Dear Mr. Gacy

I wasn't sure I wanted to watch another moralistic 'movie-of-the-week' about a serial killer since they are usually whitewashed beyond recognition to make them palatable to mainstream America.

When I found out this was based on the true story of a college student contacting John Wayne Gacy in prison before he was executed, however, I thought I would give it a chance.

It all starts like a 'docudrama' by the look of the cast, but with the first glimpse of the gritty characterization of Jason's mother, this film took on a much edgier realism than I was expecting. It seemed to me that I had not seen a woman like this before - not pretty, not likable, not whitewashed.

In fact, none of the characters were Hollywood suburban - they were conflicted, vulnerable, angry, manipulative and contradictory. And, 'Jason Moss' takes us on a journey that seems ordinary at first, but step by step, the tension ramps up and we soon find ourselves betting against higher and higher stakes on a happy ending.

What we end up experiencing is an intense and uncomfortable story that goes far deeper into the psyche of Gacy and anyone who came into contact with him than the usual fare. The acting is superb on everyone's part, especially Jesse Moss and William Forsythe - so much so that I had a hard time connecting to the pix of the real people at the end of the film.

This is one of the best studies of serial murderers that I have ever seen. Watch it but be prepared to go places that aren't 'nice'. People are much scarier than we care to believe - an idea that John Wayne Gacy used skillfully to entrap his victims up until the end.

Based on the true story of 18 year old college student Jason Moss (Jesse Moss), who finds himself in way over his head when he begins a relationship with notorious serial killer John Wayne Gacy (William Forsythe). As part of a term paper for his criminology class, Moss sends a letter to Gacy on death row, portraying himself as vulnerable with the hopes of eventually gaining his trust and getting inside the mind of this killer to possibly learn more about his crimes. A relationship between the two begins through letters and eventually phone calls, as Jason tries not to lose his own identity while being brought into Gacy's world.

Jesse Moss, whom I'd only seen previously in smaller roles, most notably "Ginger Snaps", shows he can hold his own as a lead. The real stand out, however, was William Forsythe. Remarkably intense and creepy, he seemed to embody John Wayne Gacy. It was one of the best portrayals I've seen of Gacy to date and rivaled that of Brian Dennehy's.

I was afraid for this flick for two reasons, is is said to be based on a true event, the John Wayne Gacy story and it was made by the producers of "Monster (2003)" another flick based on a true event (serial killer Aileen Wuornos). Monster did follow how it all happened so there it couldn't go wrong but on the part op Gacy there are so many flicks about him that aren't correct. Some did exploit his part as Pogo The Clown and let him do killings dressed as a clown, it never happened that way. But still the best flick about Gacy is To Catch A Killer (1992) and let the performance of Brian Dennehy in that particular flick being the best Gacy so far.

So with some prejudice I watched it. And I must say that I really enjoyed this flick. The title says Dear Mr Gacy but isn't really about Gacy. This flick is more about Jason Moss, a student who gets in contact with Gacy and gets obsessed with him. What happens with Jason is shown in this flick. To be honest, only two actors are in this flick and made this flick. First is Jesse Moss who plays Jason Moss and he did it in a perfect way. But he surely knew his stuff been in Final Destination 3, Ginger Snaps and the gem Tucker And Dale vs Evil. What he did here is really well done. Gacy is played by another famous horror actor William Forsythe. I have met the guy and yes he has that look in his eyes as seen in Halloween the remake and The Devils Reject. Both carry this flick.

It is filed under horror but I shouldn't say that it fits there. It's more a drama especially due what happened to Jason's life. But Svetozar Ristovski as director did well to keep you attracted to the screen. Naturally the whole true event is pure horror but I recommend this to everyone. It do has some news reel in the beginning and at the end some news reel about Jason. It really got into me, a sad story but one to watch. No special effects pure talking and still it gets you...as Gacy did. And William gets really close to Brian's Gacy performance.

Gore 0/5 Nudity 0/5 Effects 0/5 Story 5/5 Comedy 0/5

Jason Moss (Jesse Moss) is a normal college kid. Serial killer John Wayne Gacy is appealing his conviction, and Jason wants to do a paper on him. Jason starts to do research. Then he exchange letters and phone calls. He begins to change and becomes more than just a pen pal. More and more he's becoming a protégé and his next victim.

Jesse Moss is a reasonable actor who could be an everyday college student. The pace is slow due to the fact that the kid and Gacy don't go face to face until close to the end. When that meeting occurs, the intensity goes off the charts. William Forsythe is incredibly creepy and threatening. That one scene makes up for the rest of the movie.

Well paced thriller with a good amount of creepy.

I like it when there's a character who transforms in a movie. Moss becomes involved with Gacy who gets inside his head and stirs up some trouble. We see his character sink lower and lower as a result of his obsession. The fact that this is based on a true story where the student becomes successful but still succumbs to something dark and commits suicide brings layers to this movie; and a yearning to know many more details of what really happened between these two men.

Forsythe and Moss have good chemistry and depth.

I recommend. I will be very surprised if you do not google this story after viewing - I did.