Why The Latest Ted Bundy Movies Are Catching So Much Backlash

In July 2021, even the most ardent true crime fiends rolled their eyes and said enough was enough after the release of, not one, but two teasers for new films about serial killer Ted Bundy. As Newsweek reports, the teasers for "Ted Bundy: American Boogeyman" and "No Man of God" came just two years after the release of the 2019 Netflix film "Extremely Wicked, Shockingly Evil." And America's creepy obsession with horrendous — yet supposedly handsome — murderers doesn't end there. Other recent Bundy-related streaming releases included Netflix's true crime documentary series "Conversations with a Killer: The Ted Bundy Tapes" in 2019 and Amazon Prime's "Ted Bundy: Falling for a Killer" the following year.

With so much Bundy content out there, news of two more movies about the serial killer incited groans from those weary of the subject, as well as some pretty serious criticism for the industry that continues to pump out movies, series, documentaries, and other forms of so-called entertainment that focus on the deranged killer. Let's take a look at the backlash the new Ted Bundy movies have received and see if the internet's complaints are legitimate.

After the release of the second Ted Bundy movie teaser within a week, Twitter decided to clap back. Some users expressed annoyance at the rehash of an overdone topic. Writer Trey Alston tweeted, "They're literally building a Ted Bundy cinematic universe out here." Another user complained about getting more Ted Bundy movies before Mario Kart 9. "I've had enough," she tweeted.

However, the majority of the backlash had to do with the types of actors chosen to play Bundy. In "Extremely Wicked, Shockingly Evil," it was High School Musical heartthrob Zac Efron. The Bundy in "American Boogeyman" will be played by former fashion model Chad Michael Murray. One user tweeted that Bundy was "hideous" alongside a photo of the murderer smiling like the creep he was, adding "don't let america [sic] convince you this man was attractive and that's why he got away with his crimes." Another user replied that "he was ugly, and I'm glad he's dead."

Whatever their reasons, the members of the jury of the court of public opinion have delivered their verdict: enough is enough. We're done with Bundy. The United States should maybe take advantage of this self-reflective moment as an opportunity to analyze its weird obsession with true crime documentaries. Society could use a more positive entertainment trend than serial killers.