Connect with us

News

Zac Efron cast as Ted Bundy in Berlinger Movie

Published

on

Zac Efron Ted Bundy

The true life accounts of many real life monsters live on in the media throughout the decades, often times far beyond their deaths.  Whether it’s in movies, books, television shows, or documentaries, the horrific stories of real life murders and serial killers and the horror they released upon the world continue to live on.  One of the most notorious serial killers who has lived on in the media since the conviction of his crimes and long after his death is Theodore Robert Bundy.

The story behind serial killer Ted Bundy’s life has been immortalized in multiple formats over the years since his conviction, including movies, television, and books.  One of the most notable portrayals was by Mark Harmon in the 1986 TV movie The Deliberate Stranger. The made for television movie came out three years before Bundy’s execution and women swooned over the blue eyed killer, both on screen as well as the one sitting on death row.  In fact, Bundy’s prison mailbox overflowed with letters as he awaited his sentence to be carried out by women who transferred their attraction from Harmon to Bundy.

Image result for mark harmon the deliberate stranger

via The MacGuffin

Harmon was a heartthrob of the eighties, and his undertaking of the notorious serial killer attracted viewers to the real life sexual sadist.  Now modern day heartthrob Zac Efron has been announced to portray the sexual sadist suspected of killing over a hundred women, in Joe Berlinger’s independent drama Extremely Wicked, Shockingly Evil and Vile.  For those of you who have only seen him in his childhood and adolescent roles on the Disney channel, you may be wondering if this is the right decision.

With teenage girls throwing themselves at the young Efron in High School the Musical and then again in the 2007 movie adaption of Hairspray, is history bound to repeat itself?  As twisted as it sounds, will the choice of casting the now 29 year old Efron romanticize serial killer Ted Bundy  once again, now to a new generation of twenty-somethings?

Let’s not forget, the real Bundy had his own fans and supporters consisting of young, beautiful, and devoted groupies sitting dutifully behind him in the courtroom every day of trial.  Even while being full aware of what his crimes were before, during, and after sentencing, women remained drawn and devoted to the serial killer.  Ironically these young women tended to match the physical description of the sexual sadist’s victims to a “T.”

Image result for ted bundy

via Ranker

Efron first found fame in 2006’s High School Musical, which in turn spawned two sequels in which he also starred in.  Always the love object in his career, Efron’s boyish good looks and charming demeanor make him a compatible fit for the innocent angle Bundy would use to lure his unsuspecting female victims.  However, never has the young actor undertaken a role displaying such anger, rage, violence, and sadism.  Given his resume of singing and dancing, fans are understandably skeptical of director Joe Berlinger’s choice.

Berlinger has a long history of directing films rooted in true crime, perhaps his most notable being the Paradise Lost trilogy; a 3 part documentary about the true life story behind the West Memphis Three case.  Undoubtedly this new project will be strongly rooted in fact, and if it follows the format he is known for there will never be a dull moment, nor will it be forgettable.  His work is haunting, and despite the grim content it always draws you back for another viewing.

There is no doubt Extremely Wicked, Shockingly Evil and Vile will be a brilliant piece of film from visionary director Berlinger, and for now we have to try and suspend our disbelief in Efron being the leading man.  Berlinger is experienced and talented behind the camera, as well as a hell of a story teller, so if he believes this blue eyed heartthrob of the millennial generation can embody one of the most vile and gruesome serial killers America has ever known, we owe him the chance to prove it to us.

Read more about Ted Bundy in recent headlines here.

Listen to the 'Eye On Horror Podcast'

Listen to the 'Eye On Horror Podcast'

Click to comment

You must be logged in to post a comment Login

Leave a Reply

Movies

Another Creepy Spider Movie Hits Shudder This Month

Published

on

Good spider films are a theme this year. First, we had Sting and then there was Infested. The former is still in theaters and the latter is coming to Shudder starting April 26.

Infested has been getting some good reviews. People are saying that it’s not only a great creature feature but also a social commentary on racism in France.

According to IMDb: Writer/director Sébastien Vanicek was looking for ideas around the discrimination faced by black and Arab-looking people in France, and that led him to spiders, which are rarely welcome in homes; whenever they’re spotted, they’re swatted. As everyone in the story (people and spiders) is treated like vermin by society, the title came to him naturally.

Shudder has become the gold standard for streaming horror content. Since 2016, the service has been offering fans an expansive library of genre movies. in 2017, they began to stream exclusive content.

Since then Shudder has become a powerhouse in the film festival circuit, buying distribution rights to movies, or just producing some of their own. Just like Netflix, they give a film a short theatrical run before adding it to their library exclusively for subscribers.

Late Night With the Devil is a great example. It was released theatrically on March 22 and will begin streaming on the platform starting April 19.

While not getting the same buzz as Late Night, Infested is a festival favorite and many have said if you suffer from arachnophobia, you might want to take heed before watching it.

Infested

According to the synopsis, our main character, Kalib is turning 30 and dealing with some family issues. “He’s fighting with his sister over an inheritance and has cut ties with his best friend. Fascinated by exotic animals, he finds a venomous spider in a shop and brings it back to his apartment. It only takes a moment for the spider to escape and reproduce, turning the whole building into a dreadful web trap. The only option for Kaleb and his friends is to find a way out and survive.”

The film will be available to watch on Shudder starting April 26.

Listen to the 'Eye On Horror Podcast'

Listen to the 'Eye On Horror Podcast'

Continue Reading

Movies

Part Concert, Part Horror Movie M. Night Shyamalan’s ‘Trap’ Trailer Released

Published

on

In true Shyamalan form, he sets his film Trap inside a social situation where we aren’t sure what is going on. Hopefully, there is a twist at the end. Furthermore, we hope it’s better than the one in his divisive 2021 movie Old.

The trailer seemingly gives away a lot, but, as in the past, you can’t rely on his trailers because they are often red herrings and you are being gaslit to think a certain way. For instance, his movie Knock at the Cabin was completely different than what the trailer implied and if you hadn’t read the book on which the film is based it was still like going in blind.

The plot for Trap is being dubbed an “experience” and we aren’t quite sure what that means. If we were to guess based on the trailer, it’s a concert movie wrapped around a horror mystery. There are original songs performed by Saleka, who plays Lady Raven, a kind of Taylor Swift/Lady Gaga hybrid. They have even set up a Lady Raven website to further the illusion.

Here is the fresh trailer:

According to the synopsis, a father takes his daughter to one of Lady Raven’s jam-packed concerts, “where they realize they’re at the center of a dark and sinister event.”

Written and directed by M. Night Shyamalan, Trap stars Josh Hartnett, Ariel Donoghue, Saleka Shyamalan, Hayley Mills and Allison Pill. The film is produced by Ashwin Rajan, Marc Bienstock and M. Night Shyamalan. The executive producer is Steven Schneider.

Listen to the 'Eye On Horror Podcast'

Listen to the 'Eye On Horror Podcast'

Continue Reading

News

Woman Brings Corpse Into Bank To Sign Loan Papers

Published

on

Warning: This is a disturbing story.

You have to be pretty desperate for money to do what this Brazilian woman did at the bank to get a loan. She wheeled in a fresh corpse to endorse the contract and she seemingly thought the bank employees wouldn’t notice. They did.

This weird and disturbing story comes via ScreenGeek an entertainment digital publication. They write that a woman identified as Erika de Souza Vieira Nunes pushed a man she identified as her uncle into the bank pleading with him to sign loan papers for $3,400. 

If you’re squeamish or easily triggered, be aware that the video captured of the situation is disturbing. 

Latin America’s largest commercial network, TV Globo, reported on the crime, and according to ScreenGeek this is what Nunes says in Portuguese during the attempted transaction. 

“Uncle, are you paying attention? You must sign [the loan contract]. If you don’t sign, there’s no way, as I cannot sign on your behalf!”

She then adds: “Sign so you can spare me further headaches; I can’t bear it any longer.” 

At first we thought this might be a hoax, but according to Brazilian police, the uncle, 68-year-old Paulo Roberto Braga had passed away earlier that day.

 “She attempted to feign his signature for the loan. He entered the bank already deceased,” Police Chief Fábio Luiz said in an interview with TV Globo. “Our priority is to continue investigating to identify other family members and gather more information regarding this loan.”

If convicted Nunes could be facing jail time on charges of fraud, embezzlement, and desecration of a corpse.

Listen to the 'Eye On Horror Podcast'

Listen to the 'Eye On Horror Podcast'

Continue Reading