At the time of John Wayne Gacy’s arrest, he was the most prolific serial killer the country had ever seen. And more than 30 years after his execution, he remains one of the most infamous, so it’s no wonder he’s been the subject of so much media. Now, Peacock is returning to the “Killer Klown” with Devil in Disguise: John Wayne Gacy (having explored the topic and used a variation of the title in 2021), the trailer of which is now available.
The trailer for Devil in Disguise: John Wayne Gacy opens with Gacy meeting one of his victims, set to Orville Peck’s eerie “Dreamless Night”. From there, we get an idea of Gacy’s perception as a model citizen, the scope of his crimes (he’d be found guilty of 33 murders) and how citizens and families were treated amid the investigation.
Here is the official plot of the series: “From 1972 to 1978, 33 young men were kidnapped, murdered, and buried in a crawl space beneath their killer’s house. And no one was the wiser. Not for all those years. Why? He was charming and funny. Had a good All-American job. Was a community leader. He even volunteered to entertain sick kids… while dressed as a clown. Devil In Disguise: John Wayne Gacy peels back the twisted layers of Gacy’s life while weaving in heartrending stories of his victims; exploring the grief, guilt, and trauma of their families and friends; and exposing the systemic failures, missed opportunities, and societal prejudices that fueled his reign of terror.” All eight episodes will debut on October 16th.
Of course, Devil in Disguise isn’t nearly the first time that John Wayne Gacy was the subject of a film or series. They actually go back to even before Gacy’s 1994 execution, with the great Brian Dennehy playing him in a TV movie. Gacy went the DTV route courtesy of Pee-Wee’s Big Adventure’s Mark Holton in 2003, which became a video rental staple for those interested in true crime before it blew up years later. And while the bulk of these and more have been underwhelming (true crime tends to work better either as a docuseries, podcast or book), Peacock may have something here if they found a way to uniquely explore the horrifying story.
Devil in Disguise: John Wayne Gacy was first announced last year, with Severance’s Michael Chernus in the title role.
What do you think of the trailer for Devil in Disguise: John Wayne Gacy? Do you think the series can stand out from the other Gacy content?
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