As part of his college thesis, Jason Moss, a criminology student, decides to write to John Wayne Gacy and try to gain his trust by posing as a vulnerable admirer. Moss sends a carefully crafted letter to the imprisoned killer, presenting himself as a troubled, sexually confused teen. The aim is not sensationalism but to dive into Gacy’s psyche in hopes of uncovering fresh material for a standout term paper.
The exchange quickly becomes a tense test of will. Gacy, initially wary, puts Moss through a grueling series of emotional trials delivered through letters and collect calls. These exchanges take a toll on Moss’s relationships with those close to him—his girlfriend and his family—while the killer manipulates the dynamic from inside the cell. Gacy attempts to pull Moss into darker behaviors, even suggesting that he should become a hustler, and Moss lies about a client stealing his wallet. In a shocking moment, Gacy claims to protect those he cares about by offering to have the man’s penis cut off, revealing how far he will go to assert control. He also pushes Moss to involve his younger brother, Alex, by asking for a letter from him and even hinting at molesting the boy, provoking fear and driving Moss to retreat from certain calls.
As the pressure mounts, Moss’s grip on reality begins to fray. Paranoia and aggression creep into his life: he lashes out at a classmate who bullies his brother, and he even contemplates hiring a prostitute to assault someone, only stopping himself at the last moment. The psychological tug-of-war grows more dangerous as Gacy learns that Moss has lied about authorities and is possibly corresponding with other inmates. The looming sense of danger complicates every choice Moss makes, blurring the line between research and risk.
When Gacy learns that Moss’s final appeal has failed and the execution is near, the killer offers to pay for a prison visit. Moss agrees, spurred by a mix of curiosity and obligation, after a warden’s call confirms the visit will be tightly supervised. A former survivor of Gacy’s crimes warns Moss against this, but he presses on. Upon arrival, Moss discovers that he will be placed in the same room with Gacy, while guards watch through cameras from outside. The moment grows increasingly intimate and menacing as Gacy feigns friendship, until a sudden shift occurs: Moss is subjected to a threat of rape and murder, and the guards misread the scene as a sexual encounter, choosing to look away briefly. The tension peaks as Moss screams for help and the guards rush in.
The encounter leaves a lasting mark. Gacy calls Moss again, threatening to reveal allegations of molestation against Alex if Moss does not comply, and Moss responds by insisting he’s merely researching the killer for school. The killer is put to death soon after, and Moss later speaks to the faculty at his college, reflecting on what happened and what it did to him. The film closes with a stark, real-life epilogue: an interview with the real Jason Moss and a photo taken of Moss and Gacy days before the execution, noting that Moss went on to write a book about their relationship before his death by suicide in June 2006.
This true-crime portrayal delves into the dangerous power of manipulation and how a single, obsessive project can erode boundaries, relationships, and even a person’s sense of self. The narrative carefully traces how Moss’s scholarly curiosity spirals into a life-altering ordeal, offering a somber meditation on fame, trauma, and the consequences of crossing lines that should never be crossed.
