The name of this film came from a quote from the court judge on Bundy's trial. He quoted, "The crimes were extremely wicked, shockingly evil, vile, and the product of design to inflict a high degree of pain."
Ted Bundy's former lawyer endorsed the casting of Zac Efron as Bundy due to Efron's physical resemblance to Bundy.
Zac Efron initially turned the offer to play Ted Bundy down, as he had concerns that casting someone of perceived "good looks" (like has been a stigma of his whole career) could be taken as some sort of glorification of a murderer. Somewhat fittingly, the perceived good looks of Ted Bundy himself was precisely what gave his status as a killer such high notoriety.
Acting debut of Metallica frontman James Hetfield. Director Joe Berlinger had previously worked with Hetfield and his band on the documentary Metallica: Some Kind of Monster (2004). Additionally, Metallica's song "The Four Horsemen" was used in a scene where Bundy's (Zac Efron) teeth were photographed in his cell.
During the film, a news report on Bundy lists his height as 5'7"-5'8". In real life, Ted Bundy was 5'10". The listing in the film was tailored to fit Zac Efron's height of 5'8".