The First Official Photo of Zac Efron as Serial Killer Ted Bundy

By Joe Hanson , Vt. Movie star and living thirst trap Zac Efron has had quite a career. After starring as teen heartthrob Troy in the High S...

By Joe Hanson, Vt.

Movie star and living thirst trap Zac Efron has had quite a career. After starring as teen heartthrob Troy in the High School Musical franchise, he proved himself to be more than just a pretty face. The actor was very funny in the movie Neighbors, keeping up with the hilarious Seth Rogen. "I was expecting to not like him very much when I first met him," Seth told PEOPLE in 2014. "I was proven very wrong because he’s a sweet, nice guy...self-aware and self-effacing and endearing."

Efron went on to star in Neighbors 2, a surprisingly good comedy sequel, then got ridiculously ripped for Baywatch. Now the 31-year-old actor is taking on a totally different role: playing notorious serial killer Ted Bundy in the upcoming thriller, Extremely Wicked, Shockingly Evil And Vile. (Hey, if fans can accept Zac with a big bushy beard and bizarre French braids, they can accept him as anyone!)

Ted Bundy sexually assaulted and brutally murdered at least 30 women during the 1970's. The true number of victims is unknown, and some experts speculate the body count could be as high as one hundred. Bundy was charming and seductive, and would prowl college campuses, convincing young women to go with him to secluded locations. Then he raped them, killed them, and sometimes performed sexual acts on their corpses. His victims were all white females, mostly college students between the ages of 15 and 25.

Authorities caught up with Bundy, and he escaped jail twice. In 1977, he faced murder charges in Colorado, and asked to use the courthouse law library to research his case. He then jumped out of the second story window, and fled into the mountains. Police officers caught him driving a car in Aspen six days later. Then, in 1978, he smuggled a hacksaw into a Colorado prison, cut through the bars, and escaped via the crawlspace. A month and a half later, the police caught him in Pensacola, Florida, driving a stolen Volkswagen. In 1989, Bundy was executed in the electric chair.

Extremely Wicked, Shockingly Evil and Vile will examine Bundy's relationship with his girlfriend, Elizabeth Kloepfer, a divorcée from Utah. The pair met at a bar in 1969, and dated for two years before Bundy murdered his first victim. At first, Kloepfer thought he was normal - remember, he was very charismatic - but eventually she discovered his secret. Their stormy relationship continued through his killing spree and imprisonment. Reportedly Bundy subjected her to psychological abuse, like inspecting her body with a flashlight to prove she had been unfaithful.

The Sundance Institute released the first official photo from the film, and it's pretty chilling. In the picture, Ted Bundy (Zac Efron) sits with Elizabeth Kloepfer (Lily Collins) and their two-year-old child. They appear to be a happily family cutting a birthday cake, until you notice Bundy gazing at the knife, foreshadowing the violence to come.

The movie will premiere at the Sundance Film Festival in January 2019.