'People who do evil are three-dimensional': Joe Berlinger on why he made two Ted Bundy films

Joe Berlinger's two latest projects are centred on Ted Bundy, one of the most notorious serial killers in history. One is a Netflix docuseries called Conversations with a Killer:The Ted Bundy Tapes, and the other is a feature film called Extremely Wicked, Shockingly Evil and Vile, which stars Zac Efron as Bundy.

True crime stories are having a moment right now in the form of documentaries, movies and podcasts, but some audiences are wondering if it's okay to take interest in these stories for entertainment. 

Berlinger believes there is value in exploring these stories, so long as they're told in a way that respects the victims and avoids glamorizing murder. 

"The core lesson of Bundy is that the person next to you is often capable of the worst evil," he told Tom Power. "If I felt like I was just glamorizing a salacious subject for the sake of ratings, which is so not who I am, I think I would feel worse about it, but I actually believe there's a social justice, a social commentary element."

He joined Power to discuss the popularity of true crime stories and why he believes there's value, beyond entertainment, in examining a criminal mind. Conversations with a Killer:The Ted Bundy Tapes is streaming now on Netflix. Extremely Wicked, Shockingly Evil and Vile just premiered at Sundance and may soon be coming to Netflix.

— Produced by Ben Edwards