle Book 2 (2003). He has voiced Sora in the Kingdom Hearts video game franchise since 2002, and voiced Vanitas in the same franchise from 2010 to 2020.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Joe Berlinger</span> American documentary filmmaker

Joseph Berlinger is an American documentary filmmaker and producer. Particularly focused on true crime documentaries, Berlinger's films and docu-series draw attention to social justice issues in the US and abroad in such films as Brother's Keeper, Paradise Lost: The Child Murders at Robin Hood Hills, Crude, Whitey: United States of America v. James J. Bulger and Intent To Destroy: Death, Denial and Depiction.

<i>Ted Bundy</i> (film) 2002 American serial killer film directed by Matthew Bright

Ted Bundy is a 2002 biographical crime thriller film written and directed by Matthew Bright, and co-written by Stephen Johnston. A limited theatrical release, it is a fictionalized dramatization of the crimes of Ted Bundy, an American serial killer who raped and murdered dozens of women and girls throughout the United States during the 1970s. It stars Michael Reilly Burke as the titular character, and Boti Bliss as Bundy's girlfriend, Lee.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Kaya Scodelario</span> English actress (born 1992)

Kaya Rose Scodelario-Davis is a British actress. She first came to prominence co-starring on E4's Skins, receiving two Golden Nymph nominations for her portrayal of Effy Stonem. She then took on leading roles in a variety of films, such as Wuthering Heights (2011), the Maze Runner series (2014–2018), Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Men Tell No Tales (2017), Crawl (2019), and Resident Evil: Welcome to Raccoon City (2021). In 2024, she starred in the action comedy series The Gentlemen.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Zac Efron</span> American actor (born 1987)

Zachary David Alexander Efron is an American actor. Efron began acting professionally in the early 2000s and rose to prominence as a teen idol for his leading role as Troy Bolton in the High School Musical trilogy (2006–2008). During this time, he also starred in the musical film Hairspray (2007) and the comedy film 17 Again (2009).

Nicolas Chartier is a French film producer. In 2005, he founded Voltage Pictures, a Los Angeles–based film production and distribution company, where he serves as CEO.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Lily Collins</span> British and American actress (born 1989)

Lily Jane Collins is a British and American actress. Born in Guildford and raised in Los Angeles, she began performing on screen at the age of two in the BBC sitcom Growing Pains. In the late 2000s, she began acting and modelling more regularly, and gained recognition for her supporting role in the sports drama film The Blind Side (2009). She went on to star in several films, including the horror film Priest (2011), the thriller Abduction (2011), and the fantasy films Mirror Mirror (2012) and The Mortal Instruments: City of Bones (2013).

Edward Douglas Cowart was an American judge who served as a Dade County Circuit Court Judge.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Halston Sage</span> American actress (born 1993)

Halston Sage is an American actress. She is known for her television roles, such as Grace on the Nickelodeon series How to Rock (2012), Amber on the NBC series Crisis (2014), Alara Kitan on the Fox series The Orville (2017–2019), and Ainsley Whitly on the Fox television series Prodigal Son (2019–2021). Sage has also appeared in films, playing Lacey in Paper Towns and Kendall in Scouts Guide to the Zombie Apocalypse, both from 2015, and Lindsay in the 2017 film Before I Fall.

<i>Neighbors</i> (2014 film) 2014 American film

Neighbors is a 2014 American bromantic comedy film directed by Nicholas Stoller and written by Andrew J. Cohen and Brendan O'Brien. The film stars Seth Rogen and Zac Efron with Rose Byrne, Dave Franco, and Christopher Mintz-Plasse in supporting roles. The plot follows a couple who come into conflict with a fraternity that has recently moved in next door, which leads them into an all-out war.

<i>Baywatch</i> (film) 2017 film by Seth Gordon

Baywatch is a 2017 American action comedy film directed by Seth Gordon, with a screenplay by Mark Swift and Damian Shannon, from a story by Jay Scherick, David Ronn, Thomas Lennon, and Robert Ben Garant. It is based on the television series created by Michael Berk, Douglas Schwartz, and Gregory J. Bonann and takes place within the same fictional universe. The film stars Dwayne Johnson and Zac Efron. The story follows lifeguard Mitch Buchannon and his team who must take down a drug lord in an effort to save their beach.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Voltage Pictures</span> American film production and distribution company

Voltage Pictures is an American film production and distribution company founded by Nicolas Chartier in 2005. It has assembled over 180 motion pictures, earning the company a total of two Golden Globe Awards and nine Academy Awards.

<i>Neighbors 2: Sorority Rising</i> 2016 American film

Neighbors 2: Sorority Rising is a 2016 American comedy film directed by Nicholas Stoller and written by Stoller, Andrew J. Cohen, Brendan O'Brien, Seth Rogen and Evan Goldberg. A sequel to Neighbors (2014), the plot follows the Radners having to outwit a new sorority led by Shelby, living next door to sell their house currently in escrow. Zac Efron, Dave Franco, Christopher Mintz-Plasse, Jerrod Carmichael, Ike Barinholtz, Carla Gallo, Hannibal Buress, and Lisa Kudrow reprise their roles from the first film; it was Rogen's first live-action sequel. The film premiered on April 26, 2016, in Berlin and was released on May 20, 2016, in the United States, receiving mostly positive reviews and grossed $108 million worldwide.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">John Malkovich on stage and screen</span>

American actor, director, and producer John Malkovich has appeared in more than 70 motion pictures. He started acting in the 1980s, appearing in the films Places in the Heart (1984) with Sally Field, Death of a Salesman (1985), The Glass Menagerie (1987), Empire of the Sun (1987), and Dangerous Liaisons (1988) with Glenn Close. His role in Places in the Heart earned him an Academy Award nomination. During the 1990s, he starred in the films Of Mice and Men (1992) as Lennie Small, In the Line of Fire (1993) as Mitch Leary, Beyond the Clouds (1995) as The Director, The Portrait of a Lady (1996) as Gilbert Osmond, Con Air (1997) as Cyrus "The Virus" Grissom, The Man in the Iron Mask (1998) as Athos, Being John Malkovich (1999) as John Horatio Malkovich, and The Messenger: The Story of Joan of Arc (1999) as Charles VII. His role as Mitch Leary in In the Line of Fire earned him his second Academy Award nomination.

<i>Conversations with a Killer: The Ted Bundy Tapes</i> American docuseries on Netflix

Conversations with a Killer: The Ted Bundy Tapes is an American documentary that premiered on Netflix on January 24, 2019, the 30th anniversary of Bundy's execution. Created and directed by Joe Berlinger, the four episodes ranging from 51 to 74 minutes long were sourced from over 100 hours of interviews and archival footage of serial killer Ted Bundy, as well as interviews with his friends, surviving victims, and the law enforcement members who worked on his case.

<i>Firestarter</i> (2022 film) 2022 film by Keith Thomas

Firestarter is a 2022 American science fiction horror film directed by Keith Thomas, from a screenplay by Scott Teems, based on Stephen King's novel of the same name, and a remake of the 1984 film of the same name. The film stars Zac Efron, Ryan Kiera Armstrong, Sydney Lemmon, Kurtwood Smith, John Beasley, Michael Greyeyes, and Gloria Reuben. It is produced by Jason Blum and Akiva Goldsman under their Blumhouse Productions and Weed Road Pictures banners, respectively, alongside BoulderLight Pictures and Night Platform.

<i>Ted Bundy: Falling for a Killer</i> American true crime docuseries

Ted Bundy: Falling for a Killer is a 2020 American true crime docuseries that premiered on Amazon Prime Video on January 30, 2020. The 5-part miniseries was created and directed by Trish Wood. Many viewers who rated the film praised its emphasis on victims, while some objected to its focus on the feminist movement. The incorporation of feminist critique and social contextualization is akin to that seen in later episodes of the Netflix crime docuseries, The Ripper.

Kristen Erwin Schlotman is an American film producer. She works to bring Hollywood film projects to the Greater Cincinnati area of Ohio.

References

  1. 1 2 "Extremely Wicked, Shockingly Evil and Vile (2019)". Box Office Mojo . Retrieved April 28, 2020.
  2. ↑ "The 40 Best True Crime Movies to Watch Now". Town & Country. February 28, 2023. Retrieved July 24, 2023.
  3. ↑ Ford, Rebecca; Kit, Borys (May 15, 2017). "Cannes: Zac Efron to Play Ted Bundy in 'Extremely Wicked, Shockingly Evil and Vile'". The Hollywood Reporter . Retrieved January 31, 2018.
  4. ↑ D'Alessandro, Anthony (October 31, 2017). "Lily Collins to Play Ted Bundy's Girlfriend In 'Extremely Wicked, Shockingly Evil, And Vile' – AFM". Deadline Hollywood . Retrieved January 31, 2018.
  5. ↑ McNary, Dave (January 11, 2018). "John Malkovich Joins Ted Bundy Thriller 'Extremely Wicked, Shockingly Evil'". Variety . Retrieved January 31, 2018.
  6. ↑ Hipes, Patrick (January 23, 2018). "'Westworld's Angela Sarafyan Set For Ted Bundy Pic 'Extremely Wicked, Shockingly Evil, And Vile'". Deadline Hollywood. Retrieved January 31, 2018.
  7. ↑ Kit, Borys (January 25, 2018). "'Burn Notice' Star Jeffrey Donovan Joins Zac Efron in Ted Bundy Movie (Exclusive)". The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved January 31, 2018.
  8. ↑ N'Duke, Amanda (January 25, 2018). "Grace Victoria Cox Cast In 'Extremely Wicked, Shockingly Evil, And Vile'; Brit Shaw Joins 'Between Worlds'". Deadline Hollywood. Retrieved January 31, 2018.
  9. ↑ D'Alessandro, Anthony (January 29, 2018). "'Maze Runner's Kaya Scodelario To Play Ted Bundy's Ex-Wife In 'Extremely Wicked, Shockingly Evil, And Vile'". Deadline Hollywood. Retrieved January 31, 2018.
  10. ↑ Kit, Borys (January 31, 2018). "Jim Parsons Joins Zac Efron in Ted Bundy Movie (Exclusive)". The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved January 31, 2018.
  11. ↑ D'Alessandro, Anthony (January 31, 2018). "Jim Parsons, Haley Joel Osment & More Board 'Extremely Wicked, Shockingly Evil And Vile'". Deadline Hollywood. Retrieved January 31, 2018.
  12. ↑ D'Alessandro, Anthony (February 12, 2018). "Metallica's James Hetfield Boards Voltage's 'Extremely Wicked, Shockingly Evil, And Vile'". Deadline Hollywood. Retrieved June 5, 2018.
  13. ↑ Debruge, Peter (November 28, 2018). "Sundance Film Festival Unveils 2019 Features Lineup". Variety. Retrieved November 28, 2018.
  14. ↑ D'Alessandro, Anthony (February 4, 2019). "Zac Efron Ted Bundy Pic 'Extremely Wicked' Sells To Netflix – Sundance". Deadline Hollywood . Archived from the original on February 5, 2019. Retrieved February 4, 2019.
  15. ↑ Sharf, Zack (April 2, 2019). "'Extremely Wicked, Shockingly Evil and Vile' Exclusive Trailer: Zac Efron Charms and Terrifies as Ted Bundy". IndieWire . Retrieved April 2, 2019.
  16. ↑ Dingle, Jon (March 20, 2019). "Extremely Wicked, Shockingly Evil and Vile to be released on 3 May 2019". Filmoria.co.uk. Retrieved March 20, 2019.
  17. ↑ Zafar, Mishal Ali (May 1, 2019). "'Extremely Wicked Shockingly Evil & Vile' Isn't Getting A Big Theatrical Push". Romper. Retrieved May 2, 2019.
  18. ↑ "Extremely Wicked, Shockingly Evil and Vile (2019)". Rotten Tomatoes . Fandango . Retrieved October 10, 2021.
  19. ↑ "Extremely Wicked, Shockingly Evil and Vile reviews". Metacritic . CBS Interactive . Retrieved May 4, 2019.
  20. ↑ Gleiberman, Owen (January 27, 2019). "Sundance Film Review: Zac Efron in 'Extremely Wicked, Shockingly Evil and Vile'". Variety . Retrieved February 15, 2019.
  21. ↑ Lee, Benjamin (January 27, 2019). "Extremely Wicked, Shockingly Evil and Vile review – Zac Efron shocks as Ted Bundy". The Guardian . ISSN   0261-3077 . Retrieved February 15, 2019.
  22. ↑ Yoshida, Emily (January 27, 2019). "Extremely Wicked, Shockingly Evil and Vile Is a Showcase for Zac Efron, and Not Much Else". Vulture . Retrieved February 15, 2019.
  23. ↑ Rao, Sonia (May 6, 2019). "Netflix's 'Extremely Wicked, Shockingly Evil and Vile' feels weirdly in awe of Ted Bundy". The Washington Post .
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.