TED BUNDY: AMERICAN BOOGEYMAN

 

There's always something on trend in Hollywood where a subject, either a someone or something, is plastered all over film and television. Right now, it seems that Ted Bundy is very much on trend with a Netflix series featuring the tapes recorded when he was on death row and a film starring Zac Efron that didn't really set the world alight. Ted Bundy: American Boogeyman is the latest film to feature the notorious serial killer and, in the hands of Daniel Farrands, it's about time they put a stop to them for now.

A specter roams the highways of a gritty 1970s America, his name is Ted Bundy (Chad Michael Murray). Hunting him are intrepid FBI agents Kathleen McChesney (Holland Roden) and Robert Ressler (Jake Hays), organizers of the largest manhunt in history to apprehend America's most infamous serial killer.

Ted Bundy: American Boogeyman is one of those tone deaf films that shows no shame in bringing such horrendous and heinous crimes to life, realising that Daniel Farrands was the man behind this as I watched making it come as no surprise. This is the man who made The Haunting of Sharon Tate, one of the worst films of the past decade, and while this film is a little better than that, it still is a very long way away from being a film that has anything of note to say about such an infamous figure in American history.

What lets the film down so much is the writing which, for a film called American Boogeyman, has to be one of the blandest thrillers in recent memory. The title would suggest there to be a horror element to proceedings yet any hint of that is wiped away as Farrands decides to just make something cheap that belongs like a TV movie that would take the early morning slot so no one would think to watch it.

Coming to the performances, Chad Michael Murray leads the film without really bringing the character of Ted Bundy to life. He was regarded as handsome and charismatic, which is what led his victims to gain his trust but the performance, hampered by the writing for sure, fails to lean into this side of the character. There isn't much inspiration elsewhere from the supporting cast either unfortunately, making this one of the more lifeless films about a serial killer you could ever see.

Daniel Farrands is a man that must be stopped from making these exploitative films that show next to no hint of artistry or decency. 

Verdict: ★