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Netflix recently just added a documentary about well-known serial killer Ted Bundy called  Conversations with a Killer “The Ted Bundy Tapes. Ted Bundy was a notorious serial killer back in the mid to late 1970’s. From 1974-1978, Bundy confessed to over 30 homicides, the last of which got Bundy executed. The tapes came out exactly 30 years after Ted Bundy was executed for the 1978 murder of Kimberly Leach. The storyline of the tapes follows Bundy’s individual killings as well as the media attention of his trials and his in-court marriage to Carol Ann Boone who was testifying on his behalf.

Kirk:

Bundy’s story is just another of the many tales of serial killers in the United States. A couple of documentaries that Netflix has had about serial killers include “H.H Holmes: America’s First Serial Killer, Into the Abyss” and “Aileen: Life and Death of a Serial Killer.” There are several more documentaries about serial killers, but clearly Netflix has an interest and intrigue in serial killers. Perhaps the interest in serial killers has to do with the fact that people would like to know what goes on inside the head of the actual serial killer.  

There have also been a number of shows that have had success with showing documentaries of murderers. An example would be Dateline, which dives deeper into news stories, including murders. Another example of a show that documents murder mysteries would be 48 Hours.  The show has helped exonerate wrongly convicted people and changed numerous lives as an outcome of what has occurred.   

Filmmakers of something such as a murder mystery/documentary are in a peculiar place because they might face criticism for what they are going to show. However, a lot of the reasons these kinds of films are produced comes down to interest. People are curious about how it is possible for a human to do these violent things such as murder, rape, etc. Critics have asked, however, why publicity is being given to someone who did terrible things like murder. 

 Filmmaker Joe Berlinger said that before these films, they had never been able to get into the mind of a serial killer like this, the tapes give the audience a different view of Bundy to see what makes him tick.  

Ted Bundy had a lot of thoughts and motives as to why he killed all these women. Some of his victims have been interviewed and they have mentioned that they barely got away from him alive. That’s a scary thought to think that someone can be that evil and messed up as a person.  

The documentary gets interesting when Bundy describes his mindset in the third person. It is a unique angle that the reporter took to get Bundy to talk about what he did because before he started talking about his crimes, he only talked about his childhood. The images that the filmmakers showed at the start of the second episode were particularly disturbing to me because they were pornographic images. Now, I know that they were used in the documentary to show how Bundy got the ideas in his head to carry out these violent acts, but they were still disturbing. When I saw these images, my mind became very unsettled.  

When the first episode of the tapes mentioned what he did to those women, I was in shock and horrified. He not only killed these women; he raped and physically abused them. It’s amazing to think that so many people could be fascinated with someone so violent, who was thought of as a normal human being. The fascination ranged from admiration to disgust.   

There’s a tension that filmmakers encounter when deciding what to show and what to omit in a documentary such as this. You have to be careful about who your viewers are and what parts of the content need to be shown to tell the story that you are looking to tell. In my opinion, they could have just mentioned that pornography is sometimes what leads to men carrying out violent sex crimes against women. My point being is that the filmmakers of the Ted Bundy documentary saw a point to add these pictures to better describe the story, but you do not need pictures for everything. Simply just mentioning it is sometimes better than showing it.  

If you want to watch something interesting, I would watch this, but not alone. 

Jessica:

I had never heard of Theodore Robert Bundy, known as Ted Bundy, until I took on this story. I did some digging before I watched the series, but I didn’t know what to expect besides the fact that he was a serial killer.

He was born in 1946 in Burlington, Vermont. As a child, he had a good relationship with his family. He did well in academics and sports, and he maintained friends throughout high school. He was intelligent and charming, and he had a way with words. He then went to the University of Washington to major in psychology, the study of how the mind works.

This seemingly normal intelligent person appeared to be heading down the right path until 1974 when he killed the first two of what would become 30 victims. 

After watching this docu-series it made me very uneasy but at the same time, I was becoming more intrigued every second tapping into Mr. Bundy’s mind. The visuals were gruesome, and the most disturbing part was seeing the crime scenes over and over again. 

During this era, the term “serial killer” was a brand-new thing. It was mind-blowing to think that during the 1970s, forensic science was not integrated into police work. Today, he would be grabbed by authorities within days. Additionally, law enforcement districts often did not share information with one another. This gave Bundy the opportunity of a lifetime to get away with his murderous crimes. I was just sitting there holding a pillow close to my face thinking this man is Satan; something wasn’t right. It seemed like Ted Bundy was always a step ahead.

The scariest yet most important part of the docu-series was peeking into the mind of Bundy. During interviews, he seemed so fixed and confident that he didn’t kill anybody. During one of his sessions, Bundy begins talking about the murders in the third person. This opened doors to understanding serial killers. It was so impressive how he was describing himself as an intellectual above all others, but overall he was trying to hide the true fact that he had a monstrous appetite for killing and raping women. Despite the twisted and demented thoughts at play within his mind, his eyes showed nothing.

The only time I felt Mr. Bundy was becoming more human and having feelings of resentment was when he was realized he was going to die. It is unfortunate that it had to come to this point for him to understand he did terrible things.

Today society couldn’t be more rambunctious with talk on social media about the show. Even though he did horrendous crimes, people were captivated by his physical appearance. Like I said before, his appearance didn’t look right to me. Even though the headlines put two and two together, he just looked like a creep. 

I guess it doesn’t matter what people have done in the past because if they are hot that is all that matters, right? 

Since the release of this film, social media has blown up with opinions about Ted Bundy. It was so damn disgusting for me to read through because our society has no filter or respect about anything. The people that commented about his looks have probably never gone through something like this and that the past is the past; thank God I wasn’t there. But what if you knew one of his victims? Would you be angry about this portrayal and reaction? I would.

If Ted Bundy were still alive on Death Row today, I believe he would be very proud of his accomplishments and the impact he still has on individuals 30 years later.

For some reason we are all so intrigued with individuals like Ted Bundy. His actions were the number one cause that created serial killers in the first place. Obviously, time doesn’t matter because society is bringing up a serial killer from 30 years ago. But looking at this optimistically, I think reopening horrific events keeps society in check for a safer future.