Main Cast: Mark Holton, Charlie Weber, Glenn Morshower, Tom Waldman, Adam Baldwin
Release Year: 2003
Country: US
Run Time: 89 minutes
MPAA Rating: R
Plot
For those who don't know the name and legacy of John Wayne Gacy, the movie is based on the true story of one of the nation's most prolific serial killers (33 murder convictions). Gacy depicts the methods upstanding citizen and neighborhood party clown Gacy (Mark Holton) used to seduce young men, slaughter them and then hide their bodies in the crawl space under the house he shared with his wife (Joleen Lutz) and children. ~ Buzz McClain, All Movie Guide
Review
Gacy is one foul tale about one sick puppy. Formerly called The Crawl Space, this low-budget independent effort, which takes a few liberties with reality (the real Gacy didn't live with his kids when he started his slayings), is ruthlessly fascinating, but it is not for all tastes. While the gore factor is extremely low, the tension is sickeningly high, and the real-life John Wayne Gacy (executed in 1994) has a legacy that revolts many, to the point where family members may not want to be in the room where they may see the box art, much less the movie. On the other hand, production values and performances are very good across the board despite the meager budget. The filmmakers have resisted the temptation to make this a detective procedural, which is refreshing (in fact, the cops don't get a, um, whiff of what Gacy was up to until very near the end). This is the first feature film about Gacy, and his cult of "fans" is sure to snap it up. Thriller genre aficionados will be intrigued -- and satisfied -- but the horrific content and it's non-ironic depiction will keep it from wading into the mainstream. ~ Buzz McClain, All Movie Guide
John Wayne Gacy (Mark Holton) seemed to be a model citizen. He even volunteered as a clown for the children at the local hospital, but he kept a gruesome secret. A trail of missing young men led to Gacy's suburban home.
The nation watched in horror as, one by one, the details of over 30 murders came to light and most of the victims, entombed in the crawl space underneath his house, were unearthed.
