Extremely Wicked, Shockingly Evil And Vile: Zac Efron Terrifies As Ted Bundy In New Trailer

As the heinous serial killer Ted Bundy, Zac Efron is extremely wicked, shockingly evil, vile, and, in the eyes of certain members of the past public, "really dreamy."

Netflix lifted the lid off a new trailer for the Efron-led crime thriller Extremely Wicked, Shockingly Evil and Vile on Tuesday. 

Directed by true-crime documentarian Joe Berlinger, the film focuses on Ted Bundy, the murderer who committed unspeakable acts and was sentenced to death for them, through the eyes of his long-term girlfriend Elizabeth Kloepfer, played by Lily Collins. Deeply in love with Ted at the start, hoping to build a permanent life with him, Elizabeth has trouble coming to terms with her partner's crimes. Thus, she lives in a state of denial that Ted could ever be the monster many are accusing him of. It isn't until the evidence stacks up higher and higher that Elizabeth — "Liz," as Efron's Ted calls her in this new trailer — confronts reality and turns Ted in to authorities. 

This fresh look at Extremely Wicked, Shockingly Evil and Vile shows Elizabeth in the past, smiling and dancing happily with Ted, and in the present, staring him down from behind a thick panel of glass that separates the two of them. Ted is on one side in an orange prisoner's jumpsuit, and she's on the other, telling him that the only way things will ever end is "with the truth." Her words cut deep, and are jarring against footage of the former couple living in ignorant bliss. 

Unfortunately, and to the shock of many, not everyone held the same feelings toward Ted that Liz did in her later years. Though he's on trial for murder, assault, and kidnapping, among other things, members of the public still find Ted charming — something that should send chills down the spines of everyone watching the trailer. One woman remarks in the footage, "I get very scared, but, you know, he's also really dreamy." It's part of the reason why Ted's case gained so much attention: he hid his sociopathic nature underneath layers of wit and allure, even telling John Malkovich's Judge Edward Cowart in the clip, "I'm disguised as an attorney today."

Obviously, Ted Bundy isn't someone that anyone should find charming after knowing the horrific crimes he carried out, and Extremely Wicked, Shockingly Evil and Vile is making that much clearer with this trailer. The film previously faced backlash after releasing the first round of promotional footage, which painted Extremely Wicked as a campy dark comedy rather than a crime-soaked thriller. With this new clip, the tone of Extremely Wicked comes across loud and clear — and audiences have already taken notice. 

"The last trailer looked like an SNL skit compared to this one," one YouTube user wrote in the comments section of the trailer. "Efron always looked like he put a good foot forward for this role, but the upbeat tone of the last trailer undersold just how accurately he depicts this terrifying guy. This is a well-done trailer. The last one was not."

Another typed, "Way better trailer than the previous one. A more fitting tone for the subject matter." More agreed, with one commending Netflix executives for their efforts in cutting together this tone-accurate trailer: "The last trailer was really garbage compared to this one. Seriously, I don't care if the last trailer wanted to showcase how charismatic Ted Bundy was. On its own, it was a s*** trailer. This, on the other hand, looks like an incredibly interesting and dark film. I knew it was in good hands with Netflix's phenomenal marketing team."

Efron may be the leading man of Extremely Wicked, already picking up praise from critics who caught the film when it premiered at Sundance Film Festival in January, but he's joined by a pack of talented actors who help make the film what it is. These include Collins and Malkovich, of course, plus Jim Parsons as Larry Simpson, Angela Sarafyan as Joanna, Kaya Scodelario as Carole Ann Boone, Jeffrey Donovan as John O'Connell, Grace Victoria Cox as Carol Daronch, Haley Joel Osment as Jerry Thompson, James Hetfield as Officer Bob Hayward, Dylan Baker as David Yocom, Terry Kinney as Det. Mike Fisher, and Brian Geraghty as Dan Dowd. 

After Extremely Wicked, Shockingly Evil and Vile debuted at Sundance, Netflix acquired rights to it. Those interested in watching the film can load it up on Netflix on May 3, or head out to see it in select theaters that same day.