During a police raid, a huge cache of videotapes is discovered, documenting a prolific serial killer and his methods. This includes everything from abductions, to torture over long periods of time, to post-mortem mutilations, and the murder itself. Some of the tapes are missing, showing that the killer meant for them to have the tapes and that he chose to keep some for himself. How many people has he killed? Will he ever be caught?
The Poughkeepsie Tapes is a film that I have heard of over and over again over the years, but it never seemed to be available to buy legally. It was never released theatrically, briefly released on DirecTV on demand in 2014, and finally released on DVD and Bluray in 2017. It's been pirated, posted on Youtube, and made into GIFs (only the most disturbing scenes of course). It has been talked about for years and widely known as an infamous horror film even though few have gotten the chance to see it. The film lives up to all of this hype and more.
The story is told in a documentary style, similar to Unsolved Mysteries or America's Most Wanted or Forensic files with interviews from investigators, family members of victims, witnesses, and one survivor. Instead of cheesy re-enactments, the harrowing video footage is shown. The interviews and narration take up the majority of the film, telling their stories about the investigation, finding the bodies, and the fate of various victims. Many of the police officers and detectives spoke about the harrowing effect of watching the killer's videos, compounded by the fact that there is very little evidence to help find him. There is a subdued attitude to these interview subjects because of the horrific nature of these murders and the struggle to catch the killer. The killer manipulates them deftly and keeps them distracted. They also get caught up in an orchestrated red herring that devastates many. This part is just as interesting as the tapes themselves because we see the effects of these murders on the public and provide context.
The killer is never shown in the films unless he is in some sort of disguise, giving him a theatrical and creepy air. His favorite seems to be commedia dell'arte bird mask. He carries a camcorder with him to kidnap women, torture his victims, mutilate their dead bodies, and disposing of the bodies. These tapes can be incredibly creepy. He is shown kidnapping a little girl right in front of her house, chloroforming a couple when he asks them for a ride, hiding in a woman's house for hours before abducting her, various scenes of torture (mostly physical but mental and emotional as well). He started out as a disorganized killer, led by impulse, and then became measured and well planned as he went on. Then he purposefully targeted sex workers to keep the police from connecting his previous crimes. The most chilling scene was how he kidnapped a college student named Cheryl Dempsey and kept her for years, brainwashing her with abuse and torture until her mind essentially breaks. These tapes aren't extreme compared to many modern horror films, but they remain chilling, nightmarish, and memorable.
The Poughkeepsie Tapes is a hidden gem that not enough people have seen. It's an early found footage film melded with documentary-like interviews to piece together this prolific killer's journey and the effort to catch him. It seems like an homage to 90's crime TV that I grew up with. The only flaws of this film is one plot point being a little too unbelievable and the awful quality of the tape footage. It looks grainy and the tracking is off, which is expected. It's the wavy effect that is the most annoying and distorts too much of the picture. Other than that, I'm so happy that Scream Factory came out with the Bluray. I will be watching this film probably once a year or so from now on.
My rating: 4.5/5 fishmuffins
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