Elizabeth Kendall's Ted Bundy Memoir Is the Inspiration Behind the New Netflix Film

Ted Bundy's then-girlfriend's story is even more chilling in writing.

Public speaking, Orator, Event, Speech, Audience, Speaker, Gesture, Conductor, Performance,
(Image credit: Netflix)

Already, 2019 has been filled with acclaimed true-crime series', from Hulu's eerily addictive series The Act to Netflix's The Case Against Adnan Syed. And now Zac Efron is taking on the true crime genre: The High School Musical star will be playing infamous convicted murderer Ted Bundy in the upcoming Netflix movie Extremely Wicked, Shockingly Evil and Vile.

Don't let the star power fool you: Ted Bundy was a real person, and his crimes were monstrous. All you have to do is read Elizabeth Kendall's 1981 memoir, My Phantom Prince: My Life with Ted Bundy, to learn that. Kendall was Bundy's girlfriend, and Extremely Wicked, Shockingly Evil and Vile is based on her story. Here's everything you need to know about the book that inspired the upcoming Ted Bundy movie.

It's actually a pseudonym. Her legal name is Elizabeth Kloepfur. She swapped out the last name Kloepfur for Kendall when she decided to write and publish her memoir, detailing her romantic relationship with Ted Bundy amid his secret killing sprees.

According to Vanity Fair, screenwriter Michael Werwie said that Kendall was “not findable" when he was working on the script for Extremely Wicked, Shockingly Evil and Vile. It didn't help that other Ted Bundy biographers were also using fake names, like Meg Anders and Beth Arche in their works. But Joe Berlinger, director of the Netflix adaptation, was already one step ahead. He'd already been listening to hours of Ted Bundy tapes, discovered Kendall's real name and invited her to discuss the adaptation.

In an interview with the Daily Mail, Collins said she sat down with Kendall to get tips on how best to portray her character. "I went and met the woman that I play. It was really helpful," Collins said. "She was so gracious, giving me material to look at and speaking to me.” According to the Love, Rosie actress, Kendall even came on set during filming, but Collins said watching the movie may be challenging for Kendall.

"I don't know if she's going to see the movie because it's difficult, but within the filming process she came on set and she was a positive light on set," Collins said. "You wouldn't expect that with what happened. She gave us her support. She's really lovely."

According to an Esquire interview with Sara Levant, Kendall's editor, the memoir was mildly successful when it was published in 1981. “The book sold well, but nothing spectacular,” Levant said. “We had some huge books, but that wasn't one of them.”

This isn't the first book-inspired Ted Bundy project.

Berlinger, director for Extremely Wicked, Shockingly Evil and Vile also directed the Ted Bundy documentary released on Netflix earlier this year. Conversations with a Killer: The Ted Bundy Tapes was a four-part series that dissected and compressed over 150 hours of interviews with Ted Bundy for Stephen Michaud's book, Ted Bundy: Conversations with a Killer. The documentary focuses on the chilling tapes, recorded in prison, mentioned in Michaud's book, and unpacks Bundy's murder and mutilation of more than 30 women during the 1970s.

The memoir describes their relationship as normal at first.

Kendall and Bundy met bar in 1969, when Bundy was a college student in Washington working at the University of Washington Medical School. She approached him and the two instantly connected, she says. But eventually things got violent. "We would be getting along fine and then a door would slam and I would be out in the cold until Ted was ready to let me back in. I'd spend hours trying to figure out what I had done or said that was wrong. And then, suddenly, he would be warm and loving again and I would feel needed and cared for," she wrote in the memoir.

As the memoir goes on, Kendall reveals the gradual violence and deceit that grew between herself and Bundy, even stating that he also tried to kill her. Kendall recalls one night when Bundy closed the chimney duct and stuck a towel under her door, leaving her to suffocate. "I remembered that night well. My eyes were running and I was coughing. I jumped out of bed and threw open the nearest window and stuck my head out." Kendall wrote in her memoir. "He wanted me to die that night."

The memoir is now being sold for as much as $2,000.

Copies of Kendall's My Phantom Prince have surfaced on Amazon and the prices are astronomical. The lowest you'll get away with paying is $295, and the highest is $2012.96. And here's the real catch: none of the copies available for purchase are new, since the memoir went out of print when Kendall's publisher shut down in 1988, according to Esquire.

You can watch Extremely Wicked, Shockingly Evil and Vile on Netflix now.

For more stories like this, including celebrity news, beauty and fashion advice, savvy political commentary, and fascinating features, sign up for the Marie Claire newsletter.

SUBSCRIBE HERE

RELATED STORIES

Clothing, Leg, Thigh, Beauty, Human leg, Model, Shoulder, Arm, Photo shoot, Black hair,

(Image credit: Thomas Whiteside)
Alexis Jones

Alexis Jones is an assistant editor at Women's Health where she writes across several verticals on WomensHealthmag.com, including life, health, sex and love, relationships and fitness, while also contributing to the print magazine. She has a master’s degree in journalism from Syracuse University, lives in Brooklyn, and proudly detests avocados.

Latest in Movies
A man (Graham Hornigold) sits in a professional kitchen as a woman in a hat, sunglasses, and fur coat stands behind him, holding a champagne glass with her other hand on his shoulder. Concept art from the Netflix documentary 'Con Mum.'
Where Is Graham Hornigold Now? What We Know About the 'Con Mum' Subject
john malkovich stands behind ayo edebiri taking notes in a still from opus
In 'Opus,' Cult Leaders and Pop Stars Are One in the Same
A woman (Susan Chardy as Shula) stands outdoors in the morning, with a man covered in sanitary pads behind her (right), in 'On Becoming a Guinea Fowl.'
'On Becoming a Guinea Fowl' Is a Revolutionary Call to Speak Up Against Female Abuse
Simone Ashley as Pia and Hero Fiennes Tiffin as Charlie in 'Picture This'
'Picture This' Stars Simone Ashley and Hero Fiennes Tiffin Play 'How Well Do You Know Your Co-Star?'
Doja Cat, RAYE, and LISA stand on stage at the 2025 Oscars.
LISA, Doja Cat, and Raye Perform a Glamorous 'James Bond' Tribute at the 2025 Oscars
Mikey Madison accepts the award for Best Actress at the 2025 Oscars.
'Anora' Star Mikey Madison Takes Home the Best Actress Award at the 2025 Oscars in a Surprise Win
Latest in News
Meghan Markle in a beige shirt on stage at SXSW in March 2024
Meghan Markle and Gwyneth Paltrow Open Up About Their "Rift" Over Pie
Bella Hadid carries the Coach empire bag in New York City with a black mini dress
Bella Hadid Secures Coach's Must-Have Empire Bag, Just Like I Predicted She Would
Selena Gomez wears a cropped blazer and matching trousers while attending the Drew Barrymore show in New York City
Selena Gomez Is the Cropped Blazer Trend's Final Boss
Princess Madeleine of Sweden wearing a tiara featuring emeralds
Why Princess Madeleine of Sweden Can't Use Her Royal Title to Promote Her New Skincare Line
Rihanna in a head scarf and multiple necklaces
Rihanna’s Jamaica Manicure Will Unite the Caribbean
Queen Camilla has blonde hair and is wearing a dark green shirt dress
Why Queen Camilla Has Been Issued a "Strict" Warning Regarding Her Meeting With the Pope