Movie Review: Cropsey

Cropsey
Directed by: Joshua Zeman and Barbara Brancaccio

From the box:

Growing up in Staten Island, Joshua Zeman and Barbara Brancaccio had often heard the legend of "Cropsey." For the kids in their neighborhood, Cropsey was the escaped mental patient who lived in the old Willowbrook Mental Institution who would come out late at night and snatch children off the streets. Sometimes Cropsey had a hook for a hand, other times he wielded a bloody axe, but it didn't matter, Cropsey was always out there, lurking in the shadows, waiting to get them...

That all changed in the summer of 1987 when a little girl with Down syndrome disappeared from their neighborhood.  That was the summer all the kids from Staten Island discovered that their urban legend was real.

Realizing the urban legend of their youth has actually come true, two filmmakers delve into the mystery behind five missing children and the real-life boogeyman linked to their disappearances in their hometown of Staten Island, New York.

It's a story that probably everyone knows: the monster in the woods, the boogeyman, Freddy Krueger, whatever it may be.  The simple fact is this:  Every town has a boogeyman, an Urban Legend, a haunted place.  On Staten Island, it was Cropsey and he lived in Willowbrook Park.

Cropsey tells the story of how an Urban Legend known by all the neighborhood kids, suddenly and frighteningly became reality.

I've often considered Jesus Camp to be the scariest documentary I've ever seen. Cropsey comes extremely close to taking that honor.  It's an unnerving, paranoia inducing nightmare ride that gives a chilling look at a series of kidnappings that could, quite frankly, happen anywhere. It paints a portrait of a man who gave a face, an identity, to a legend used to frighten children. At the same time, it leaves you wondering as to what really happened. 

Joshua Zeman and Barbara Brancaccio have crafted a fascinating, unbiased look at the tragedies that struck their neighborhood. They do their best not to accuse or judge but to examine and understand the events that took place.  The journey to learn what really happened drives this riveting documentary but be warned: not all of your questions will be answered.  In the end, you'll have to decide for yourself what you believe.

The film includes interviews from the police, family members, neighbors, witnesses, and more who were involved with the crimes giving insight into the events that happened around each disappearance.  The tragedies are all handled delicately and responsibly and are never exploitative. Cropsey seeks to document and learn about these events and it does so with heart and respect.  It is certainly scary, scarier than most new horror films in fact, but it is also an intriguing look at a town and its people who are faced with a nightmare turned real.

Cropsey shows that terror can lurk beneath the facade of even the most peaceful and safe towns.  It shows what happens when a silly childhood urban legend becomes horrifyingly real and how a town will stop at nothing to learn the truth, or the truth they want to believe.

Cropsey is a definite must see.

For more information on Cropsey, including where you can see it, visit www.CropseyLegend.com.