Good news Mindhunter and Monster fans, a new crime series based on real events is coming to streaming, and it’s first trailer is positively horrifying

Devil in Disguise: John Wayne Gacy trailer
(Image credit: Peacock)

While it looks like David Fincher’s Mindhunter series may never return to Netflix, true crime followers have another project to look forward to as Peacock’s Devil in Disguise: John Wayne Gacy is coming to streaming, and it’s first trailer is positively spine-chilling.

The trailer opens with a 15 year old boy approaching a construction manager at night looking for work. The next thing we know, that same boy goes missing, which leads police right to the door of that construction manager, John Wayne Gacy. The next few clips show detectives searching Gacy’s house where they make a chilling discovery down in the home’s crawl space. Watch the full trailer below.

Devil in Disguise: John Wayne Gacy | Official Trailer | Peacock Original - YouTube Devil in Disguise: John Wayne Gacy | Official Trailer | Peacock Original - YouTube
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Of course, the series is based on one of America’s most prolific serial killers, John Wayne Gacy. Known as the 'Killer Clown' due to him often dressing up as a clown at local events, Gacy operated during the '70s in and around Chicago, and brutally tortured and murdered at least 33 men during this time. Just as we see in the trailer, the killer would hide his victims’ bodies in the crawl space of his home and elsewhere on his property, which resulted in police making a grisly discovery upon his arrest.

This is not the first time that Gacy’s crimes have been explored on screen, as although we never see the killer during the show, Netflix’s hit series Mindhunter references the Killer Clown’s crimes. In fact, it was once rumoured that Netflix’s Monster anthology series was supposed to tackle the Gacy case after season 1 looked at Jeffrey Dahmer, and season 2 was based on the Menendez brothers. However, Ryan Murphy's Monster season 3 is set to focus on the life of Ed Gein, starring Charlie Hunnam as the killer.

However, unlike the Monster series, it looks like Devil in Disguise won’t rehash Gacy’s sadistic killings so much, but will rather focus on the fallout of the crimes. According to Peacock, the show will look at how the discovery of the 30 plus bodies affected the community, and how Gacy was able to get away with it for so long.

The official synopsis reads, "Devil in Disguise: John Wayne Gacy peels back the twisted layers of Gacy’s life while weaving in heartrending stories of his victims; exploring the grief, guilt, and trauma of their families and friends; and exposing the systemic failures, missed opportunities, and societal prejudices that fuelled his reign of terror."

Devil in Disguise: John Wayne Gacy hits Peacock on October 16. For more, check out our list of the best horror movies, or keep up to date with upcoming horror movies heading your way this year.

Editorial Associate, GamesRadar+

I am an Entertainment Writer here at GamesRadar+, covering TV and film for SFX and Total Film online. I have a Bachelors Degree in Media Production and Journalism and a Masters in Fashion Journalism from UAL. In the past I have written for local UK and US newspaper outlets such as the Portland Tribune and York Mix and worked in communications, before focusing on film and entertainment writing. I am a HUGE horror fan and in 2022 I created my very own single issue feminist horror magazine.  

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