Netflix and true-crime enthusiasts have been gripped by documentaries exploring infamous killers, but Peacock’s Devil in Disguise: John Wayne Gacy stands out as a harrowing deep dive into one of America’s most notorious predators. The six-part series, premiered March 2021 but resurfacing with renewed interest in 2025 amid streaming true-crime booms, meticulously unravels the double life of John Wayne Gacy, the “Killer Clown” who murdered at least 33 young men and boys between 1972 and 1978 in Chicago. Directed by Chris Holt and featuring never-before-heard audio tapes from Gacy himself, the docuseries combines survivor accounts, investigator interviews, and archival footage to expose how a seemingly charming community figure hid unimaginable evil.

Gacy, a building contractor and Democratic precinct captain who performed as “Pogo the Clown” at children’s parties, lured victims—many runaway teens or young workers—to his Norwood Park home with promises of jobs or money. He sexually assaulted, tortured, and strangled them, burying 26 bodies in his crawl space, three elsewhere on his property, and dumping four in the Des Plaines River. Arrested in December 1978 after a missing boy’s shoe was found in his home, Gacy confessed, leading police to the gruesome discoveries. Convicted in 1980 on 33 counts of murder, he was executed by lethal injection in 1994.

The series’ strength is its tapes: Gacy’s calm, manipulative voice recounting crimes with chilling detachment, interspersed with interviews from detectives like Joseph Kozenczak and survivors like Robert Donnelly. Family members of victims share raw grief, while experts analyze Gacy’s narcissism and possible accomplices (never proven).

Critics praised its depth: 88% Rotten Tomatoes, “unflinching yet respectful” (Variety). Viewers binge: “Most disturbing killer doc—Gacy’s tapes haunt” (@TrueCrimeFan, 50k likes).

Devil in Disguise isn’t sensational—it’s sobering, a reminder evil hides in plain sight. Stream on Peacock; the clown’s mask lifts.