It’s been 30 years since the death of the notorious serial killer Theodore Bundy by the electric chair. His scandalous life has captured the interests of millions, and now his name is in the spotlight once again.

Over a span of five years, Bundy accomplished an unprecedented amount of vicious murders and two prison escapes, leaving authorities and America in a state of fear and confusion. His assaults commenced and occurred primarily in the Northwest, but his terrors spanned all the way down to Florida where he was later executed.

His murderous streak against women is returning to viewer’s attention by the media, specifically the new Netflix series and movie directed by Joe Berlinger.

Titled, “Conversations with a Killer: the Ted Bundy Tapes,” the true crime Netflix documentary recaps Bundy’s life starting from childhood until his dramatic death.

The content is so disturbing that Netflix even chose to offer a disclaimer via twitter saying, “Maybe don’t watch it alone.”

The four hour long episodes are centered around roughly 100 tape recordings of interviews conducted by journalists Stephan Michaud and Hugh Aynesworth while the convict was on death row. In the tapes, Bundy discusses in detail, his reasoning behind the more than 30 murders that were linked to him.

However, what sets Bundy’s confessions apart from other disturbing statements, is the manner in which he layed out the details of the crimes. Bundy only refers to the murders hypothetically and in third person.

His monologues revealed how Bundy wanted to portray himself, discussing how he had a lively childhood and successful academic career despite the fact that alibis and neighbors said otherwise. On the other hand, he revealed troubling surprises such as his attempted suicides and the fact that he felt no remorse for the victims he killed.  

“Guilt is this mechanism we use to control people,” Bundy said. “It’s an illusion. It’s this kind of social control mechanism, and it’s very unhealthy.”

Along with the archival tape recordings, the documentary also includes various people prominent to Bundy’s story. There are multiple real-time TV interviews conducted with detectives, prosecutors, formal friends and even a woman who had a dangerous encounter with the murderer.

With all of its attention grabbing content, the new documentary has been a success, and the same director has announced a new project about the familiar subject of Ted bundy. “Extremely Wicked, Shockingly Evil and Vile,” will be a movie portraying the peculiar life of the notorious killer.

On top of the already popular story, the media has also exploded over news that actor Zac Efron has been casted to play Ted Bundy. However, critics question whether casting Zac Efron, a teenage heartthrob, is romanticizing Ted Bundy and his charisma.

The true crime documentary and the recent movie announcement have also sparked conversations and controversy over the true crime genre itself. Many question whether films that put a spotlight on such horrific stories and human beings should even be released.

Either way, the true crime genre has grown immensely in popularity through the media. With the addition of a new documentary and movie about the serial killer Ted Bundy, millions of viewers have been intrigued and terrified by the real life nightmares that over 30 women had experienced at the hands of Theodore Bundy.