Dear Mr. Gacy
2010 · 103 min · Director: Svetozar Ristovski
Show plot summary (may contain spoilers)
1993. Overachieving college student Jason Moss, fascinated by serial crime, decides to write his criminology class term paper on John Wayne Gacy, who is on death row and scheduled to be executed in six months time. Jason's criminology professor, Mr. Harris, will only allow Jason to write his paper on Gacy if Jason can come up with a fresh angle, as he himself believes the topic of serial killers is already overexposed. After writing Gacy a nondescript letter and receiving a questionnaire from Gacy in return, Jason believes the fresh angle would be truly to get inside Gacy's head, specifically to learn what makes him tick, by presenting himself in subsequent correspondence to Gacy as Gacy's "type", i.e. a vulnerable young man from a dysfunctional family and thus who is possibly at risk. Despite the advice that he needs to watch out for cunning Gacy, Jason is certain he can outsmart the serial criminal at his own game. Things take an unexpected turn for Jason when he starts receiving telephone calls from Gacy, who was able to find out his number. As Jason feels he has to do further field work based on things that Gacy wants him to report back on, Jason may find that he is not as well equipped emotionally to handle the situation than he first believed, potentially leading to serious consequences both for himself and those around him.
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Emotional fingerprint
Dear Mr. Gacy (2010) — Movie. Top emotional signals: Disturbing 35%, Anxiety 25%, Fear 20%. Source: AI estimate. Shares describe emotional signal, not percentages of people. Your experience may differ. How we measure
- Disturbing35%
- Anxiety25%
- Fear20%
- Empathy15%
- Sadness5%
AI estimate · no viewer votes yet
How we measure
AI estimate
Share of emotional signal, not the percentage of people or a probability of enjoyment.
Each viewer contributes one response, split equally across their selected emotions. When available, an automated estimate supplies a prior that is blended with those responses. Counts include distinct viewers, not automated estimates or archived anonymous votes. Fewer than 3 viewers is an early estimate; more responses do not guarantee certainty.
Why it feels this way
The strongest emotional signals are Disturbing, Anxiety, Fear. Genres: Thriller, Drama, Crime. AI estimate.
Is it worth watching?
Consider this title if you are looking for Disturbing, Anxiety and Fear. Its IMDb rating of 6.4/10 suggests a generally positive audience reception. For these leading emotions, its Feel Score is 67/100.
How did it make you feel?
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Pick up to three · 0/3
Emotional journey
- Tension
- Disturbing
- Fear
Not enough subtitle evidence
No dominant emotion
Dominant emotion: Disturbing
Dominant emotion: Curiosity
Dominant emotion: Tension
Dominant emotion: Sadness
Dominant emotion
| % | Approximate minute | Dominant emotion | Overall intensity | Tension | Disturbing | Fear |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2.5 % | ≈ 3′ | Disturbing | 62 % | 33 % | 53 % | 17 % |
| 7.5 % | ≈ 8′ | Curiosity | 53 % | 32 % | 35 % | 15 % |
| 12.5 % | ≈ 13′ | Curiosity | 50 % | 33 % | 30 % | 15 % |
| 17.5 % | ≈ 18′ | Curiosity | 55 % | 36 % | 39 % | 15 % |
| 22.5 % | ≈ 23′ | Curiosity | 60 % | 49 % | 44 % | 21 % |
| 27.5 % | ≈ 28′ | Tension | 63 % | 60 % | 46 % | 31 % |
| 32.5 % | ≈ 33′ | Tension | 66 % | 65 % | 56 % | 42 % |
| 37.5 % | ≈ 39′ | Disturbing | 70 % | 68 % | 64 % | 48 % |
| 42.5 % | ≈ 44′ | Tension | 68 % | 65 % | 59 % | 38 % |
| 47.5 % | ≈ 49′ | Disturbing | 71 % | 68 % | 65 % | 38 % |
| 52.5 % | ≈ 54′ | Disturbing | 80 % | 76 % | 74 % | 51 % |
| 57.5 % | ≈ 59′ | Tension | 80 % | 79 % | 66 % | 56 % |
| 62.5 % | ≈ 64′ | Tension | 80 % | 79 % | 68 % | 59 % |
| 67.5 % | ≈ 70′ | Disturbing | 85 % | 83 % | 79 % | 70 % |
| 72.5 % | ≈ 75′ | Tension | 85 % | 84 % | 76 % | 74 % |
| 77.5 % | ≈ 80′ | Tension | 86 % | 85 % | 75 % | 73 % |
| 82.5 % | ≈ 85′ | Disturbing | 87 % | 84 % | 77 % | 69 % |
| 87.5 % | ≈ 90′ | Tension | 78 % | 63 % | 64 % | 45 % |
| 92.5 % | ≈ 95′ | Sadness | 69 % | 34 % | 49 % | 23 % |
| 97.5 % | ≈ 100′ | Sadness | 68 % | 22 % | 43 % | 17 % |
Riches to rags
Rags to riches: The emotional tone rises from negative to positive.
Riches to rags: The emotional tone falls from positive to negative.
Man in a hole: The tone falls, then recovers.
Icarus: The tone rises, then falls.
Cinderella: The tone rises, falls, then rises again.
Oedipus: The tone falls, rises, then falls again.
AI reading of the film’s English subtitles (dialogue and sound cues) — not viewer votes. How we measure ↗
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Premise onlyAfterward Reveal viewer responses · may contain spoilers
Viewer responses about feelings after the title ended, separate from feelings while watching. No AI estimates.
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Feeling details appear after at least 3 viewers respond, to protect privacy.
Cast
Alex Moss
Valerie Moss
Frank Moss
Butcher Shop Victim
Counter Girl
Armed Guard
Mike
TV News Reporter
Details
- Directed by
- Svetozar Ristovski
- Written by
- Kellie Madison, Clark Peterson, Jason Moss
- Type
- Movies
- Released
- 2010
- Runtime
- 103 min
- Country
- Canada
- Ratings
- Feels mostly
- Disturbing
- Data updated
Where to watch
Rent
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