What is this apparent infatuation people have with seeing the sick twisted lives of serial killers, mass murderers, and deranged fans reenacted on television and the big screen?
Such was the question that came to mind in a column I wrote 12 years ago after seeing an independent 90-minute bio/movie on Showtime about John Wayne Gacy, aptly titled “Gacy” (2003). For those who don’t know, Gacy was the notorious Chicago serial killer who from 1972 to 1978 murdered 33 young boys; 25 of whom he buried in the crawlspace of his home in the suburb of Norwood Park, Ill.
Now the question I got twelve years after writing that column is was there ever time viewers found the lives of serial killers so disturbing they could never see themselves watching a murderer’s life story play out on the small screen in either a made-for-cable movie of the week, crime drama mini-series or tabloid documentary?
I pondered that after seeing the trailer for latest crime drama, "Dahmer – Monster: The Jeffery Dahmer Story" about the life of the notorious cannibalistic serial killer from Milwaukee who murdered and dismembered 17 gay men between 1978 and 1991. Not surprisingly the limited series made the top ten most watched programs offered by Netflix the week it debuted on the streaming service Sept. 18.
I won’t lie to you and say I avoided watching the series the way people avoided catching COVID-19. As the saying goes, “Controversy sells.” Although the backlash surrounding the crime drama didn’t come until hours after the first episode’s debut – all of it coming from the family members of the men Dahmer murdered saying the show glorified the serial killer more than it did the victims.
If I had a vast library of true crime books about serial killers and mass murderers, I am certain family members, friends, coworkers, and especially girlfriends would ask me one question.
“Are you planning a career in criminology,” they’d ask.
God help me if I say no because upon saying no, I just know they will all assume I got this huge library because I have plans to make a career change going off the deep end and am using the life stories of the criminally insane as guidance.
Thankfully, the most I knew about John Wayne Gacy, a building contractor who entertained young kids at parties dressed up as Pogo the Clown, was strictly from a supernatural standpoint because of my interest in the paranormal. Chicago is a city rich with tales of ghostly folklore. One story involving Gacy as documented on the site, www.prarieghosts.com, involved an incident where the serial murderer asked a friend to check on his dog while he was away on business. The friend barely made it inside the house when he started hearing moans coming from below Gacy’s crawlspace, which at the time was impossible since all his victims were long since dead.
The only interest I had in watching the “Gacy” film was two-fold. One, I didn’t know much about the guy, and I never had a chance to see the 1992 made-for-tv mini-series, “To Catch a Killer”, which starred Brian Dennehy in the same role, which scored him an Emmy nomination for lead actor in a miniseries or a special that year.
Two, I lived in Chicago from 1970 to 1984, and I was in the third grade when Gacy was arrested. That’s the most I remember about this infamous crime story. As a kid, I had other enjoyable interests than to listen to the daily horror stories on the news of what detectives were carrying out from some guy’s crawlspace in body bags at 8213 West Summerdale Avenue from December 1978 and into the first few months of 1979.
Gacy was found guilty and sentenced to death in February 1980 and was executed in May 1994.
From a critical standpoint, I found the film “Gacy” a surprisingly effective 90-minute independent horror film than a truthful biography about a serial murderer, which was no doubt embellished for creativity. That’s where my acclaim for this movie stops. You won’t find the title sitting in my DVD/Blu-ray library and is only worth viewing once.
Such was the question that came to mind in a column I wrote 12 years ago after seeing an independent 90-minute bio/movie on Showtime about John Wayne Gacy, aptly titled “Gacy” (2003). For those who don’t know, Gacy was the notorious Chicago serial killer who from 1972 to 1978 murdered 33 young boys; 25 of whom he buried in the crawlspace of his home in the suburb of Norwood Park, Ill.
Now the question I got twelve years after writing that column is was there ever time viewers found the lives of serial killers so disturbing they could never see themselves watching a murderer’s life story play out on the small screen in either a made-for-cable movie of the week, crime drama mini-series or tabloid documentary?
I pondered that after seeing the trailer for latest crime drama, "Dahmer – Monster: The Jeffery Dahmer Story" about the life of the notorious cannibalistic serial killer from Milwaukee who murdered and dismembered 17 gay men between 1978 and 1991. Not surprisingly the limited series made the top ten most watched programs offered by Netflix the week it debuted on the streaming service Sept. 18.
I won’t lie to you and say I avoided watching the series the way people avoided catching COVID-19. As the saying goes, “Controversy sells.” Although the backlash surrounding the crime drama didn’t come until hours after the first episode’s debut – all of it coming from the family members of the men Dahmer murdered saying the show glorified the serial killer more than it did the victims.
I get no joy out of watching movies about serial killers, whether they are true or not. I am the only one who didn’t like the Hannibal Lecter films (“Silence of the Lambs” – 1991, “Hannibal” - 2006, “Red Dragon” – 2007) with Anthony Hopkins. After watching the murder mystery, “Seven” (1995), in which a serial killer, played by Kevin Spacey, tortures his victims according to the seven deadly sins, I felt like I needed a shower. I had the same feelings sitting through the first episode of Dahmer.Up until recently before seeing “Gacy”, I knew almost nothing about him. In fact, unless I hear stuff about these individuals on the news or in the tabloids, I am extremely ignorant and, in a way, I am glad.
If I had a vast library of true crime books about serial killers and mass murderers, I am certain family members, friends, coworkers, and especially girlfriends would ask me one question.
“Are you planning a career in criminology,” they’d ask.
God help me if I say no because upon saying no, I just know they will all assume I got this huge library because I have plans to make a career change going off the deep end and am using the life stories of the criminally insane as guidance.
Thankfully, the most I knew about John Wayne Gacy, a building contractor who entertained young kids at parties dressed up as Pogo the Clown, was strictly from a supernatural standpoint because of my interest in the paranormal. Chicago is a city rich with tales of ghostly folklore. One story involving Gacy as documented on the site, www.prarieghosts.com, involved an incident where the serial murderer asked a friend to check on his dog while he was away on business. The friend barely made it inside the house when he started hearing moans coming from below Gacy’s crawlspace, which at the time was impossible since all his victims were long since dead.
The only interest I had in watching the “Gacy” film was two-fold. One, I didn’t know much about the guy, and I never had a chance to see the 1992 made-for-tv mini-series, “To Catch a Killer”, which starred Brian Dennehy in the same role, which scored him an Emmy nomination for lead actor in a miniseries or a special that year.
Two, I lived in Chicago from 1970 to 1984, and I was in the third grade when Gacy was arrested. That’s the most I remember about this infamous crime story. As a kid, I had other enjoyable interests than to listen to the daily horror stories on the news of what detectives were carrying out from some guy’s crawlspace in body bags at 8213 West Summerdale Avenue from December 1978 and into the first few months of 1979.
Gacy was found guilty and sentenced to death in February 1980 and was executed in May 1994.
From a critical standpoint, I found the film “Gacy” a surprisingly effective 90-minute independent horror film than a truthful biography about a serial murderer, which was no doubt embellished for creativity. That’s where my acclaim for this movie stops. You won’t find the title sitting in my DVD/Blu-ray library and is only worth viewing once.
You would think Dahmer's and Gacy's story, along with the huge growing list of serial killers and mass murderers, would end after justice is carried out whether by someone who took the law into their own hands in prison (in Dahmer's case) or by execution (Gacy) but that’s just not how Hollywood, much less, the news media see it.
To them, the bad guys are the ones who steal the show in movies and television. Who wants to see a film about the ones whose lives were taken? Viewers would much rather be fascinated, if not entertained watching the acts of evil committed by the villain.
Apparently, I am the only one in America who has a problem with this.
©9/28/22
To them, the bad guys are the ones who steal the show in movies and television. Who wants to see a film about the ones whose lives were taken? Viewers would much rather be fascinated, if not entertained watching the acts of evil committed by the villain.
Apparently, I am the only one in America who has a problem with this.
©9/28/22
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