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- Extremely Wicked, Shockingly Evil and Vile
- Netflix
12 Movies And TV Shows About Ted Bundy, Ranked By True Crime Fans
In the world of true crime, there's no shortage of films detailing the heinous crimes of serial killer Ted Bundy. From true crime documentaries to feature films, Bundy has been portrayed in numerous ways since the mid-1980s. While it might seem like everything that could be said about Bundy has been said, dramatizations like No Man of God and the docuseries Ted Bundy: Falling for a Killer offer fresh and startling new insights into Bundy and his many victims. The most well-known films about Ted Bundy range from his murders to his involvement in the Green River Killer case to the stories of the women who harrowingly survived his attacks.
- 19 VOTES
The Deliberate Stranger
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Year It Was Made: 1986
How It Tackles Ted Bundy’s Story: One of the earliest movies about Ted Bundy, The Deliberate Stranger is a two-part miniseries that aired in 1986 and featured Mark Harmon as Ted Bundy. Harmon manages to be charming, but facial ticks hint at Bundy's dark side. Although no graphic violence was allowed due to TV guidelines, Harmon's reenactment of the serial killings at a Florida sorority house is truly chilling. Harmon also captures Bundy's arrogance and need for attention after being apprehended.
How Accurate Is It? Bundy's last attorney, Polly Nelson, referred to The Deliberate Stranger as “stunningly accurate” in her 1994 book Defending the Devil. The film was based on a nonfiction book by the same name written by Seattle Times reporter Richard W. Larsen who covered Bundy's killings, trial, and execution. The film does leave out all of Bundy's early life and initial killings and opens with the murder of Georgann Hawkins.
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Year It Was Made: 2008
How It Tackles Ted Bundy’s Story: Portrayed by James Marsters, Ted Bundy plays a relatively small role in this three-part miniseries, which focuses more on Dave Reichert's pursuit of the Green River Killer. That said, Marsters' take on Bundy is undeniably unsettling, verging on creepy. Bundy's brief appearance is comparable to the extent that the real Bundy was involved in the case.
How Accurate Is It? This was Lifetime's first miniseries and based on Dave Reichert's book Chasing The Devil: My Twenty-Year Quest to Capture the Green River Killer. Great pains were made to make the film accurate, leading to The Hollywood Reporter referring to the miniseries as “tedious, grim and depressing." On the other hand, the film diverges from true events by adding the story of a fictional teen girl who becomes a sex worker and subsequently a victim of the Green River Killer.
- 318 VOTES
The Riverman
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Year It Was Made: 2004
How It Tackles Ted Bundy’s Story: Detectives Robert D. Keppel and Dave Reichert are investigating murders attributed to the Green River Killer and approach Ted Bundy to act as a consultant. The film is essentially a psychological drama that delves into Bundy's own psyche, considering he provided little help in tracking down Gary Ridgeway. During the interviews, Bundy eventually confessed to multiple additional murders.
How Accurate Is It? Produced by A&E and based on a nonfiction book by the same name, The Riverman gives a more or less accurate portrayal of Ted Bundy's involvement in the Green River Killer case. In fact, some reviewers found the film to be a bit boring, but commended Cary Elwes's cold, calculating portrayal of Ted Bundy.
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Year It Was Made: 2003
How It Tackles Ted Bundy’s Story: Much like the 1980 book of the same name, The Stranger Beside Me tells the story of Ted Bundy from the perspective of true crime author Ann Rule, who befriended Bundy when they worked at a crisis hotline center in the 1970s. Billy Campbell plays Bundy in this adaptation and pulls off the careful balancing act of portraying Bundy as both charismatic and villainous. The film's director purposely called out the cult of celebrity that has continued to surround Bundy decades after his execution.
How Accurate Is It? Although not inaccurate, The Stranger Beside Me often gets bogged down in unnecessary details while also leaving out the psychological elements of the Bundy case, which were the cornerstone of Rule's immensely successful book. The film does do a great job of capturing the atmosphere of the late ‘70s and early ’80s.
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Year It Was Made: 2019
How It Tackles Ted Bundy’s Story: Based on the 1981 memoir The Phantom Prince: My Life with Ted Bundy by Liz Kendall, the film is told from Kendall's perspective as she begins dating Bundy in 1969. The film focuses on the relationship between the two and only shows one murder in an effort not to sensationalize Bundy's story. Although Zac Efron might not be the first name that comes to mind when thinking about Ted Bundy, his convincing performance holds up against past portrayals of Bundy.
How Accurate Is It? Extremely Wicked, Shockingly Evil and Vile sticks close to Liz Kendall's book but puts an extreme focus on Bundy and the celebrity status he obtained during his trials. The ending of the film, which involves Liz visiting Bundy one last time in prison, is completely fictional.
- 69 VOTES
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Year It Was Made: 2002
How It Tackles Ted Bundy’s Story: Ted Bundy diverts from the documentarian style of its predecessors and takes a more psychological thriller approach. The majority of Bundy's murders are depicted in graphic detail, and the film gives special attention to Bundy's necrophilia. Although Michael Reilly Burke received positive reviews for his award-winning performance, many viewers and critics found the film exploitative and disrespectful towards Bundy's victims.
How Accurate Is It? There are several inaccuracies in the film, including Bundy's use of a gun, which the real Bundy never used. The film also insinuates that Bundy flunked out of law school, when he did in fact barely earn his degree. And unlike in the film, Bundy wasn't held down by guards to have his rectum packed with cotton balls prior to his execution. The scene seems to have been meant only for dramatic effect.
- 73 VOTES
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Year It Was Made: 2021
How It Tackles Ted Bundy’s Story: No Man of God recounts the relationship between Ted Bundy and FBI Special Agent Bill Hagmaier, who interviewed Bundy numerous times from 1985 until Bundy's execution in 1989. Luke Kirby as Ted Bundy brings a sense of vulnerability and humanity to Bundy without glorifying or justifying his crimes. The film differs greatly from past Bundy ventures since it focuses on the final years of Bundy's life rather than the murders he committed throughout the 1970s.
How Accurate Is It? Despite coming after more than a dozen films about Ted Bundy, No Man of God manages to be both accurate and original. The conversations between Bundy and Hagmaier are taken directly from the FBI transcripts of the conversations the two had together in the latter half of the 1980s.
- 80 VOTES
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Year It Was Made: 2020
How It Tackles Ted Bundy’s Story: This five-part docuseries released by Amazon uses first-hand accounts and archival footage to tell the story of Ted Bundy's murders. The docuseries diverges from past Bundy documentaries by telling the story through the lens of the 1970s feminist movement. In shifting the story from Bundy to the women he victimized, the story becomes more about the survivors of Bundy rather than Bundy himself.
How Accurate Is It? Featuring no dramatizations, the film is accurate due to its firsthand accounts from Bundy's former girlfriend Elizabeth “Liz” Kendall, survivors Karen Epley and Phyllis Armstrong, and others involved in the case. Epley, who had never spoken publicly about her experience, gives a shocking description of the brutal assault she received from Bundy. It is particularly moving and disturbing.
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Year It Was Made: 2019
How It Tackles Ted Bundy’s Story: Netflix's four-part docuseries Conversations with a Killer: The Ted Bundy Tapes was released on the 30th anniversary of his execution and reveals the long-withheld interviews between Bundy and FBI agent Stephen Michaud. The docuseries contains archival footage and insight from those close to the case. The film is largely told from Bundy's point of view via the 1980 FBI recordings, which Bundy agreed to with the stipulation that they never be released to the public.
How Accurate Is It? Although it is a documentary, it can be strongly argued that Conversations with a Killer is highly inaccurate. This is due to the fact Bundy is a highly untrustworthy narrator. Throughout the interviews, he paints himself as a victim who had a happy childhood and a successful, carefree life. The docuseries is intriguing in terms of giving insight into Bundy but offers no revelations.
- 100 VOTES
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Year It Was Made: 2021
How It Tackles Ted Bundy’s Story: Ted Bundy: American Boogeyman takes more of a horror/thriller approach to the Bundy case. Chad Michael Murray as Bundy was described as having a “skin-crawling quality” in a review from The Guardian, and his performance is arguably more subtle and nuanced than previous interpretations of Bundy. The film co-stars Holland Roden as FBI agent Kathleen McChesney, with a large portion of the movie told from her perspective.
How Accurate Is It? A repeated complaint of this film is that it offered nothing new to the story of Ted Bundy, but also failed at successfully incorporating McChesney into the storyline. For example, she never shot at Bundy during the murders at the Chi Omega house in 1978. The deviations from the true story are solely for dramatic effect.
- 110 VOTES
Year It Was Made: 2009
How It Tackles Ted Bundy’s Story: Also known as Bundy: A Legacy of Evil, the film chronologically follows Bundy's life from his dysfunctional childhood through his 1989 execution. Because the film covers most of Bundy's life, the brutality of his murders are often glossed over. Much of the acting, including Corin Nemec as Ted Bundy, feels melodramatic.
How Accurate Is It? Director Michael Feifer had already released several low-budget films about serial killers including Ed Gein and Richard Speck by the time Bundy: An American Icon came out. Like its predecessors, the film diverges from the facts, especially the murders of Lisa Levy and Margaret Bowman at the Chi Omega sorority. The film also insinuates Bundy started murdering women after being rejected by his girlfriend Stephanie (real name Diane Edwards), which is verifiably untrue.
- 123 VOTES
Bundy and the Green River Killer
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Year It Was Made: 2019
How It Tackles Ted Bundy’s Story: Bundy and the Green River Killer is a British dramatization of Bundy's real involvement in the Green River Killer case. In the film, detectives David Richards and Bob Keller seek out the assistance of Ted Bundy to help them get into the mind of a serial killer. A fictionalized version of Gary Ridgeway, the Green River Killer, also appears in the film. Actor Richard Mark bears little resemblance to Bundy, but does embody some of his facial expressions and mannerisms.
How Accurate Is It? The film goes to great lengths to stay accurate to its source material, although many names are changed. For instance, detectives Robert Keppel and Dave Reichert who interviewed Bundy in the '80s, are referred to as Bob Keller and David Richards in the film.
