PopHorror Let's Get Scared
The Movie Partnership’s recent crime thriller Ted Bundy: American Boogeyman was not what I expected. I’ll admit that I didn’t have very high hopes for the film, but it proved me wrong with great performances and a different look/perspective at the Ted Bundy crimes. The film was directed and written by Daniel Farrands and stars Chad Michael Murray, Holland Roden, Lin Shaye (read our interview – HERE), Diane Franklin (read our interview – HERE), and Jake Hays.
Synopsis for Ted Bundy: American Boogeyman
Notorious killer, Ted Bundy (Murray), stalks the highways of gritty 1970s America looking for his next victim. Hunting him are FBI agents Kathleen McChesney and (Roden) Robert Ressler (Hays) as they lead the largest manhunt in history to apprehend America’s most infamous serial killer.
I’ve seen countless different films about Ted Bundy and I really enjoyed how they went about this one. It focuses on two FBI agents working together as they lead the largest manhunt in history and it’s quite fascinating how it all happens. It’s also interesting and not surprising to see how the other agents treated female agents at the time especially Kathleen McChesney. The only one who gave her respect was Robert Ressler. As per usual, throughout the film we see Ted Bundy charm, trick, and murder his way through women without a single ounce of remorse.
All of the performances were well done. Although I think Zac Efron looked more like Bundy in Extremely Wicked, Shockingly Evil (read our review – HERE) and Vile than Chad Michael Murray did in Ted Bundy: American Boogeyman, they both portrayed him perfectly with that uneasy charm and overly confident attitude. So much so, you could barely recognize Murray. Holland Roden’s portrayal of Kathleen McChesney was one of my favorite parts of the film. She delivers a strong, emotionally powerful that dominated the screen. I loved her backstory and her empathy really brought this story to life. Jake Hays was equally amazing as Robert Ressler and I loved his on-screen chemistry and relationship with Roden. Lin Shaye, as always, was phenomenal as Bundy’s mom. You could see how much stress and pain the trials and news caused her and the denial she was in even when he confesses. Diane Franklin’s part was also a nice surprise as I had no clue she was in this. She always makes every film she’s in that much better.
Overall I was pleasantly surprised by Ted Bundy: American Boogeyman. Great story and strong performances and they didn’t focus heavily on the details of the kills. There were a few over-the-top scenes including one where Bundy partied and participated in disturbing acts with a variety of mannequins. It was a little out there, but also showed how disturbed he was.
Ted Bundy: American Boogeyman is now available on Digital Download in the UK across iTunes, Amazon, Google, Microsoft, and Sky. I recommend checking it out and letting us know what you think. What’s your favorite Ted Bundy portrayal/film?
