John Wayne Gacy: Movies, Shows, Books and Podcast Episodes About the 'Killer Clown'

On the surface in 1970s Chicago, John Wayne Gacy seemed like a normal, everyday neighbor—he owned a successful remodeling business, was involved in local politics, hosted barbecues at his home and even dressed up as a clown called “Pogo” to volunteer at children’s hospitals and neighborhood events. But beneath that facade, he was committing horrific crimes.

Between 1972 and 1978, Gacy sexually assaulted and murdered at least 33 young men, many of whom were buried underneath and around the very same home where he entertained his neighbors, while others were disposed of in nearby bodies of water, including the Des Plaines River.

By 1975, police had already been investigating Gacy as a person of interest in local cases, according to the Chicago Tribune. But he wasn’t arrested until December 1978, when he was linked to the disappearance of 15-year-old Robert Piest, leading to his subsequent confession (which included drawing a diagram showing where the bodies were buried). Two years later, in March 1980, he was convicted on 33 counts of murder and sentenced to death. Gacy spent 14 years on death row before dying by lethal injection on May 10, 1994. 

The depth and depravity of his crimes would make him one of America’s most notorious serial killers, often referred to as the “Killer Clown.” Over the years, many have delved into the case across books, podcasts, documentaries and fictionalized adaptations of his story. 

This book, co-written by Terry Sullivan, who was a leading prosecutor in the Gacy investigation and at his trial, goes deep on the case, from the instances of violence in Gacy's past to the gruesome discovery of his victims. First published in 1983, it was updated in 2013 with revelations that emerged via DNA evidence to confirm the identities of additional victims.

This made-for-TV movie dramatizes the investigation into Gacy, with noted actor Brian Dennehy playing the killer and Michael Reilly as detective Lieutenant Joseph Kozenczak, who led the investigation that captured him. Dennehy received an Emmy nomination for his performance, which the Los Angeles Times called “convincingly menacing and maniacal.” It also caught the attention of Gacy himself, who reportedly wrote Dennehy a letter from death row expressing disappointment over his participation in the film, calling it a “fraud” and claiming, “Lots of people had access to that crawl space” in his home where investigators found more than two dozen bodies.

A decade after Dennehy played Gacy in To Catch a Killer, Mark Holton portrayed the chilling murderer in this direct-to-video film based on the real-life case. Directed by Clive Saunders and co-written by Saunders and David Birke, the film looks at Gacy’s double life as a respected community member and depraved killer.

After watching Riley portray Kozenczak, the former Chief of Detectives of the Des Plaines Police Department, in To Catch a Killer, you can read his actual account of the hunt for Gacy. This book, written by Kozenczak and his wife, Karen Kozenczak, is told from his perspective. To hear it even more directly from his point of view, check out the audiobook—Kozenczak himself serves as the narrator.

The fifth season of Ryan Murphy’s must-watch horror anthology series features a dinner party with a real murderer’s row of guests. That season’s fourth episode, “Devil’s Night,” centers on a party held on the night before Halloween, attended by notorious deceased killers including Gacy (John Carroll Lynch), Aileen Wournos (Lily Rabe), Jeffrey Dahmer (Seth Gabel), Richard Ramirez (Anthony Ruiviviar) and a masked Zodiac killer. It’s not a fact-based scenario, but the gathering allows for commentary on the fascination with serial killers in American culture and gives viewers the chance to see Gacy in his clown makeup. (Lynch also played another killer clown, Twisty, in American Horror Story: Freak Show, which isn’t based on Gacy, but certainly evokes him.) 

This three-episode documentary series from director Joe Berlinger gives a deeper glimpse into Gacy’s killing spree, incorporating never-before-heard audio conducted by his defense team while awaiting trial, along with interviews with investigators, victims’ relatives and one survivor that put his horrific crimes in stark light. It also delves into the circumstances that allowed Gacy’s killings to go undetected for so long.

On the Killer Psyche podcast, retired FBI agent Candice DeLong draws on her decades of experience to analyze why murderers and criminals committed their heinous acts. In 2024, she dedicated two episodes to Gacy. The first part details Gacy’s “abusive childhood, a domineering father and internalized homophobia to understand how he became one of the most famous serial killers of all time.” In the second installment, she speaks with Chicago trial attorney, radio show host and legal analyst Karen Conti, who represented Gacy in his final death row appeal attempts and wrote Killing Time with John Wayne Gacy: Defending America’s Most Evil Serial Killer on Death Row about her experience.