Extremely Wicked, Shockingly Evil and Vile takes a close look at the sinister serial killer Ted Bundy through the eyes of his former girlfriend, Elizabeth Kendall, shedding a light on the the insanely charming and morally corrupting influence this monster had on those around him, fueled by imioned performances from Zac Efron and Lily Collins.

Many were worried about the approach this film would take to the life of Ted Bundy, but all can rest easy as his acts are not played for exploitative entertainment in any respect, and although Bundy’s charm and attractiveness are certainly on full display, the film makes considerable strides to highlight the negative effect that the focus on his “aesthetic pleasures” had on the perpetuation of his crimes. While not making you fully sympathize with Bundy in any respect, Efron deserves major kudos for toying with viewers just as the true menace toyed with his victims’ emotions and convinced them of his innocence repeatedly. Without a doubt, this is the best performance of Efron’s career. His charisma is contagious, but he also manages to continually display the cold, calculated nature of this heinous man that’s always brewing beneath the surface. Efron keeps you in a relentless cycle; it’s easy to fall for Bundy’s tricks, but he soon reminds you of his true colors, and then he’s back to captivating you once again. It’s nauseating for sure, but it’s painfully authentic to the real intoxicating influence of Ted Bundy. Equal praise must be granted to Lily Collins, who portrays the genuine grief of Elizabeth Kendall, Bundy’s former girlfriend, with raw ion. It’s easy to fall hard for their idealistic romance in the rosy red early montages, just as Elizabeth does, but as the film goes on and more of Bundy’s crimes unwravel, we too feel just as sick as Collins’ Elizabeth, and she works wonders as this audience surrogate. In addition, Kendall holds onto some buried secrets and upsetting guilt that boil over in the film’s third act to bring the story home and allow Collins to deliver some of the finest acting of her career.

The film’s script, written by Michael Werwie and adapted from Elizabeth Kendall’s memoir, has an engaging framing device centered around the relationship between Bundy and Kendall, but I do wish we got to continue with Kendall’s life a bit more in the middle stretch. I certainly understand the reasoning behind transitioning to focus more strongly on Bundy and only intermittently checking in on Kendall, but I would’ve liked a more equal balance, given the resonance that their relationship holds. Although the film does tread into conventional courtroom drama in the second act, it’s held afloat by Efron’s dynamic performance, and I appreciated the crew’s restraint from ever fully showing any of Bundy’s heinous acts. Director Joe Berlinger is quite adept at capturing the intensity of his leads’ emotions - several tight shots of Efron and Collins in the film’s third act are expertly excuted - and he succeeds at creating an unsettling environment all around.

While Extremely Wicked, Shockingly Evil and Vile doesn’t dissect Ted Bundy’s psyche in great detail or attempt to provide any massive explanations for his inhuman behavior, it does succeed at illustrating just how the public fell for his alluring persona, and it most greatly portrays this unfortunate illusion via the complex relationship at its center, brought to life by the excellent pair of Zac Efron and Lily Collins.

2019 Ranked