TV
Peacock Orders Limited Scripted Series “John Wayne Gacy: Devil in Disguise”
In the wake of indie horror movie Gacy: Serial Killer Next Door earlier this year, Peacock has ordered their own limited scripted series based on the John Wayne Gacy murders.
The new Peacock series comes from “Dr. Death” creator Patrick Macmanus.
Variety reports, “The announcement was made during the Television Critics Association winter press tour. The series is inspired by the 2021 Peacock/NBC News Studios docuseries John Wayne Gacy: Devil in Disguise, with the scripted series sharing the same name.”
Here’s the official synopsis from Peacock: “From 1972-1978, thirty-three young men were kidnapped, murdered and buried in a crawl space beneath their killer’s house. And no one was the wiser. Not for all those years. Why? He was charming and funny. Had a good, All-American job. Was a community leader. He even volunteered to entertain sick kids… while dressed as a clown. ‘Devil In Disguise: John Wayne Gacy’ peels back the twisted layers of John Wayne Gacy’s life while weaving in the heartrending stories of his mostly gay victims; exploring the grief, guilt, and trauma of their families and friends; and exposing the systemic failures, missed opportunities and societal prejudices that fueled his reign of terror.”
John Wayne Gacy and his ‘Pogo the Clown’ alter ego made America afraid of clowns long before Stephen King introduced us to Pennywise, claiming 33 lives before being arrested in 1978.
As Wikipedia notes, “John Wayne Gacy was sentenced to death on March 13, 1980. He was executed by lethal injection at Stateville Correctional Center on May 10, 1994.”
You can learn more about Gacy’s horrific murders by watching Netflix’s docu-series Conversations with a Killer: The John Wayne Gacy Tapes, which debuted back in 2022.
From Skybound Comics and creators Chip Zdarsky and Ramón K Pérez, the horror comic book Stillwater is getting a small screen adaptation at Prime Video, Deadline reports.
Greg Berlanti (You, The Flight Attendant) and Carly Wray (Watchmen, Westworld) are leading the charge on the upcoming horror-drama series from Amazon MGM Studios.
Stillwater has received an eight-episode series order for Prime Video. The series comes from Warner Bros. Television, Berlanti Productions and Skybound Entertainment.
Deadline details, “Co-written by Berlanti and Wray, Stillwater is a mind-bending horror thriller that focuses on ex-con Daniel West. When Daniel receives a mysterious letter promising answers about his past and a substantial inheritance in the small town of Stillwater, he discovers a community where nothing ever ages, no one ever dies, and nobody ever gets out.”
“We’re thrilled to dive into Stillwater because it’s far beyond the usual immortality story,” Berlanti and Wray said in a statement shared by Deadline. “It’s a horror show about a community that has to decide what forever is worth, and what they’re willing to do to protect it. Chip Zdarsky & Ramón K Pérez created an extraordinary world that’s both terrifying and deeply human, and we’re so grateful to our partners at Amazon, WBTV, and Skybound for trusting us to bring such a beloved title to life. We couldn’t be more excited for fans, and everyone discovering this story for the first time, to meet Daniel West and all the eerie townsfolk lying in wait for him.”
“Stillwater is a truly original series that blends horror, mystery, and psychological suspense into something entirely unexpected,” said Peter Friedlander, Head of Global Television, Amazon MGM Studios. “Greg Berlanti, Carly Wray, and the incredible teams at WBTV and Skybound have created a world unlike anything audiences have seen before—one that’s unsettling, emotionally rich, and impossible to look away from. We’re thrilled to bring this remarkable story to Prime Video audiences around the world.”
You must be logged in to post a comment.