You probably remember the internet melting down when the trailer first dropped. Seeing Zac Efron—the guy we all grew up with in High School Musical—playing one of the most prolific serial killers in American history was a massive tonal shift. People were skeptical. Then they watched it. If you’re looking to watch Extremely Wicked, Shockingly Evil and Vile, you’re stepping into a movie that intentionally tries to gaslight you, much like Ted Bundy gaslit the women in his life.
It's a weird experience.
The film doesn't focus on the gore or the mechanics of the murders. Instead, it’s told through the eyes of Liz Kendall, Bundy’s long-term girlfriend. This choice by director Joe Berlinger—who also handled the Confessions with a Killer docuseries—was controversial. Some critics felt it "glamorized" a monster. Others argued it successfully showed how easy it is for evil to hide behind a handsome face and a charming smile. Honestly, that’s the scariest part about it.
The Best Way to Stream the Movie Today
Finding where to watch Extremely Wicked, Shockingly Evil and Vile depends entirely on where you’re sitting on the planet. Streaming rights are a messy business. In the United States, Netflix paid a cool $9 million for the rights after it premiered at the Sundance Film Festival in 2019. Since then, it’s remained a staple of their "True Crime" category. If you have a standard Netflix subscription in the US, you can just search for it and hit play.
But things get tricky if you're in the UK or Ireland.
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Sky Cinema holds the cards there. Because Sky bought the distribution rights for those regions, the movie isn't on Netflix UK. You’ll need a Sky Cinema subscription or a NOW Cinema membership to catch it. It’s one of those annoying licensing quirks that happens more often than we’d like. If you’re traveling, you might find the title suddenly disappears from your library, which is just the reality of digital borders in 2026.
Why Zac Efron was a Risky Choice
Casting matters. For years, Efron was the poster boy for Disney-adjacent heartthrobs. Putting him in the role of Ted Bundy was a meta-commentary on the killer's actual reputation. Bundy was often described by the media at the time as "handsome" and "articulate," traits that helped him evade suspicion for years.
Efron nails the performative nature of Bundy.
There's a specific scene during the Florida trial—the first televised trial in US history—where Efron-as-Bundy is basically playing to the cameras. He’s vibrant. He’s charismatic. He’s making the judge laugh. It’s deeply uncomfortable to watch because you know what he did. The film relies on your knowledge of the real-world events to provide the horror, while the screen shows you a man who seems almost likeable. That disconnect is the entire point of the movie.
Separating Fact from Cinematic Fiction
When you watch Extremely Wicked, Shockingly Evil and Vile, you have to keep in mind that it’s based on Elizabeth Kendall’s memoir, The Phantom Prince: My Life with Ted Bundy. Because it’s her perspective, the movie leaves out a lot of the investigative details.
- The Utah Arrest: The movie shows the 1975 traffic stop where police found a "murder kit" in his car. This actually happened. Patrolman Bob Hayward pulled him over, and the items found—a ski mask, rope, and handcuffs—were the beginning of the end for Bundy.
- The Courtroom Marriage: Yes, he actually proposed to Carole Ann Boone while she was on the witness stand. Under an obscure Florida law, a declaration of marriage in open court in the presence of a judge was legally binding. It wasn't just a movie stunt; it was a real legal loophole he exploited.
- The Escapes: Bundy escaped from custody twice. The movie depicts his leap from the Pitkin County Courthouse window in Aspen. He actually lived in the mountains for several days before being caught. His second escape, through a hole he sawed in his jail cell ceiling, led to the horrific attacks at the Chi Omega sorority house at Florida State University.
The film spends a lot of time on the relationship between Ted and Liz's daughter. It portrays him as a domestic, fatherly figure. Friends of the real Liz Kendall have noted that Bundy was indeed integrated into their lives, which makes the ultimate betrayal of his true nature even more staggering.
The Real Elizabeth Kendall
Lily Collins plays Liz with a haunting sense of denial. For years, the real Elizabeth Kloepfer (who used the pseudonym Kendall) struggled to reconcile the man she loved with the "Chesapeake Ripper" she saw on the news. She actually called the police on him multiple times. The movie shows this, but in real life, the police were so overwhelmed with tips that they didn't take her seriously for a long time.
She wasn't the only one who tipped them off, but she was one of the most credible. Imagine living with someone, cooking dinner for them, and then seeing their sketch on the news. The psychological toll that took on her is the emotional anchor of the film.
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Technical Details and Production Notes
If you're a film nerd, the production quality is worth noting. Joe Berlinger used a lot of real archival footage, blending Efron’s performance with actual news clips from the 1970s. This gives the movie a "found footage" feel in certain segments. The color palette also shifts; the early scenes in Washington have a warm, nostalgic glow, while the Florida trial segments feel harsh, overexposed, and clinical.
The supporting cast is surprisingly deep. You've got John Malkovich playing Judge Edward Cowart. His delivery of the "extremely wicked, shockingly evil and vile" line—which gave the movie its title—is almost verbatim from the actual sentencing transcript. Jim Parsons (from The Big Bang Theory) shows up as the lead prosecutor, Larry Simpson. It’s a cast of people playing against type, which mirrors the theme of people not being who they seem to be.
Why People Are Still Obsessed With This Case
True crime isn't just a hobby anymore; it’s a cultural phenomenon. We watch these things to try and understand the "why." But the reality of Bundy, as the movie eventually reveals in its chilling final minutes, is that there isn't always a "why" that satisfies us.
Some people find the movie's lack of violence frustrating. They want to see the "horror." But the horror in this film is the silence. It’s the things left unsaid. It’s the look on Liz’s face when she realizes the man who tucked her in at night was a monster.
If you've already seen the Netflix documentary series Conversations with a Killer: The Ted Bundy Tapes, this movie serves as a narrative companion. The documentary gives you the facts; the movie gives you the feeling of being deceived.
How to get the most out of your viewing
To truly appreciate what Berlinger was trying to do, don't just put this on in the background while you're scrolling through your phone. Pay attention to the mirrors. There are a lot of shots involving reflections. It's a visual metaphor for the dual life Bundy was leading. One side was the law student and boyfriend; the other was the predator.
Also, look for the cameo by James Hetfield from Metallica. He plays Bob Hayward, the officer who first arrested Bundy in Utah. It’s a small role, but he’s surprisingly good.
Final Steps for the True Crime Fan
If you’ve finished the movie and find yourself wanting more context, here are a few things you should do next to get the full picture of the case:
- Read "The Stranger Beside Me" by Ann Rule. Rule was a colleague of Bundy’s at a crisis center and wrote the definitive book on him. It’s widely considered the gold standard of true crime literature.
- Watch the "Confessions" tapes. They are available on streaming platforms and feature the actual audio of Bundy talking about himself in the third person to describe his crimes.
- Check out the 2020 update to Elizabeth Kendall’s book. She released a revised version of The Phantom Prince that includes new chapters and photos, giving more insight into her life after the trial.
- Verify your streaming region. If you are using a VPN to watch Extremely Wicked, Shockingly Evil and Vile, make sure your server is set to the US (for Netflix) or the UK (for Sky/NOW) to ensure the title appears in the search results.
Watching this film is less about learning the history of a crime and more about questioning how well we actually know the people around us. It's a uncomfortable, well-acted, and stylishly directed piece of cinema that remains relevant years after its release.