Ted Bundy Research Paper

Ted Bundy

Theodore “Ted” Robert Bundy was a United States serial killer who abducted, raped and murdered countless women throughout his lifetime. The life, trial, and execution of Bundy is portrayed through the 2002 film Ted Bundy. However, the movie’s storytelling ability does not accurately capture many of the logistics and events that occurred surrounding Ted Bundy, and it is evident that there are many discrepancies between the movie and real-life accounts.

One of the many contrasts between the movie and Ted Bundy’s actual case includes the names of the victims whom he assaulted from as early as the 1960s to 1978. In the scene where the Salt Lake City sheriff begins to read off a list of names that are associated with Ted Bundy’s criminal

Ted Bundy’s infamous car where multiple women died inside of is viewed on the screen to be a yellow Volkswagens Beetle. However, the vehicle is, in fact, a tan 1968 Volkswagen Beetle that sits on display at the National Museum for Crime and Punishment in Washington state (Williams, 2010). Also, in the scene where the cop arrests Bundy for the final time after the license plate on his van comes up in the Florida system as being stolen, there’s a mere discrepancy because reports state that Bundy was captured in Volkswagen Beetle when this event took place. Other props are recognized to be deceptive when analyzing the appearance of the electric chair in the movie versus real life. The infamous electric chair called “Old Sparky” that sent 2,000 volts at 14 amps through Ted Bundy’s body is seen in the movie as a dulled wooden chair with restraints belts. However, compared to the actual images, it is evident that Old Sparky was made from hard shiny wood and the restraint straps are red-ish. Regarding the director’s choice of costume, the movie shows Ted Bundy on the morning of his execution wearing an orange top with white bottoms which resemble a prison uniform. But on the actual day of execution, Bundy received his death sentence wearing a light-blue top and navy bottoms. This is evidenced by primary source photos taken moments after Ted Bundy died in the electric chair but prior to being sent to the medical examination room after the paramedic took his vitals. Although one may argue that the misuse of props and costumes is insignificant and/or trivial to the greater picture, it remains as an implication on how Hollywood movie directors do not recreate real-life events accurately. Dates and locations are another factor that is skewed in the movie as well. In the beginning of a scene that is captioned “Pinewood Ski Resort, Colorado-1976” in the first frame leads the