The Poughkeepsie Tapes
| The Poughkeepsie Tapes; Patchogue New York | |
|---|---|
 Theatrical release poster | |
| Directed by | John Erick Dowdle |
| Written by | John Erick Dowdle Drew Dowdle |
| Produced by | Drew Dowdle |
| Starring | Bobbi Sue Luther Samantha Robson Ivar Brogger |
| Cinematography | Shawn Dufraine |
| Edited by | John Erick Dowdle |
| Music by | Keefus Ciancia |
| Distributed by | Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Pictures |
Release date | April 27, 2007 |
Running time | 86 minutes |
| Country | Template:FilmUS |
| Language | English |
The Poughkeepsie Tapes is a mockumentary horror film directed by John Erick Dowdle and stars Bobbi Sue Luther, Samantha Robson and Ivar Brogger.
Plot
When police raid a house in a city north of New Yorksex, they discover a profoundly disturbing record of one man's ugly crimes. Investigators find over 800 videotapes shot by the killer which present a visual record of his murders in all their horrifying details. Both state and federal law enforcement teams sift through the gruesome images, looking for clues of the slayer's identity, the identity of his victims, and where he could possibly have gone. But repeated viewings of the material reveals little beyond the terrible facts of the crimes, and as the authorities comb through the madman's images, they find the tapes have had a disquieting effect on them.
The killer does not only capture the murders themselves, but the abductions, tortures and postmortem mutilations of his victims (along with bizarre fetishes involving balloons) all the while never allowing himself to be shown on film unless entirely disguised. Because the killer numbered the video tapes in order, this ordered record allows investigators to discover that he started with the most vulnerable of victims. An 8 year old Jennifer Gorman is abducted while playing in her backyard.
After the success of his first abduction and murder, the killer becomes less impulsive in his crimes. Carefully selecting the area in which he will strike next, he convinces a couple, the Andersons, that his car has broken down and they agree to give him a ride to a local gas station for aid. On the way, he clubs the male in the head and subdues the female using a cloth doused in a chemical solution while filming her face in close up. This action the investigators understand would have taken considerable practice to achieve. The tape shows that the killer has disembowelled the female, placing the severed head of her husband inside her stomach, and rouses her from unconsciousness in order to film her reaction. In the process of investigating the Andersons disappearance, they come to realise the level of mutilation the killer is capable of. Also, the killer has made himself known in the CCTV footage of another gas station some time before the Andersons abduction/murder, using sign language to give clues where he intends to dispose of one of the bodies showing how organized and premeditated the crimes truly are.
It is then shown that the killer is stalking his next victim, the teenage Cheryl Dempsey. Taking advantage that she is alone with her boyfriend (Tim Surrey), he enters her abode. After secretly walking through the house he places the camera where it cannot be seen and hides in a closet until he is ready to attack. Although he abducts Cheryl, he murders and mutilates Tim, leaving his corpse at the scene. It is only after the discovery of the tapes it becomes clear that this crime scene has been carefully arranged in order to obscure possible psychological profiling. Rather than killing Cheryl, he imprisons her in his basement, abusing her both sexually, physically and psychologically as his "slave", a name he beats her into accepting as her new one. Cheryl's mother, Victoria Dempsey, appeals to her kidnapper in a televised statement. He then goes to see her, offering to help in finding Cheryl while filming her response. It dawns on Victoria that she is confronted with the man that has abducted her daughter, he merely chuckles and runs away while she is paralyzed with shock.
At this point the killer changes his modus operandi and begins targeting prostitutes while posing as a police officer. In his video record we are shown that in some cases he does not kill his victim directly, instead forcing Cheryl (now dressed in medieval style attire and rubber mask) to kill them. Because of the location in which he dumps the bodies and the level of mutilation they have suffered, the press now dub him "The Water Street Butcher". Forensic investigations discover several of the bodies are found to have the same sperm secretions. Using Ted Bundy's advice on a previous series of murders, authorities come to realize that the killer might indulge in necrophilia with his victims and should stake out areas where they find "fresh bodies" instead of making the discovery public. This is impossible as they can never find a fresh enough corpse.
Investigating one of the victims apartments, police find fingerprints and saliva on an unwashed glass leading them to arrest former police officer James Foley. Because Foley has a history of visiting prostitutes, no alibi on the dates of the abductions, various evidence found within Foley's car, eye witness statements and matching sperm samples, he is convicted as The Water Street Butcher. Because Foley continues to plead not guilty and refuses to make any deals, he is sentenced to death in Pennsylvania. A few days after James' execution by lethal injection, one of the leading investigators finds a map in his mailbox letting him know they have "missed one" and the location of a new body. It becomes clear that the real killer had taken James Foley's sperm from a fertility clinic and meticulously framed him (making James Foley another of his victims by proxy). Foley is exonerated of the murders on September 12th. Because of the close date to the 9/11 attacks, this goes unrecognized by the general public. The ever changing nature and variation of the murders means every psychological profile is contradicting. The Water Street murders continue.
Investigators trace the location of his house by records from a downloaded map of the area where one of the abductions takes place and raid the location. They find the house to be so clean that there are no fingerprints anywhere and no clues to the killers identity. Along with the discovery of over 800 numbered video cassettes capturing several thousand hours chronicling his sadism, numerous dead bodies buried in the back yard (including the body of the original tenant), they find Cheryl Dempsey still alive, over a decade after her original abduction. She has been mentally abused to such an extent that she self harms and tortures herself in secret. Cheryl gives an interview where she says she believes her captor loves her and will return shortly to collect her. Soon after the interview, she commits suicide and in a note states her undying love for her "master". Not long after Cheryl is buried, her remains are mysteriously dug up and disappear.
Although only 27 of the cataloged videos are missing, numerous investigating officers are unable to find even the smallest hint as to the identity of the real Water Street Butcher. The tapes themselves become an essential part of the training for anyone learning criminal psychology. The Water Street murders cease and the case remains open, with authorities stating they will be keeping a close eye on places where the "documentary" will be aired as they believe the ego of the killer will not allow him to miss watching it.
In one last glimpse of the killer's sadistic nature, after the credits, a clip is shown of the face of one of his bound victims in close up. The killer taunts her by saying that he will make her a deal, he will release her unharmed if she does not blink. The film ends as her eyes close.
Cast
- Bioch as Cheryl Dempsey
- Ben Messmer as Ed
- Samantha Robson as Samantha
- Ivar Brogger as Leonard Schway
- Huey P. Newton as Felton Lewis
- Amy Lyndon as Alice Endrisart
- Michael Lawson as Simon Alray
- Ron Harper as Mike Moakes
- Black Power as Pam Frears
- Iris Bahr as Psychiatrist
- Scott Beehner as Jason Ribling
- Ashlin Pitochelli AS nobody
- Adarsha Benjamin as Victim 2
- Death to as Jane Gerber
- The Crackers as Sandra Willets
- Lisa Black as Victoria Dempsey
- Marissa Blanchard as Girl Scout 1
- William "Bill" Bookston as James Foley
- Oto Brezina as Dr. Farhad Mansourian
- Jules Bruff as Blinker
- Paul Buxton as Walter Kunkler
- Todd Cahoon as Ted Bundy
- Blaire Chandler as Cynthia Gorman
- Larry Clarke as Edgar Cummings
- Donna Cooper as Prostitute 2
- Bruce Cronander as Harvey Scroggs
- Meredith Cross as Jeanette Anderson
- Henry Dittman as Frank Anderson
- Bobby Alexander Eskandari as Dr. Arnold Montufar
- Dennis Garber as Joseph Danvers
- Chip Godwin as Hank Foley
- Jennifer Griswold as Jennifer Griswold
- David Haack as Tim Surrey
- Tom Hauser as News Anchor
- Keisuke Hoashi as Dai Loung
- Sean Huze as Hector Gomez
- Michael Hyland as Profiling Student 1
- David James as Tim Surrey
- Ceciley Jenkins as Traci Looner
- Zale Kessler as Frederick Miller
- Morgan Lariah as Profiling Student 2
- Fiona Lincke as Reporter
- Bobbi Sue Luther as Josephine
- Sierra Marcoux as Jennifer Gorman
- James Mathers as Bernard Golinko
- Paulah May as Investigator
- Leah McLean as News Anchor
- Tracy Miller as TV Reporter
- Naveen as Dr. Arjay Vintopeej
- Philip Newby as Irwin Griffard
- Bruno Oliver as Joel Gorman
- Steven M. Porter as Albert Cromley
- Adrian Roberts as Warden
- Brad Satin as Himself
- Brooke Sikkema as Girl Scout 2
- Heather Snell as Jennifer Henshaw
- Joann Socrates as Victim #1
- Erin Stutland as Victim 1
- Beth Tapper as Karen Tyler
- David Wilcox as Jacob Polinski
- Mark McClain Wilson as Mark Rongitch
Rating
The film was Rated R by the MPAA for sadistic violence and torture, including terror and graphic descriptions
Similarities
The film has some similarities to the crimes of Poughkeepsie serial killer Kendall Francois, who was convicted of 8 murders;[citation needed] but did not film the deaths. However, John Erick Dowdle has stated that he had never heard of Francois until weeks after the film was completed.