Bundy: A Legacy of Evil (2008)

Simply Perfect

Good concept, poorly executed.

Fresh and Exciting

All of these films share one commonality, that being a kind of emotional center that humanizes a cast of monsters.

Corin Nemec pairs with Director Michael Feifer on their fourth direct-to-video profile of a serial killer. This time the one they chose was Ted Bundy and the movie is not as advertised. Even though their other collaborations have been less than steller, I decided to watch this one, because it was described as a "drama that traces the path of this charming icon serial killer." From that, I was hoping to see a biographical film and that's the way it started out. After a half-hour or so, the film unfortunately descended into a blood bath. Ever since establishing himself with the hilarious teen comedy, Parker Lewis Can't Lose, Corky Nemec has turned to the dark side and seems to thrive on playing these twisted evil men. The former teen idol is terrific and gives a really strong performance, but it was the only thing of note in this film. After introducing us to Bundy, the writers stop focusing on the man and focus on his crimes. For the final hour of this film that's all you see, until a macabre ending which tries to show Bundy as some kind of hero, who never had a chance, because of his circumstances. The man brutally butchered as many as seventy woman, but according to this film, it's not his fault, he's just a child who never grew up. The whole premise of the film was ridiculous, it's a blood bath that tries to make Ted Bundy into some kind of victim and it's a slap in the face to the families of his victims. As much as I enjoy seeing Corin Nemec play a psychopath, I'm done with these snuff films that glorify the most evil men the world has even known.

Seriously, all I got from this storyline was that Ted Bundy was a monster. I already knew that because I've seen a couple of other films that tell Bundy's tale in an interesting manner. This one does not. However, the sound editing, along with the musical contributions from Andres Boulton, Diane Hall and Johnny Childe, are intriguing enough to make me want to seek out this film on DVD. Diane Hall's rendition of "Renegade Girl" (a la D. Hall & Friends) yanked me out of disinterest and led me in a direction I wasn't really prepared for. From that point on, I paid more attention to the music and background audio than I remember ever doing during a first viewing of any film. Now, I want to hear it again.

The Most PATHETIC excuse for a movie I have ever seen! This movie does not even deserve to have the score of AWFUL!!!! It was worse than awful. Most of the details in this movie are completely wrong or completely skewed. The only people that will enjoy watching this movie are people who get off on watching other people being severely beaten to death...which in my opinion means they might be someone that you would need to watch out for. The scenes where he is beating the girls in the sorority house is a little more than extreme. First off...if he had beaten them as severely as he did he would have never made it out of there. The whole movie made him out to be some dumb, raving, messy, lunatic. Don't get me wrong...there is nothing normal about his behavior but anyone who acted the way they show in this movie would have been caught in an instance. They leave out how charming he was and especially how incredibly smart he was. Ted Bundy was literally a genius and he was seriously the most likable person ever...that is why it took so incredibly long for him to get caught and for people who really knew him well to realize that he was doing all the terrible things he did. The director left out some of the most important people in the story and especially twisted the story of his family and especially of Stephanie. From the beginning of their relationship...sorry to say...but no girl would have been interested in the Bundy that was portrayed. He was downright chilling from the beginning and she never would have dated him. The director of this movie seriously needs to do research about Ted Bundy. If this was his idea of telling a story artistically then he failed miserably. The story of Ted Bundy would make a great movie that I would buy if someone would tell it accurately and not add things and not leave them out. It would show you that even the people that seem the most normal and even the most heroic people that could be good can have another side to them and that should be the warning to anyone...get to know people well and trust your instincts and not your head. Girls especially can learn from that...many of the women that were in Bundy's life did not listen to their instincts...for instance Carol Anne Boone...it took a long time for her to get with the picture. All in all...this was a terrible movie with possibly the worst, out of place, music I have ever heard in a movie. The storyline does not exist and the bits and pieces that are portrayed are mostly false or twisted to make people believe things about him that are not true. Michael Feifer...if you ever read this...it is a good idea to do research and check your facts before you attempt to make a movie as a biography of someone...especially someone as terrifying as Ted Bundy. He was a smart and very normal and likable person and that is what is the most scary part about him...it could have been anyone. Let's not try to teach people lie's about history. Teach the truth so that people can be educated about it.Whoever posted good reviews about this movie must have been asleep while watching it. It is one solid WASTE OF TIME!!!

I do hope that the writer, producer, director of this movie reads viewer comments, but I doubt it, despite his continual references made to 'internet movie bloggers'. I have to say that this movie would be by far the least researched movie in the history of movie making. Made worse by Mr. Feifers narration on his DVD. I do realise Independent movie making is different to network backed movies in their budget constraints, but surely even the smallest budget would allow for it's writer to research facts before spouting off non-truths in his commentary. He stumbles through telling the audience to "Look after your children" because Ted Bundy was an abused child which in turn caused his 'craziness'. #1. He was far from crazy. He was cold, calculated, calm and the epitome of an evil sociopath and psychopath. # 2. If you took the time to research your subject, you would know that he was not an abused child, sexually or otherwise. In an interview by Dr. James Dobson the day before his execution, Ted said in great detail how he had a very normal, stable and nurtured childhood where there was no abuse of any kind. He went to great lengths in this interview to make sure no one in the future could ever blame his upbringing and make it a reason for his evil doings. Oddly enough, this is exactly what your movie has set out to do. Your movie shows him as a cowering abused child with a drunken father in a tense family situation without any other siblings in sight, despite him having 5. Bundy also remarked on how his parents were church-going non-drinkers who were wonderful to him and his siblings. His step father being his sister's/real mothers husband was not abusive at all, and was a non-drinker. Not only was the movie flawed with non-truths, poorly researched material, the annoying terrible music throughout did nothing to detract from the really badly acted script, in turn adding to how appalling it is. Really awful independent film which does little to inspire the other imaginative independent film makers into taking the risk to get their movies out there. I have no idea how this even got to tape, let alone fill the shelves of my local video shop. Don't waste your money or your time.