Serial killer Ted Bundy was the worst man on earth while he was here, and that is a hard title to hold. Wanting to climb into his shoes — and into his twisted, evil brain — demands a certain kind of actor. Indeed, a certain kind of person. And that’s Zac Efron, who portrays Bundy with a chilling passion and dedication few actors could summon.
It’s one thing to play a hero, or even a villain in a superhero universe — not every actor can pull it off. But to play a real villain — one who makes comic book villains seem definitively comical — that’s a different game. And Efron is up to the grim and gruesome task, as revealed in the haunting trailers Netflix dropped so far.
Who will want to spend hours of their own precious time on earth watching this? Netflix has the data and it obviously thinks a lot of people will. Efron certainly delivers — the most recent traile garnered half a million views in less than a day. And Netflix isn’t trying to lure you in and then reveal how it’s going to be. Nope, the title leaves no mystery: Extremely Wicked, Shockingly Evil and Vile. Efron is as committed as an actor can get. A viewer is convinced that Efron is a murderer, and hint of Bundy will cling to him for some viewers even if his next movie is a slapstick comedy. It’s an amazing career move by someone working at the top of his craft.
Here’s the first trailer Netflix put out, focused on how Bundy used his perverse magnetism and charisma to pull off his horrible crimes:
