The Chaotic Manipulation of 2002’s ‘Ted Bundy’ Unveiled in Murder Made Fiction Podcast

Having wrapped up our primer on Ted Bundy (do give it a listen), it’s time for Jenn and I to delve into our first cinematic interpretation of the infamous Ted Bundy.

The man at the helm, writer/director Matthew Bright, is a bit of an acquired taste. Known for the Freeway films (which Trace Thurman and I dissected on Horror Queers), Bright has a knack for pushing the envelope, blending comedy, violence, sex, and exploitation in a way that can be jarring.

This is particularly true for Ted Bundy (2002), a film Bright co-wrote with Stephen Johnston. It’s part of a wave of dramatized true crime films that emerged in the early 2000s, including 2000’s Ed Gein, another Johnston script.

In the case of Ted Bundy, there’s a somewhat half-hearted attempt to stick to the facts. Apart from Bundy, all names have been altered, but several key events, such as the Lake Sammamish double murder and the attempted mall abduction, are faithfully recreated.

However, Bright and Johnston can’t resist the urge to revel in the violence, while also exploring Bundy’s (Michael Reilly Burke) relationship with Lee (a stand-in for Bundy’s real-life girlfriend Liz, portrayed here by Boti Bliss). The problem is that the exploration of how Lee was deceived by Bundy for so long isn’t particularly engaging, and the murder reenactments, which are sometimes played for laughs, are far from compelling.

Despite a killing spree that spanned decades and claimed over 30 victims, the film oddly tries to elicit sympathy for Bundy as he faces the death penalty. It’s a strange and unsuccessful attempt to flip the script.

While Ted Bundy may not hit the mark, it certainly provides plenty of material for a lively podcast discussion!

Episode 17: Ted Bundy (2002)

Jenn and Joe dive into our first Ted Bundy narrative with a review of Matthew Bright’s 2002 film, Ted Bundy.

It’s a bit of a hot mess: a mishmash of styles and tones. It doesn’t quite cross into exploitation territory, but the blend of comedy, violence, and true crime is a bit of a rocky ride.

We’ll also discuss the film’s most successful sequence, its fidelity as a true crime adaptation, and the performances of Burke and Bliss.

Stay tuned for next week: We’ll continue our Bundy coverage with a look at former Disney star Zac Efron’s portrayal of the serial killer in Netflix’s Extremely Wicked, Shockingly Evil and Vile.

For more Murder Made Fiction content, be sure to check out our Patreon feed. We’ve got around 23 hours of bonus content, including in-depth primers on Bundy and The Great Canadian Maple Syrup Heist, as well as individual episodes on Prime’s The Sticky, Anna Kendrick’s Woman of the Hour and the Jude Law/Nicholas Hoult terrorist thriller, The Order.