Gacy

In 1953, Gacy argues with his father, who says he will never be brave enough and then kicks him. The moment reveals a tense, abusive family dynamic that shadows his later life. It frames the early strain between Gacy and authority figures.

In 1976, a neighbor interrupts Gacy's lunch to demand action about a foul smell coming from his crawl space. Gacy angrily promises to fix it. A friend later suggests laying lime to hide the odor.

During a lunch with his family, Steve, an employee, complains that he has not been paid for two weeks. Gacy insists he will be paid and orders him off the property. The tension marks the start of a volatile workplace relationship.

Gacy consults a friend who advises lime as a fix for the smell. He considers it as a temporary workaround while dealing with the crawl space issue.

While driving at night, Gacy abducts a man, brings him back to the garage, and speaks about his problems before releasing him. The encounter shows his need to control others and test their reactions.

At work, Gacy berates his workers for smoking and questions his newest hire about his enjoyment of the job and wrestling. They wrestle in the backyard where Gacy pins him down, and Steve and another man call him a faggot. Gacy's fury erupts at the insult.

The next day, Steve and two others assault Gacy as he leaves a shop. Steve takes money from his wallet, gives some to the others, and tells Gacy that he has quit. The confrontation ends with Steve severing ties to Gacy's business.

Late at night, Kara wakes to find Steve handcuffed in the garage and clothes scattered around. She runs to the crawl space entrance, where Gacy bursts out, claiming he has been laying lime to cover the smell.

Gacy hosts a fancy dress Fourth of July party, offering Tom Kovak a job, and a speech extolling him as an asset to the community. He hires an exterminator to tackle maggots and cockroaches in the crawl space.

Questioned by two police officers about Steve's disappearance, Gacy claims Steve told him he planned to go to Costa Rica or Puerto Rico.

Gacy hits one employee over the head with a hammer. After cleaning him up, he pays him for his silence and lets him go.

A few days later, Tom is having problems at home, and Gacy suggests he rent Gacy's spare room. The suggestion reveals Gacy's manipulative influence over those around him.

In a late evening, Gacy picks up a male prostitute, chloroforms him, and suspends him by chains in the garage. The next morning, he leaves the man in the park.

Gacy meets with James Burrel, agrees to buy his car, but invites him in for a drink and drowns him in the bathtub. The murder tightens the danger he poses as his crawl space fills up.

Tom decides to leave; Gacy tricks him into being handcuffed and begins strangling him. Tom manages to escape and runs to the police. While the police search, they exhumed bodies from the crawl space, leading to Gacy's arrest and his final words during execution: Kiss my ass.