John Chard

The worst kind of Teddy Bear. Tricky. As always with serial killer films, you hope that the subject is handled in such a way so as to justify you having invested time in it. Matthew Bright’s instalment into the hall of shame legacy left by one Theodore Robert Bundy, is uncompromising and unforgettable. Could the charge of exploitation be levelled at Bright and his backers? No, I don’t think so. The advent of time where film is concerned has seen film makers now be able to tackle difficult subjects for maximum impact. Bright, in the main, follows the real life of Bundy and his vile crimes. His home life and trail of destruction are covered graphically, so if anyone was in any doubt about the measure of Bundy’s evil via previous film, TV or literary interpretations? Then this is the gaping wound of Bundy tellings, with salt poured in. It’s nigh on impossible to recommend as an essential viewing experience, I myself haven’t been able to get some of the images out of my head some 5 days after watching it. But that’s the point, surely? Some minor fabrications aside (we cheer the events just prior to the electrocution, but it didn’t happen), this is one of the best films of the bloody sub-genre of horror it sits in. For impact and Michael Reilly Burke’s bold and scary performance as Bundy, it has artistic merit. If you have the stomach for it that is. 8/10