The Ted Bundy film Extremely Wicked, Shockingly Evil and Vile is about to drop – but is it worth seeing and who’s in the cast with Zac Efron?
TED Bundy was the unsuspecting handsome serial killer whose gruesome crimes gripped America in the 70s.
And now his story is coming to the big screen as Zac Efron brings the criminal to life for a new audience. Here’s what people are saying about the film…
When is Extremely Wicked, Shockingly Evil and Vile’s UK release?
The film had its world premiere at the Sundance Film Festival on January 26, 2019.
The movie will be released on May 3, 2019, in the UK.
The film runs for one hour and 50 minutes and is inspired by true events.
It has an 18 certificate and is billed as the story behind America’s most notorious serial killer..
What do the reviews say about Extremely Wicked, Shockingly Evil and Vile?
So far the critics haven’t been too unkind to the film, with Extremely Wicked, Shockingly Evil and Vile getting 60% fresh rating on Rotten Tomatoes.
Empire’s Olly Richard says “Efron gambles with his image, but he knows when to up the star power” in his three-star review.
In three-star review for Culture Whisper, Ella Kemp writes: “What feels gripping during the film’s runtime tastes a bit more sour once the credits have rolled”.
New York Post’s Johnny Oleksinski writes: “Berlinger’s aim, it seems, is to cast doubt on whether or not Bundy actually murdered anybody until the very end of the movie to maintain suspense. Good luck, Joe!”
While Digital Spy says: “Bundy did not embody the perceived stereotypes of a callous killer. In the film it’s not until he relinquishes his hold and confesses, days before his execution, that audiences finally see Bundy with horrifying clarity. As an audience, we are taken on that journey of conflict and deception.”
What is the plot for Extremely Wicked, Shockingly Evil and Vile?
It’s 1969 and Ted (Zac Efron) is crazy-handsome, smart, charismatic, affectionate – and cautious, single mother Liz Kloepfer (Lily Collins) ultimately cannot resist his charms.
For her, Ted is a match made in heaven, and she soon falls head over heels in love with the dashing young man.
A picture of domestic bliss, the happy couple seem to have it all figured out until, out of nowhere, their perfect life is shattered.
Ted is arrested and charged with a series of increasingly grisly murders.
Concern soon turns to paranoia and, as evidence piles up, Liz is forced to consider that the man with whom she shares her life could actually be a psychopath.
Who is in the cast of Extremely Wicked, Shockingly Evil and Vile?
- Zac Efron takes on the leading role of Ted Bundy. Talking about playing the disturbed killer he told Variety: “Initially, I had reservations about playing a serial killer. I’ve seen people make horror films like this before, and it seems like an aggressive play to separate yourself from a perceived image.”
- Lily Collins as Elizabeth Kloepfer. The actress plays Ted’s girlfriend who was in a relationship with him during his killing spree. Elizabeth already had a daughter from a previous relationship, and she and Bundy set up house together.
- John Malkovich as Edward Cowart. The esteemed actor takes on the role of Judge Edward D Cowart who sent Bundy to death row in 1979 after a jury found him guilty of the murders of two female Florida State University students.
- Jim Parsons as Larry Simpson. Known for playing Sheldon in Big Bang Theory, this role is a very different character for Jim. He plays the lead prosecutor in the Bundy trial.
More on Film
How was Ted Bundy executed and how many people did he murder?
Ted Bundy was executed on January 24, 1989, when he was 42 years old.
He confessed to killing 30 women, although the actual number of murders committed is unknown.
There was a “circus atmosphere” outside the prison, according to journalist Jon Word who witnessed the final moments of dozens of death row killers.
Hundreds of people – including 20 off-duty police officers – sang, danced and set off fireworks across the street from the prison as the execution was carried out.