The crimes of John Wayne Gacy are finally given the documentary mini-series treatment, with both frustrating and heartwrenching results.
Gacy was a construction contractor in the Chicago area, active in local community causes. He was also a closeted homosexual who took his self-loathing to extremes by picking up "young men and boys" (a phrase you will hear ad nauseum throughout) and taking them back to his home where they would be raped and murdered. Because he was active in the 1970s, there was no internet and not a lot of cooperation between the myriad of police stations in the Chicago suburbs. A teenager disappearing was probably a runaway, so not a lot of attention was paid. Eventually, Gacy's last victim was a kid who would never have run away from home, detectives tailed and eventually arrested Gacy after a troubling confession to his lawyer, and the full extent of his crimes became known. Almost thirty bodies were found buried in the crawlspace underneath his suburban home, and when he ran out of room there, some were dumped in a local river.
Bookending all the talking heads and recounting of his crimes are clips from a jailhouse interview between Gacy and FBI profiler Robert Ressler. Gacy maintains his innocence, yet talks matter-of-factly about his various sexual leanings. He was a blowhard, a narcissist, and a liar. Even after Gacy's execution in 1994, the documentary explores a property in Chicago where Gacy may have buried more victims. He was charged with 33 murders, but hinted the number could be as high as 45, and then the viewer must witness the red tape and bureaucracy behind possible victim mis-identification and police again butting heads with families who want closure. Also frustrating is that as of this writing, six of Gacy's victims are unidentified. Because of Gacy's sexuality, could there be a stigma attached to his victims that would keep a family from coming forward? And if so, how awful is that?
I wrote John Wayne Gacy in the early 1990s while he was in prison, and got a questionnaire back, asking about my sexual preferences and outlook on his crimes. I was looking to write a screenplay about his crimes (a decent film had not been made at that point), but his form response creeped me out so much, I dropped the project and tossed the letter. He did sign it, and I guess it might be worth some money today, but I was very uncomfortable about the situation. I am a victim of childhood abuse, and my abuser once used John Wayne Gacy as a boogeyman when threatening me not to tell what happened. Growing up, I read all I could find about the case, since I was twelve and thirteen years old, and had no clue who this man was.
Bringing in Gacy's sister, and family members of some of his victims, is long overdue. All are not only sympathetic, but proof that those young men and boys were not the only ones harmed. Gacy ruined hundreds of lives. He has two children out there somewhere who have never come forward. One of his surviving victims, and another former employee, would both end up committing suicide. Even today, over forty years after the murders, Chicago is still reeling from the John Wayne Gacy case.
I could nitpick certain aspects of the documentary, we spend too much time with the crusading reporter who covered the story and not enough time watching the Gacy/Ressler interview, but this miniseries should be required viewing, especially for the ridiculous "serial killer culture" fans who are out there. I would have liked to see much more about his victims. I don't know if the pain of the past has stopped many families from coming forward and talking, but five hours could easily be done on the lives of these young men and boys, whether they were honor students or troubled youth who were in the wrong place at the wrong time. There shouldn't be a stigma attached to losing a family member to a sexual sadist, and I hope this documentary will prompt more people to come forward and tell their story. Their silence only bolsters Gacy's continued hold over their lives.
Stats:
-No Director or Writer Credited
-Cast: Craig Bowley, Karen Kuzma, Eugenia Godzik, Patti Syzc-Rich, Anthony Antonucci, John Wayne Gacy
-Media: Streaming on Peacock (although I watched it on YouTube; I refuse to give NBC News, or any mainstream news outlet, any money if I can help it)
-Running Time: 308 minutes
-Rating: (* * * * */* * * * *)
-Rated TV-14, contains strong sexual references, strong adult situations
