In Seattle, Washington, 1974, law student Ted Bundy appears to be the typical friendly guy-next-door; but underneath this gentle facade lies a monster. After watching women from their home window while masturbating, Bundy builds the courage to commit his first murder. From there, he always manages to lure a young woman to his car by faking a broken arm or an illness then asking for help or by disguising himself as a police officer. Then he knocks her unconscious with a tool, ties her up and drives her to an arranged location where he rapes and murders her. Driving his yellow VW Beetle, he leaves a bloody trail through the United States. The police are left in the dark, as no one suspects the young man for his reputable character in the community; being a model citizen and top-student. In 1975, one of his victims, Tina Gabler, escapes him when she throws herself from his moving car. Based on her description of his car, Bundy is stopped by a police officer and arrested. In his trunk, the officers find pantyhose masks, a hand saw, a crowbar, knives, ropes and handcuffs. Even though he is identified by Tina Gabler in a lineup, he denies ever having seen the woman. When he is visited by his girlfriend at the Colorado State Prison, he admits to her that charges are being brought against him for multiple murders but stresses the fact that there is no evidence, however, and that he will never be convicted; at this point she distances herself from him. Due to his wish to defend himself, he is granted access to the courthouse law library, and promptly escapes by jumping from an upper story window. He is jailed again after an auto theft, but manages to escape yet again months later. This time he overpowers four women in their home and brutally beats them. After the murder of a little girl he becomes heavily intoxicated and is recognized by a police officer and arrested after a short chase. At trial the judge sentences Ted to be executed by electric chair. After having a conversation on the phone, Ted makes a final statement before the execution is carried out.
Ted Bundy has grossed $6,083 in the United States and Canada, and $62,643 in other territories, for a worldwide total of $68,716.
Critical response
Upon its premiere on 13 September 2002 in New York and in Los Angeles on 20 September 2002, the film received mixed reviews from critics. On review aggregatorRotten Tomatoes, the film holds an approval rating of 41% based on 22 reviews, with an average rating of 5/10. The site's critical consensus reads, "Ted Bundy wastes an impressive performance from Michael Reilly Rourke on an exploitative film devoid of any social context or depth." Metacritic assigned the film a weighted average score of 37 out of 100, based on 11 critics, indicating "generally unfavourable reviews".
