I wanna discuss the new Netflix film extremelywickedevilandvile and it's connection to season2 of hannibal on nbc so this is fair warning: SPOILERS!
It's common knowledge that thomasharris the writer of silenceofthelambs trilogy was inspired by tedbundy in his creation of the serial killer hanniballecter. In particular, the fact that Bundy helped detectives create a profile for thegreenriverkiller which then identified garyridgeway.
(In much the same fashion as garretjacobhobbs in season 1, Ridgeway was caught out by his job. You see Hobbs was a pipe threader and forensics found a particular metal which lined pipes on his victims body's. Ridgeway however was a spray painter and his undoing was in microscopic particles of paint...Though Ridgeway wasn't the only inspiration for Hobbs. The deer hunter and human trophy keeper edgein helped flesh him out too.)
Comparisons between Bundy and Hannibal Lecter end there, but in season 2, showrunner bryanfuller turned the tables on what readers knew and imprisoned special agent willgraham. All evidence pointed to him being a serial murderer of young women and despite his claims of innocence, even his nearest and dearest suspected him. The media tore his image to shreds, painting the picture of a unhinged deviant. Court proceedings were rife with dramatic revelations and biased testimony. Blind justice was in motion whilst willgraham plotted his revenge.
Bundy too vowed his innocence and escaped from prison, not once, but twice. Unlike willgraham during those times, he didn't exactly seek out the man he believed was responsible for his crimes. He hid or partied in disguise and more girls died...
extremelywickedshockinglyevilandvile poses the idea that all evidence against Bundy was circumstantial, and though much of it really was because of lack of biological evidence in the 70s, what can be said of bite indentations matching Bundy's, of a positively identified Volkswagen Bug stocked with rope, tape and a balaclava? Was Bundy just a DIY enthusiast who loved to ski? Or was he willgraham to somebody's hanniballecter? Is the real serial killer still out there?
In the show Will even imagined dying as Bundy eventually did on the electric chair. People gathered by their hundreds outside of Florida state prison to celebrate the news of his execution. It's said that Bundy cried and prayed, that his last words were of love for his family and friends, that his confessions were empty attempts to delay his a brutal miscarriage of justice... So many questions left unanswered and therein lies his power over us as far into the future as 2019. As he once said:
"I don't think anybody doubts whether I've done some bad things. The question is: what, of course and how...and most importantly, why?"
