In the one-and-a-half-minute clip, we see snippets of Bundy unassumingly wooing his way into Kloepfer's life, the downward spiral of his arrest, court appearances, and his time in prison through her perspective.

People were quick to criticize not only the tone and lightheartedness of the trailer but also how Efron makes Bundy seem like a charming anti-hero.
Some pointed out that this film is exactly what Bundy would've wanted.
That's exactly what Ted Bundy wanted. posthumous fame for his cruelties. You can count on Hollywood to make the worst human beings immortal.What's next?The Harvey Weinstein biopic?What a punch to the face for the victim's families after all these years #ZacEfron #ExtremelyWicked pic.twitter.com/vgPCqHexmD
— Shiroshika (@iamshiroshika) January 25, 2019
"You can count on Hollywood to make the worst human beings immortal," one Twitter user wrote.
Others criticized the trailer for "sexualizing" Bundy by casting Efron in the role.
Can we not sexulize Ted Bundy?
— Kayla Stetzel (@KaylaStetzel) January 26, 2019
He raped, murdered, and decapitated women and had sex with their dead bodies. Not here for this hyper-sexualized Zac Efron film.
I know the youth of twitter will obsess over him, and I’d prefer not to read thirst tweets about a serial murderer
"Can we not sexualize Ted Bundy? He raped, murdered, and decapitated women and had sex with their dead bodies. Not here for this hyper-sexualized Zac Efron film," this person on Twitter wrote.
Many echoed that same sentiment, claiming Joe Berlinger’s narrative feature about Ted Bundy is purposefully humanizing Bundy and making him "irresistibly sexy."
They've framed this as Zac Efron playing an irresistibly sexy charming conman. Not a fucking vile murderer. There were a few shots but ALL the humanization has gone to Bundy. As far as I can tell. Just, fuck off.
— (((Rachel Sklar))) ❄️ (@rachelsklar) January 25, 2019
"They've framed this as Zac Efron playing an irresistibly sexy charming conman. Not a f**king vile murderer," one social media critic wrote. "Just, f**k off."
Casting choices aside, many were pissed about the framing of Bundy as a charming and affable man.
The wink is extremely disturbing and the romanticization of a serial killer is exactly why these sick fucks continue to do things like this to women. Notoriety. This is appalling. https://t.co/l3ZoPhtcCz
— Lauren Jauregui (@LaurenJauregui) January 26, 2019
"The wink is extremely disturbing and the romanticization of a serial killer is exactly why these sick f**ks continue to do things like this to women," one woman on Twitter wrote, referring to a specific shot in the trailer.
But here's the thing that these folks are missing: Bundy was a charming man. He harnessed his good looks and wholesome facade to gain the trust of his victims and elude justice.
Zac Efron as Ted Bundy is kinda perfect casting cause you can't believe that he could possibly play a terrifying serial killer in the same way that you couldn't have looked at Ted Bundy and believed that he *was* a terrifying serial killer. https://t.co/kew3IpkvVf
— John Squires (@FreddyInSpace) January 25, 2019
Most serial killers don't walk around with a sign around their necks that reads "I KILL PEOPLE." Evil typically festers beneath a charismatic, seemingly "normal" exterior.
The charming exterior is precisely what makes serial killers like Bundy so terrifying. And that's the whole point of the film.
EXTREMELY WICKED, SHOCKINGLY EVIL, AND VILE: Zac Efron charms the hell out of you as Ted Bundy, and that’s what makes this monster of a man so scary. A mesmerizing lead performance in a brutally tragic blend of romance and crime unlike any serial killer movie before it. #Sundance
— Ethan Anderton @ Sundance (@Ethan_Anderton) January 27, 2019
Extremely Wicked, Shockingly Evil and Vile is meant to make us examine our own biases and dismantle stereotypes and perceptions of serial killers.
It's similar to the portrayal of Joe Goldberg on Neflix's You — except, you know, this actually happened IRL.
Like Bundy, Joe's character comes off as intelligent, calm, and charismatic. Under the surface, however, he's manipulative and murderous. Get it?
It goes without saying, but sexualizing and sensationalizing serial killers is incredibly common. The media gives them names, tracks their every move, and publicizes them to keep people enthralled.
It’s how I remember the hunt for him and the trial being. I think people romanticize serial killers everyday. The bundy story is important. Not only to show how the media shapes things but for people to know how normal he was in public but was still a monster
— Patty Hildreth (@bostonborn66) January 26, 2019
Just look at how many people have tattoos of Charles Manson. It's the way of the world.
Efron himself understood the concerns of glorifying a serial killer when cast as Bundy. He gets it.
How did @ZacEfron manage to get inside the dark and twisted mind of Ted Bundy? #THRSundance pic.twitter.com/RkA1q4VvpF
— Hollywood Reporter (@THR) January 27, 2019
"I feel a responsibility to make sure that this movie is not a celebration of Ted Bundy," Efron said in an interview with Variety. "Or a glorification of him. But definitely a psychological study of who this person was. In that, there’s honesty."
Perhaps just watch the film before forming an opinion.
We get it, you’re mad about the Bundy film with Zac Efron. You’re tweet is the exact same as the 200 other ones on my timeline in the last 48 hours. Please STFU.
— Justin sutherland (@J_Sutherland66) January 28, 2019
Instead of reacting based on the trailer alone, go see Extremely Wicked, then decide whether or not it really sexualizes Bundy.
And if you're still convinced it sexualized Bundy, perhaps check out director Joe Berlinger’s Netflix documentary Conversations With a Killer: The Ted Bundy Tapes.
Like Extremely Wicked, Conversations With a Killer aims to dismantle serial killer stereotypes. "We want to think these are two-dimensional human beings," Berlinger told Vulture. "We want to think they’re easily identifiable in society."
And most of all, in the midst of all this Ted Bundy talk, let's take a moment to remember the victims of his crimes.
As we all binge The Bundy Tapes on @Netflix and share the trailer for the Zac Efron movie, please remember the victims. These women all had hopes and dreams. They should all have movies made about them. I always try to remember what these monsters took away. #TedBundyTapes pic.twitter.com/Q5G0HvldCY
— Billy Jensen (@Billyjensen) January 28, 2019
"These women had hopes and dreams. I always try to remember what these monsters took away," one Twitter user said. Amen.
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