The Poughkeepsie Tapes

SEPTEMBER 14, 2007

GENRE: MOCKUMENTARY, SERIAL KILLER
SOURCE: UH.....

Well folks, I do believe I may be murdered soon. If so, I assume Horror Movie A Day will come to an end.

Let me explain.

On Tuesday, which you probably know was the 6th anniversary of the 9-11 attacks, I came home to find a DVD-R on my door. It was not labeled, but it did have a crude drawing of what looked like a Michael Myers type on it. I put it in my player and saw that it was a horror movie called The Poughkeepsie Tapes. Having already watched a movie that day, and with Wednesday and Thursday's movies already 'scheduled' (One I had to review legit for B-D, the other I had to return to the store before I got charged), I slotted it for today, Friday.

Then it gets creepy.

See, while the film is in fact quite good and unnerving on it’s own right, what really freaks me out is that in the film, the actual 9-11 (as in, 2001) figures prominently and quite chillingly at the end of the 2nd act. Now, this could be just a coincidence, but since I have yet to figure out who left the DVD on my door (the most obvious suspect I know for a fact wasn’t even in the country, as he was in Toronto for the Fearfest), it gives me the goddamn willies.

Plus, like I said, the film itself is unnerving. Sort of a cross between Blair Witch Project and a typical serial killer movie, I will honestly say that it’s one of the most genuinely upsetting horror movies I have seen in ages. The film is presented half through video footage, and half through documentary style interviews and police/news footage. There are no jump scares, instead just a general, almost nonstop feeling of disturbing creepiness, like later in the film when we see the killer (whose costume looks like the monster on the cover of Stephen King’s "The Stand") slowly crawl toward his intended victim, or when a couple of girl scouts enter his home during a cookie selling routine. The most disturbing scene, however, is when the killer walks up to the home of one of his victims, where the girl’s mother is outside smoking. He approaches her and says “Let me know if there’s anything I can do to help.” She says thanks, but then looks at him, and it slowly dawns on her who he is. She begins to cry, as he giggles and runs away. Gah!!! You won’t scream while watching the film, but it will stick with you later, and that’s more impressive anyway.

It’s not a perfect film however. There is never any explanation for the horrendous video quality of the killer’s footage. By now, you expect the fuzzy lines and things like that when a film presents video footage, but it’s really bad even by those standards. I mean, if this guy is documenting seemingly everything he does, you’d think he’d opt for a better camera. I understand the point, but it seems they went a bit overboard with the effect. Also a few of the actors are entirely unconvincing, something I normally don’t care about, but it IS a problem when it’s a ‘documentary’. One in particular, a Sarah Silverman-ish FBI agent, is atrocious, though luckily she’s only in a few scenes (and delivers a laugh out loud line concerning bureaucracy). For the most part though, you totally buy into the idea that this is real.

As far as I know, it’s not really based on any true events (though a scene with Ted Bundy suggests that The Green River Killer was at least a partial inspiration), but hopefully some folks will think it’s real, Blair Witch style, when the film is released in theaters next year. I know I plan to lie to those who are easily duped.

What say you?

31 comments:

  1. I could be completely wrong here but this might be based on a real serial killer, i know a few people from poughkeepsie, ny and they told me a about a serial killer from the area, i don't remember the details but I think the concept might be rooted in truth, even more freaky if you ask me.

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  2. that monster on the cover of the stand-- im assuming you mean the old version, with the bird like monster?-- it scared the shit out of me.

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  3. Hi I just saw a preview of this film yesterday in the theater, I was about to watch Stephen King's "The Mist." Talk about setting up the audience, this movie for the most part looks disturbing, beyond horrific.

    Although it may not be based on a true story, why give anyone any ideas?

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  4. i thought you all might want to know this movie is very vaguely bases on true events. there was once a serial killer, name james foley in poughkeepsie, NY. he did kill between 8-38 women. though due to confessions being made and withdrawn there was never an acurate number. the first of his 3 killing were near water street in NY, naming him the water street butcher. suspicions believe he did indeed tape the abduction, torture and murder of these many women. though it has never been released as to if the tapes were credited to him, or if they even exist or were just folklore. he was however arrested and convicted in 1994. he died in 2001.

    this film is only following a small line of truth, and a whole lot of hearsay.

    [i'm to lazy to sign up, if you want to reach me for whatever god damn reason find me here myspace.com/existential]

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    Replies
    1. Sorry to tell you youre completely wrong.

      Delete
  5. i grew up in poughkeepsie i knew about kendal ftansois but i never knew about james foley. i knew of a man who was driving around picking up girls in a white van in the city of pk though. I never heard of this so i cannot say if it true or false.

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  6. You friggin' liars. It's not at all based in any truth. The killers are fake, despite what the studio wants you to think.

    And yes, the last two posters without a doubt are somehow involved in the making/marketing of this film.

    Try harder next time.

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    Replies
    1. Yes I no there is no james foley it all made up but there is a kendel ftanosis but he only killed 8 girls who where all prostitutes and he did not tape the murders but he was from poughkeepsie but this film was not based on him or anyone else its made up. (:

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    2. There is a black guy who killed like 8 ppl in poughkeepsie... the movie was decent but the acting sucked and the killers camera what the hell was that all about? Who has a camera that jumps frames and is all grainy. Idk im goin 2 look for the real poughkeepsie killer

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  7. He was real and a cop.
    http://www.strangerkillers.com/James%20Foley.html

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  8. I grew up in the poughkeepsie area as well and i never heard of james foley but i remember kendall. That was a pretty freaky time. But there's alot of stuff that goes on in poughkeepsie that people dont know about or want to know about. Its a small city.

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  9. The poughkeepsie tapes are real. James Foley was a cop in Poughkeepsie, New York. He started out by stalking women and asking there names and if they want to go for a drink, to his unrully, heart stopping torturious ways. Over 800 video tapes of his kiling spree's were found in his house, as well as 6 bodies in hid back yard. There are many more bodies that are still missing that were on those tapes. Fortunatlly james was found and he is in jail, and might have been on death sentence. Now,I may be wrong on some of the information on here, due to alck of evidence. I know for a fact though, that this is real, for my ucle is one of the cops who investigated this horrific crime.

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  10. Guys just a heads up - I am going to stop allowing 'anonymous' comments on this review due to the fact that it's all obviously the marketing people. This site is for legit horror movie discussion, not pseudo faux promotion. One or two comments is fine, but its getting out of hand. The REAL fact is that if you Google "James Foley" the only links about a serial killer are just Poughkeepsie (the movie) related sites. Enough is enough.

    BC

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  11. MGM owns the site www.strangerkillers.com - you movie people are so friggin lame you have to make up a fake serial killer site including a phony "James Foley" to drum up interest in your movie?

    I for one will spread the word of your bullcrap viral marketing.


    Domain Name: strangerkillers.com

    Registrar Name: Markmonitor.com
    Registrar Whois: whois.markmonitor.com
    Registrar Homepage: http://www.markmonitor.com

    Administrative Contact:
    Jennifer Goodwin
    (NIC-14700298)
    Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Studios, Inc.
    10250 Constellation Blvd.
    Los Angeles
    CA
    90067

    ReplyDelete
  12. Domain Name: strangerkillers.com

    Registrar Name: Markmonitor.com
    Registrar Whois: whois.markmonitor.com
    Registrar Homepage: http://www.markmonitor.com

    Administrative Contact:
    Jennifer Goodwin
    (NIC-14700298)
    Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Studios, Inc.
    10250 Constellation Blvd.
    Los Angeles
    CA
    90067

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  13. any news on a release date?

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  14. Whoever the last anonymous poster was - nope, no anonymous posts are allowed anymore for this movie per my last comment from Feb of 2008. If you wish to sign in with a username that is linked to an active blog, then I will publish whatever you say. This is a site for movie discussion, not spam or "street team" type promotion.

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  15. i didn't think it was all that at the start of the film, but by the end it was definitely a film that made you think about the horrors that victims of killers go through. i think realism was chilling to the bone to think things like this have and still do happen. i watched this film after the news on t.v. about Jaycee Dugard how was held captive for 18 years, similar to one of the victims in this film. holy shit! but i do agree that the killer could of used a better quality video camera since this was based in the 90's when 8 and hi8 were readily available cheap. if he was using a vhs camera the size of it would have to big to use it as he did, plus the way the cop was explaining how the killer held the camera and killed a victim would at least show it was a smaller video camera. if it was vhsc the killer would have need 800 tape converters and you can't just walk into best buy and buy 800! oh well good anyways!

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  16. So obviously fake, have u seen the vids on YouTube, it's like not even close to convincing me, I did look up kendall and foley, Kendall was legit but didnt keep tapes, foley Just comes up as the Poughkeepsie movie and other fake tapes. Discussion Ended.

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  17. Where can I get this movie from, I want to see it for myself.

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  18. its all bassed on truth, i go for dinner with the killer on the second sunday of the month

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  19. I didn't like this one, I actually found it comedic at times like the corpse or bone examiner or something? He was really poor at acting. And at the end the part were the guy tells us wherever this movie is screened the killer will probably show up was really cheesy. Seemed really out of place for this movie, more suited to a B-movie. Some people actually think it's a parody of CourtTV shows or a critique of them. I think it's a mediocre movie.

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  20. This movie wasn't really based on true events. There was a killer in the poughkeepsie area [I would know, I live near there], but there were no tapes and he got caught.

    I do actually like the movie because I like horror-ish movies. It just gives you a really creepy vibe through-out the whole movie. But yeah, fiction C:

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  21. im really confused on whether this movie is real or fake honestly. It seems real but it seems like a directed movie too. Like it kinda seemed like some of the people we acting. I mean, I think its based on true events. but i dont know. Just seems fake.

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  22. you cant expect a hd camera when it is based on something from like the 70's - 80's. he got sentenced to death so its most likely a while back because you cant get that anymore

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  23. I dunno, if these tapes are fake, then some of the "victims" deserve an Oscar, since they look genuinely terrorized, very disturbing movie though, really had a tough time watching some of it, just about turned it off a few times, sure hope it's fake. The last basement scene was f'n creepy as hell, the way he was moving towards her and her genuine terror made it tough to watch, not to mention the 'injections' looked real too. Surprised this movie didnt get more attention, i just stumbled onto it, i would say it has the same level of creepiness that "silence of the lambs" had when it 1st came out, actually its probably even creepier if you ask me.

    Kind of think it might be fake though, since Cheryl's mom "saw" the killer in broad daylight, and yet when the Foley got convicted, she didnt realize (or didnt tell anyone for that matter) that it wasnt the same guy she saw that day.

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  24. How you describe it, instead of traditional scare it just leaves an atmosphere of creepiness, is what I wanted to do for a found footage movie.

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  25. The 'Sarah Silverman-ish FBI agent' is actually an actress I recognize from Larry the Cable Guy's movie... Health Inspector, I think. His partner.

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  26. Doesn't this break your 'no illegitimate copies' rule?

    In any case, despite this films still-unreleased (6 years later!) state, everyone I know seems to have seen it...

    I really enjoyed it, but as you say; the acting in some if the documentary style segments really let it down.

    Regards the idea in comments that you'd need 800 adapters for 800 tapes... You could copy those things onto regular size tapes you know‽

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  27. will someone just tell the fukng truth or we are all due a visit from this chap.can I have the mask.i do just love that cute little nose.who.ask yourself this.why didn't th cookie kids say"hey mister whats that camera for"...im very disappointed over this.it just goes to show.i betted two acres of my land that it was the real deal wich was a bit out of order as I only owned one acre,the other belongs to my neighbour.he,s not talking to me now.we are though building bridges now.but again what a cute little snout

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