The Poughkeepsie Tapes (2007)

Here's something very unique, a film I enjoyed but others were rather so-so about. The Poughkeepsie Tapes had a very interesting release history. It premiered at the Tribeca Film Festival in 2007 and was going to be released by MGM in 2008, but, despite advertising, it was pulled from release without explanation. It was given a short-lived video-on-demand release in 2014 before being pulled again. The film was finally given a DVD and Blu-Ray release in 2017, a decade after it's making. The film is directed by John Erick Dowdle, who also directed the American remake of REC (2007), Quarantine (2007), as well as Devil (2010). The Poughkeepsie Tapes combines pseudo-documentary and found-footage filmmaking, making the film seem like it's actually a true story, when it wasn't. Many people today still think it is. Dowdle has amazing skills in found footage and horror, as evident by this film and his later works.

The film details the story of a cunning and remarkably manipulative serial killer, only known as "Ed" ((Ben Messmer) Character's name in the credits is "Edward Carver", but this name is never stated in the film), and the tapes discovered in his abandoned home in Poughkeepsie, New York. The tapes document his killings of a young girl, a couple who picked him up, thinking he was a hitchhiker, and various prostitutes. The tapes also show bizarre things involving balloons. But the most prominent person featured in the tapes, aside from Ed himself, is Cheryl Dempsey (Stacy Chbosky), a teenage girl whose boyfriend Ed murdered before kidnapping her and holding her captive in his basement, keeping her as a slave and forcing her to wear various masks. Ed is very careful to never show his face on the tapes, always being behind camera or in disguise when on camera. The found footage portions of the film are deeply disturbing, especially when showing the killings. One scene shows a woman, whose mouth is taped with clear tape, scream to herself while the audience watches Ed kill her and blood leaks out of her taped mouth. It's moments like these that made me appreciate the film.

The documentary portions of the film feature numerous interviewees, such as police officers, family members of the victims, criminal profilers, and more. It depicts the search for the "Water Street Butcher" as Ed is called. Ed is able to manipulate the profilers by changing his MO and using various tactics that make it impossible to pinpoint a profile on him. Ed is probably the most intelligent criminal in film history. A police officer, James Foley, is arrested when evidence points to him as the Water Street Butcher. Is he the Water Street Butcher? Or can he prove his innocence?

Artistically, the film is excellent. I thoroughly enjoyed the documentary sections because they truly felt like a documentary. The torture and murder scenes in the found footage sections can be difficult to watch, but even they can be appreciated for its acting and effects. All in all, The Poughkeepsie Tapes was a disturbing, well made, and well acted film. I highly recommend it to anyone. I rate this film GREAT on the scale.