Dear Mr. Gacy

Last updated
Dear Mr. Gacy
Dear Mr. Gacy.jpg
Based on The Last Victim
by Jason Moss
Jeffrey Kottler
Screenplay byKellie Madison
Story byClark Peterson
Directed by Svetozar Ristovski
Starring Jesse Moss
William Forsythe
Emma Lahana
Jeffrey Bowyer-Chapman
Patrick Gilmore
Theme music composerTerry Frewer
Country of originCanada
Original languageEnglish
Production
Producers Clark Peterson
Tom Berry
Gordon Yang
Cinematography Larry Lynn
EditorScott Belyea
Running time103 minutes
Original release
ReleaseMay 11, 2010 (2010-05-11)

Dear Mr. Gacy is a 2010 Canadian drama thriller film directed by Svetozar Ristovski, and starring William Forsythe and Jesse Moss. The film is based on Jason Moss's memoir The Last Victim .

Contents

Plot

As part of his college thesis, Jason Moss (Jesse Moss), a criminology student, decides to write to John Wayne Gacy and attempt to gain his trust through impersonating a typical victim or admirer.

Moss sends a carefully crafted letter to Gacy (William Forsythe) in prison, portraying himself as a vulnerable, sexually confused boy. The letter is an intricate plan to get inside Gacy's head in hopes of uncovering new information regarding his murders that will aid Moss in writing a standout term paper.

The film unfolds as Gacy, suspicious at first, puts Moss through intense emotional tests via letters and collect calls, all of which leads to strained relationships with his girlfriend and family. Gacy tries to convince Moss to become a hustler, and Moss lies about having his wallet stolen by a client. After hearing that, Gacy offers to have the man's penis cut off, saying he's very protective of people he's close to. Gacy even asks Moss to convince his younger brother, Alex, to send Gacy a letter, and suggests that Moss molest the boy after hearing he gets beat up a lot. That makes Jason avoid Gacy's calls for a few days, making Gacy angry and suspicious that he is writing to another inmate.

Meanwhile, Jason grows increasingly paranoid and aggressive under Gacy's influence; he inflicts a savage beating on a classmate who had been bullying his younger brother, and hires a prostitute with the intent of assaulting her, stopping himself only at the last moment.

Once Gacy hears that his last appeal failed and he will be executed soon, he offers to pay for Jason to visit him in prison. Jason agrees after getting a call from the warden, who says the two will not be in the same room and there will be guards. Jason also speaks to a victim of Gacy's who escaped, who doesn't want him to go. After Jason arrives, he finds out he will be in the same room with Gacy and the guard leaves. Gacy shows Jason piles of letters he received from the media and admirers. Gacy gets angry when Moss refuses the strawberry shortcake Gacy ordered for him. Gacy begins threatening Jason and then sits back down and starts acting like the two are friends again. After more conversation, Gacy says he is going to rape and kill Jason, and shoves him against the wall. The guards watching the security cameras see this, but think the pair are simply kissing, and turn away because they don't want to watch them having sex. The guards finally arrive a few minutes after Jason yells for them.

Gacy calls Jason again, and threatens to tell everyone that he molested his brother. Jason then tells Gacy he was just studying him for school. Gacy is executed soon afterwards and Jason speaks to the faculty at the college he attends about his relationship with Gacy.

The film ends with a real-life interview with the real Jason Moss, and shows the real photo taken of Jason and Gacy several days before the execution, stating that Moss went on to graduate and write a book on his relationship with Gacy before committing suicide in June 2006.

Cast

Production

The film based on the real-life story of Jason Moss, who as a college student attending UNLV, corresponded with five prominent serial killers on death row in an attempt to determine if there was more to be learned if one was to impersonate their typical victims or act as an ardent admirer. [1]

The focus of the film is Moss' interaction with John Wayne Gacy (convicted of murdering 33 young men and boys), with whom he developed the strongest relationship.

Screenwriter Kellie Madison approached Clark Peterson, executive producer of Monster , to attempt to bring the story to life. It was during the course of their discussions with Moss, who was thrilled at the prospect of developing his novel The Last Victim into a film, that they learned of his suicide on June 6, 2006. [2] After an appropriate period of time had passed, they approached Moss’ widow and ultimately were able to gain acceptance of the proposal, and Dear Mr. Gacy was developed. This is Kellie Madison’s first adaptation to the big screen. The film was shot in Vancouver, British Columbia. [3]

Release

Dear Mr. Gacy premiered on Canadian TV on May 11, 2010, and was released on video later in the year.

See also

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">John Wayne Gacy</span> American serial killer (1942–1994)

John Wayne Gacy was an American serial killer and sex offender who raped, tortured and murdered at least 33 young men and boys in Norwood Park Township, near Chicago, Illinois. He became known as the Killer Clown due to his public performances as a clown prior to the discovery of his crimes.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">William Forsythe (actor)</span> American actor

William Forsythe is an American actor. He is best known for his portrayal of tough-guy, criminal characters, and has starred in films such as American Me (1992), Raising Arizona (1987), Dick Tracy (1990), Gotti (1996), The Rock (1996), and The Devil's Rejects (2005). He has also played recurring characters in television series such as Boardwalk Empire (2010) and Justified (2010).

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Robert Ressler</span> FBI criminal profiler and author (1937–2013)

Robert Kenneth Ressler was an American FBI agent and author. He played a significant role in the psychological profiling of violent offenders in the 1970s and is often credited with coining the term "serial killer", though the term is a direct translation of the German term Serienmörder coined in 1930 by Berlin investigator Ernst Gennat. After retiring from the FBI, he authored a number of books on serial murders, and often gave lectures on criminology.

Emma Kate Lahana is a New Zealand actress. She is known for her roles as Kira Ford, the Yellow Dino Ranger, in Power Rangers Dino Thunder, Jennifer Mason on Haven, and Brigid O'Reilly in Cloak & Dagger.

Jason Michael Moss was an American attorney who specialized in criminal defense. He was best known as the author of The Last Victim: A True-Life Journey into the Mind of the Serial Killer (1999), a memoir about his exploration of the minds of incarcerated serial killers, which started as a research project in college. He corresponded and conducted personal interviews with several notorious killers.

<i>Mr. Brooks</i> 2007 American film

Mr. Brooks is a 2007 American psychological thriller film directed by Bruce A. Evans starring Kevin Costner, Demi Moore, Dane Cook, and William Hurt. It was released on June 1, 2007. The film follows the eponymous character, a celebrated Portland businessman and serial killer (Costner) who is forced to take on a protégé (Cook) after being blackmailed, and has to contend with his bloodthirsty alter ego (Hurt) who convinces him to indulge his "habit". His life grows even more complicated when a driven police officer (Moore) reopens the investigation into his murders. The film received mixed reviews and grossed $48.1 million against a $20 million budget.

<i>Resurrection</i> (1999 film) 1999 Canadian film

Resurrection is a 1999 horror-thriller film directed by Russell Mulcahy and starring Christopher Lambert, Leland Orser and Robert Joy. David Cronenberg appears in a cameo as a priest. Lambert co-wrote the story for the film with Brad Mirman, who also wrote the screenplay.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Jesse Moss (actor)</span> Canadian actor

Jesse Moss is a Canadian television, film and voice actor. He is perhaps best known for his roles in the television series Whistler (2006–2008) as well as the films Final Destination 3 (2006), The Uninvited (2009) and Tucker & Dale vs. Evil (2010). He has won a Leo Award from four nominations.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Brian Dugan</span> American rapist & serial killer

Brian James Dugan is a convicted rapist and serial killer active between 1983 and 1985 in Chicago's western suburbs. He was known for having informally confessed in 1985 to the February 1983 abduction, rape and murder of 10-year-old Jeanine Nicarico of Naperville, Illinois, which was a highly publicized case. He was already in custody for two other rapes and murders, one of a woman in July 1984 and the other an 8-year-old girl in May 1985. He was sentenced to life after pleading guilty to the latter two crimes.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">John Borowski</span> American independent filmmaker

John Borowski is an American independent filmmaker and author. The focus of his work has been on late nineteenth and early twentieth century serial killers, initially in a trilogy of documentaries on American criminals, more recently on particular international criminals, on the commerce that has grown up around such crimes, and on other niche artists.

The Last Victim: A True-Life Journey into the Mind of the Serial Killer (1999) is a non-fiction work by author Jason Moss, co-authored with counseling professor Jeffrey Kottler, in which he details his fascination and subsequent correspondence with several notorious American serial killers.

<i>To Catch a Killer</i> (1992 film) 1992 Canadian TV film

To Catch a Killer is a two-part television film from 1992, directed by Eric Till and starring Brian Dennehy and Michael Riley. It is based on the true story of the pursuit of American serial killer John Wayne Gacy.

<i>Gacy</i> (film) 2003 American film

Gacy is a 2003 American crime horror thriller film written and directed by Clive Saunders, and co-written by David Birke. A direct-to-video release, it is based on the crimes of John Wayne Gacy, an American serial killer who raped, tortured, and murdered at least thirty-three men and boys in Chicago, Illinois during the 1970s. The film stars actor Mark Holton in his first lead role as Gacy.

Svetozar Ristovski is a Macedonian film director who now resides in Canada. His first film was the 2000 short Hunter about the psychological study of a wartime sniper. He marked his English language debut with 2010's Dear Mr. Gacy, about American serial killer John Wayne Gacy. In addition to the awards he won for Mirage, he also won the Golden Lily Award at GoEast for Joy of Life in 2002.

"'Sacrament" is the fifteenth episode of the first season of the American crime-thriller television series Millennium. It premiered on the Fox network on February 21, 1997. The episode was written by Frank Spotnitz, and directed by Michael W. Watkins. "Sacrament" featured guest appearances by Philip Anglim, Dylan Haggerty and Brian Markinson.

<i>Dahmer vs. Gacy</i> 2010 American comedy horror film

Dahmer vs. Gacy is a 2010 American comedy horror film directed by Ford Austin and written by Andrew J. Rausch. The film won the Audience Award at the 2010 Bare Bones International Film Festival.

John Wayne Gacy (1942–1994) was an American serial killer and sex offender.

Kellie Madison is an American writer, producer, director and actress. Her passion for film derives from the stories she wants to tell "that inspire, entertain and move people." Additionally, she is best known for being the executive producer and screenwriter of the Canadian drama thriller, Dear Mr. Gacy. Her production company, Madison Films, is run by Madison herself and associate producer Sherrie Adams with a focus on the development and production of various media projects.

Joseph R. Kozenczak was the former Chief of Police of Des Plaines, Illinois where he worked for 27 years. After his retirement from police in 1989, he worked as a regional security director in the United States and Canada for TNT Express, Vice President of Investigations for John Reid and Associates, Criminal Justice Specialist for the State of Illinois, and practiced as an Illinois licensed private investigator.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Phillip Paske</span> American criminal and child pornographer

Phillip Ronald Paske, sometimes spelled as Philip, was an American criminal, murderer, possible serial killer and child pornographer from Chicago, Illinois. He was closest associate and personal friend of sex trafficker John David Norman and briefly an employee of John Wayne Gacy's construction business.

References

  1. Katherine Ramsland. "Serial Killer Groupies". truTV.com Crime Library. Retrieved 2009-10-26.
  2. Mike Kalil. "Best-selling author of book on serial killers kills himself". Las Vegas Review-Journal. Retrieved 2009-10-28.
  3. Dear Mr. Gacy Teaser, Clip, and Q&A with William Forsythe