Is Devil in Disguise Actually Good, or Did I Just Watch Monster?

by

This article contains spoilers for the Netflix series *Monster: The Ed Gein Story* and the Peacock series *Devil in Disguise: John Wayne Gacy*.

This fall, instead of focusing on classic monsters and demons, many TV shows are using supernatural themes to explore real-life horrors. Both Netflix and Peacock released eight-episode series this October that are loosely based on the lives of notorious American serial killers. These shows aim to portray the victims as fully realized people, not just nameless bodies. One example of this is the series *Monster*.

Netflix’s new true crime series, *Devil in Disguise*, handles its subject matter with more sensitivity than the recent *Monster* season, which focused on Ed Gein. *Monster* largely depicted Gein’s victims as simply materials for his disturbing creations, showing graphic violence without fully exploring the line between his fantasies and reality, and overstating his impact on horror films. *Devil in Disguise*, however, immediately centers the victims by starting with the 1978 disappearance of Robert Piest. The series then unfolds the investigation into Piest’s abduction, revealing the multiple bodies found beneath John Wayne Gacy’s home. By alternating between the investigation and glimpses into the lives of Gacy’s victims, the show highlights how police prejudice and media sensationalism allowed his crimes to continue for so long. In many ways, *Devil in Disguise* does a better job of telling this story than *Monster*. Let’s break down how.

Is Devil in Disguise different from Monster?

The series is notable for focusing on the lives of Gacy’s victims, rather than the details of their deaths. Each episode is named after a victim or victims, and spends time exploring their lives before they encountered Gacy. We learn about their personal struggles – like Johnny Szyc figuring out how to come out to his parents, or John Butkovich trying to earn a living working for Gacy. They came from all walks of life – some were sex workers, others were troubled youths trying to change, and still others were just young men going about their day. The series includes heartbreaking details, like a mother retrieving her son’s dental records to help identify his remains, or the accumulation of fingerprints on a map Gacy created of where he buried the bodies. Each episode concludes with photos of the actual victims.

While *Devil in Disguise* shows some of Gacy’s murders with graphic detail, it doesn’t dwell on the suffering of the victims. Instead, the film focuses on how Gacy charmed the police and exploited the prejudices of the time. After his arrest, the media sensationalized the case—the bodies packed into the crawlspace and buried in trenches dug by his employees—and unfairly portrayed the victims as troubled runaways. The film also highlights the disturbing reality that those involved in the investigation—police and prosecutors—benefited professionally, while the victims’ families found little comfort. These observations about the criminal justice system are more impactful than the story of how Gein inspired *Psycho* and Hitchcock’s frustration that audiences craved more gruesome content.

Is Devil in Disguise better than Monster?

Overall, the series is well-done, but its biggest weakness is its portrayal of John Wayne Gacy. While the initial episodes avoid showing his crimes directly, the latter half includes two extended and disturbing scenes of violence, including the death of a young man Gacy callously refers to as “Greyhound bus boy” because he didn’t bother to learn his name. A lengthy conversation between Gacy and his defense team’s psychologist becomes overly dramatic, with jarring flashbacks to his abusive childhood and unsettling details about his behavior. The series already effectively creates fear, tension, and sadness through strong acting and the unsettling depiction of Gacy’s home, so these graphic scenes feel unnecessary. While not as violent as *The Ed Gein Story*, and even avoiding showing much of the stabbing in the “Greyhound bus boy” scene (focusing instead on Gacy’s annoyance with the mess), it’s disappointing that a series so focused on the humanity of Gacy’s victims felt the need to sensationalize the violence.

This isn’t meant to criticize John Chernus’s acting. Viewers familiar with his role as the positive and encouraging Ricken Hale in *Severance* will find his portrayal of John Wayne Gacy genuinely unsettling. Chernus convincingly transforms from a friendly, down-to-earth man into a calculating predator who lulls his victims into a false sense of security. When Gacy is planning or committing his crimes, Chernus’s performance shifts noticeably – his eyes become cold, his voice deeper and harsher, and his body language more commanding. There’s a scene where Gacy is about to attack a potential victim, but his wife interrupts him by carrying laundry upstairs, and Chernus instantly changes from a jovial, back-slapping man to a controlling husband, brushing off his wife’s touch. Unlike *Monster*, which focused on the inner turmoil and strangeness of Ed Gein with bizarre imagery like dancing with chainsaws, *Devil in Disguise* is more impactful because it highlights Gacy’s ability to blend in and appear normal.

Is Devil in Disguise actually … good?

Yes, *Devil in Disguise* takes some surprising turns, making it different from other shows like *Monster* and typical true-crime stories. It deliberately downplays Gacy’s infamous clown persona and instead focuses on the difficult relationships between the victims’ families. For example, a scene where Liz Piest criticizes Rosemary Szyc about their parenting feels incredibly raw and emotional, even though both women deal with their grief in different ways.

The documentary *Devil in Disguise* portrays the Chicago Police Department as failing to protect vulnerable people. The film repeatedly shows victims and their families pleading for help, only to be dismissed due to their sexual orientation, poverty, or past criminal records. This is sharply contrasted with John Wayne Gacy’s manipulative explanations to the police, where he claimed his interactions with victims were consensual despite clear evidence of abuse. *Devil in Disguise* highlights how prejudice and inadequate policing enabled Gacy, a seemingly respectable member of the community, to commit horrific crimes. The film also examines how those involved in the case – lawyers and police alike – profited from Gacy’s crimes, building successful careers while the victims’ families continued to suffer.

While the film *Monster* tries to distance itself from exploiting the fascination with Ed Gein by highlighting other artists he influenced, *Devil in Disguise* takes a different approach. It doesn’t ask viewers to consider the ethics of true crime, but instead focuses on the real people harmed by it, and makes its empathy clear through its own actions and storytelling.

Read More

2025-10-16 15:58