Dear Mr. Gacy
By Sharon Foss
Anchor Bay brings the riveting true story of John Wayne Gacy behind bars to DVD.
Based on the true story The Last Victim by the late Jason Moss, Director Svetozar Ristovski tells the tale of a naïve college student who tries to befriend one of the most notorious killers ever in United States history.
For anyone who may have missed the boat in history class, the movie catches you up in the first few minutes. Archived footage of the news reports surrounding Chicagoan John Wayne Gacy’s crimes are featured, including bodies being carried out of his home and boards being ripped up within the walls and flooring. Convicted in 1980, Gacy was sentenced to death.
Enter Jason Moss, the ambitious college student who has a fascination with the case. Moss, played by Jesse Moss (The Uninvited, Final Destination 3), is a college student who is working toward a career in law enforcement. He is enraptured with the Gacy case and wants to study him as part of his criminology class. He writes to Gacy, played by the fantastic William Forsythe (The Devil’s Rejects, The Rig), even going so far as to sending half-naked photos of himself to the murderer.
Why? Because while Gacy himself claimed he was not gay, he did sexually assault many young men. Moss decides the best way to get Gacy to respond is to present himself as a young, gay man who is confused about life and a bit lost—a boy who is thinking of hustling just to make some extra money. It doesn’t take long before Gacy responds.
Over several letters, Moss naively believes that he has Gacy eating out of the palm of his hand and just needs to ask him the right questions. Letters then lead to phone calls. Moss goes far to continue his relationship with Gacy, hoping to delve into the inner working of the madman’s mind.
What this movie portrays accurately is what Moss fails to do—remember that John Wayne Gacy is a master manipulator. Moss finds himself in positions that are foreign to his middle class suburban life, including agreeing to meet with Gacy in jail, spending time with him inside a jail cell, alone.
Was Moss crazy to attempt to get into the mind of a convicted murderer, one who refused to ‘fess up to his crimes? Or was he just one of many who tried to understand what went on in the mind of a “clown” like Gacy?
Unfortunately, Jason Moss took his own life only a few short years ago. Why? Did Gacy get into his mind so much that Moss could never escape him? Maybe. Did his other communications and obsessions with other murderers such as Charles Manson and Richard Ramirez finally get the best of his sanity? Perhaps. Because Moss is gone, we will never know. What we do know is that Moss did a brave, and decidedly foolish, thing by reaching out to this maniac. It took guts and most definitely a young, overinflated ego to do what he did. We can only hope his work in that field will not go unnoticed and could possibly provide clues into homicidal behaviors.
Forsythe as Gacy was sufficiently creepy and Jesse Moss (no relation to Jason Moss that I could find) portrayed the young, eager student perfectly. The DVD includes a special feature option with interviews about Gacy, from a childhood friend to detectives who investigated him.
