Review by Adam Stephen Kelly
Stars Jesse Moss, William Forsythe, Emma Lahana, Cole Heppell, Belinda Metz,
Michael Ryan, Eric Keenleyside, Andrew Airlie, Michael Kopsa | Written by Kellie Madison
UK Certification 18 | UK RRP £15.99 | DVD Region 2 | Runtime 96 minutes | Directed by Svetozar Ristovski
Based on the best-selling book of the same title, The Last Victim is the true story of Jason Moss (who wrote said book), an American teenager who decided to study serial killers for his university thesis, but took his research one step further by actually corresponding with the likes of John Wayne Gacy, Henry Lee Lucas, Jeffrey Dahmer and Charles Manson while they were incarcerated. The film was made for television under the title Dear Mr. Gacy, produced by Clark Peterson (one of the names behind the 2003 Aileen Wuornos biopic Monster), and is the biggest cinematic shock to my system since Exhibit A.
Choosing only to follow Moss' communication with Gacy in the interest of balancing this twisted tale, the film details the student's painstaking journey as he befriends one of history's most infamous serial killers. First writing a letter to the man who was responsible for the rape and murder of 33 children and young men, Moss spins a web of lies and poses as a conflicted teenager unsure of his sexuality and with no one but a brother to turn to. Soon enough the letters turn into phone calls and the Killer Clown begins to bleed into the teenager's life. They become each other's confidant and obsession, but each with their own very polar-opposite motives. Gacy's intention is to prey on the weakness of the character Moss has created, whereas the deceptive student only wants to get into his mind for the sole purpose of writing an original, smash-hit paper.
Like the aforementioned Exhibit A, I never expected to be quite so gripped by the story as it unfolded, but I was absolutely glued to the exploits on the screen. These low-budget true crime movies typically tend to whitewash the hideous murderers at the centre of their stories, but not this one. The Last Victim is compelling and gritty and makes absolutely no excuses. This chilling account is right up there with Henry: Portrait of a Serial Killer and the grossly underrated Ed Gein from 2000. A truly tremendous film with an astonishingly good performance from the consistently excellent Forsythe.
EXTRAS None.