Why can’t people shut up about Ted Bundy?
I am people.
Seriously, I’ve been so obsessed about Ted Bundy for the last year that my friends are probably thinking about calling my psychiatrist. But hey, Bundy was the theme of my graduation thesis, so I kinda have a reason to be this obsessed: I’m just a really dedicated student.
But the thing is, I graduated a year ago and I still find myself thinking, reading, and researching about Bundy murder spree. And the fun thing is, I’m not the only one. Last year (2019) twelve Bundy-themed movies and series were released. Among them, Zac Efron’s movie “Extremely Wicked, Shockingly Evil and Vile” and Netflix’s “Conversations with a Killer : Ted Bundy Tapes”.
Twelve in a year. And maybe you are thinking “ok, it was Bundy’s year but now it’s over”. But it’s not. In 2020, Amazon’s released it highly anticipated 4 episodes docuseries “Falling for a Killer” and other documentaries, such as “Killing Theodore” were supposed to be released this year but were delayed because of the Corona Virus Pandemic.
And before that, hundreds of movies, documentaries, youtube videos and books were out there becoming best sellers.
Bundy was executed over 40 years ago, and he still is such a hot topic when it comes to murder and serial killers. Why? I mean, there were killers way more prolific than Bundy (the Green River Killer or Samuel Little) and killers more sadistic or wicked (Jeffrey Dahmer or Andrei Chikatilo). But it seems that no one can catch public’s attention as much as Theodore.
And here are the reasons why I believe that happens.
First: the sanity mask.
In criminal psychology, there is something that is called “The Mask of Sanity” which is also the title of Hervey Cleckey’s book about the subject. Most part of the serial killer, who are also psychopaths, create a sanity mask : a whole personality made by the person so she (or he) can appear normal to outsiders, masking it’s real personality. Psychopaths don’t feel emotion like we do, they don’t experience love, affection and empathy. But since an early age they see how other people do it, and learn to fake it.
They seem completely normal. They are charismatic, have friends, have a regular job, are social skilled, they date and have a family. But everything is made so they can seem normal. And Bundy was the personification of this.
Theodore Robert Bundy was graduated in psychology and went to law school. He had regular jobs: he assisted governors in campaign and even work in a suicide hotline. He dated, many girls. He had a steady relationship with Elizabeth Kendall, he even became a sort of father figure for her daughter. He kept in contact with his Family. He liked to ski and sail. He seemed like the most ordinary guys of all. But he wasn’t.
Bundy was HOT.
Ok, that’s my personal opinion but Bundy was a good-looking guy, especially for the 70’s. He was not what people expected (and still expect) that a killer looked like: some awkward guy, bad looking, smelly and with mad eyes.
Bundy was trimmed, he was charismatic, he knew how to be pleasant. Of course, that’s all part of his manipulative personality. But this makes him such a fascinating figure, a good looking guy that could probably have any girl, but was also a cold blood killer.
He was a killer from the 70’s.
The 70’s is the decade of the serial killers: Ed Kemper, John Wayne Gacy, Manson and Bundy are some of the killers that were catch in that period. This was also when FBI’s Behavioral Analysis Unit (former Behavioral Science Unit) was created. The agency was responsible not only for coining the term “serial killer” but also created the serial killer “textbook” and made criminal profiling a recognized method for catching killer.
The 70’s was a period of freedom. Women felt free for maybe the first time: they could dress what they want, go to where they want, they were their own person. Also, interstate roads were built, so people could move like never before. Hitchhiking became a habit. This made easy for killers like Bundy to act.
Bundy became like a myth, like a history. Reading about him is also reading about the 70’s history. And who doesn’t love a good history?
He killed a lot of girls.
Ok, there are killers that killed way more people. But Bundy killed 30 girls in a 4-year period. He was able to go undetected for this long because he never left evidence behind. He was hella smart.
It’s shocking and sad to think about the 30 lives that were interrupted and so many others that were changed because of him.
And no one thought that he could be the killer. Even though his name was turned to the police, no one was 100% sure that he was the killer.
There are a lot of questions unanswered.
Bundy took a lot of secrets with him. The right number of people that he killed it’s still not certain. A lot of his victims are still unknown. A lot of bodies weren’t found. What he did to his victims it’s guessed. And the “why” is also a guess.
Bundy did confess to some of his crime and brought light about his personality when he was on death row, but only the tip of the iceberg was discovered.
People are still alive
Even though Bundy’s crimes happened over 50 years ago, a lot of characters in this story are still alive. But not for long, they are in their 70s, 80s. So, any story that still need to be told, need to be told right now.
Bundy is the personification of the american serial killer, probably the most known killer of the world, even today. It’s hard to find someone that doesn’t know his name and he’s always going to be the first name that cames to mind when talking abour serial killers.
The combination of his looks, his personality and his crimes is so fascinating that people can’t stop talking about him. When seeking for answers for the “why” and “how”, stories are revealed and relived, and Bundy keep on being a hot topic.
Do I think that one day Bundy isn’t going to be a hot topic ? No.
Just like World War II and Hitler, Bundy became a part of our history. He is always going to be one of those mad characters that we condemn but can’t get enough of.
