If you were to look up Ted Bundy’s name on the Internet Movie Database, you would see that there are over seventeen actors who have played the serial killer in films. Whether the based upon his killings, a mere mention or done in a comical sense, this famous villain has made his undeserved mark in cinema. This is the sixth film based on the serial killer and the terror he brought to the people of the United States during the 1970’s.
BUNDY: AN AMERICAN ICON (aka BUNDY: A LEGACY OF EVIL) seems to be based on the account and details that Ted Bundy (Corin Nemec) told the Warden of the prison (Kane Hodder). It tells a lot about Bundy’s personal life. It is basically the story of how he meets his girlfriend(s) in college and how he sees himself as a person of power. He really is just a small town boy, raised by his grandparents, who wants to be something bigger. He gets involved in politics, and even works for the governor of Washington. But he has a dark side, leading him to kill over thirty-five young women, and the film shows some of his actions. This film is pretty much a rundown of the key points of Ted Bundy’s life: The people he kills, the people he loves and how he becomes known as one of the most feared serial killers of all time.
I personally think enough is enough already with exploiting serial killers. There are too many good people out there doing great things for the world and no one makes movies about them, but if you kill helpless young ladies you become an icon. It makes no sense to me, but people love this shit, and it sells. So why not keep making them until no one watches them anymore?
As far as this film goes, it is just another adequate serial killer film. It has decent pacing, but the story seems to be more focused on key points of Bundy’s life than on developing the characters. Really, the only character that is fully-developed is that of Bundy, himself, but if you are familiar with his killings and his life, you already know a lot about him. The script is just alright: Nothing special, but a collection of accounts that take place in Bundy’s life.
The acting in the film is good. Corin Nemec really gets the character of Ted Bundy down well. His performance is very good, both when he plays the calm, nice Bundy and when he plays the sadistic side, as well. The rest of the cast is not all that bad. Kane Hodder has a small, yet important, role as the Warden who eventually leads Bundy to the electric chair. The rest of the cast includes Jen Nikolaisen, David DeLuise and Shannon Pierce.
The overall production values are good. Some great locations that really catch the feel of the time, and the scenes that involved the murders are intense. There are some decent special make-up effects, but nothing to over the top. The editing is a bit choppy, and I think that is what affects the flow of the story for me. It just seems that the way the film is cut took away from the flow of the plot and leaves us with a story that is rushed.
The DVD has a few features, which include Director Michael Feifer’s commentary and a Stills Gallery. The overall film is nothing special, but it’s not bad either. I, for one, am sick of all the films that exploit what some of these famous serial killers did. This film does give us more detail into the life of Ted Bundy, but I think more people would rather forget about what he did in the 1970’s than remember it.
– Horror Bob
- Interview with J.R. Bookwalter - January 22, 2015
- Interview with Andrew J. Rausch - January 22, 2015
- Interview with Rick Popko and Dan West - January 22, 2015
- Interview with Director Stevan Mena (Malevolence) - January 22, 2015
- Interview with Screenwriter Jeffery Reddick (Day of the Dead 2007) - January 22, 2015
- Teleconference interview with Mick Garris (Masters of Horror) - January 22, 2015
- A Day at the Morgue with Corri English (Unrest) - January 22, 2015
- Interview with Writer/Director Nacho Cerda (The Abandoned, Aftermath) - January 22, 2015
- Interview with Actress Thora Birch (Dark Corners, The Hole, American Beauty) - January 22, 2015
- Interview with Actor Jason Behr, Plus Skinwalkers Press Coverage - January 22, 2015
