Cropsey (2009) **** (out of 4) Excellent documentary from filmmakers Joshua Zeman and Barbara Brancaccio, two people who grew up hearing stories of Cropsey, a killer of children living up in Staten Island, New York. Through the documentary we hear how various children were told different stories of who exactly Cropsey was but then we get to a drifter named Andre Rand who many believed killed at least five children in the area. Throughout the documentary we hear about the urban legend that stalked the people of this town and we learn about the little evidence that got Rand convicted and how perhaps the legends are what got him found guilty and not the actual case against him. CROPSEY came to my attention as a horror movie fan because I had heard that both MADMAN and THE BURNING were based around this case. Both of those slashers took a lot of liberties with the actual story and that's what makes this documentary so interesting because it really does seem as if the two filmmakers wanted to get the truth and not just paint a picture of a monster. The directors try to paint an open and honest look at the case and by the time the picture is over you really don't know what to believe in regards to Rand's guilt. There are moments where you feel this guy is a monster and he must have committed the crimes but then a minute later you realize that there's really nothing connecting him to the crimes and there are even more mysterious circumstances around the case. As someone who had never really heard of the cases, I found it really interesting seeing the news clips from back when the crimes were committed as well as hearing from those who actually searched for the children. Out of the five victims only one's body was recovered and how it was uncovered was a little suspicious to say the least. The documentary also gets quite a few interviews with those who were connected to the case, those who searched for the body as well as a possible witness who is the most questionable person in the entire film. CROPSEY is certainly a very entertaining documentary taking a look at the connection between an urban legend and the truth.

This film held my interest, and was solidly creepy in terms of the atmosphere it created. Unfortunately, it hovers in the uncomfortable space between a documentary and a fictitious film.Cropsey tells the stories of five children, many of them developmentally disabled, who disappeared from Staten Island in the late 70s and 80s. While the remains of one were found, the others remain missing until this day.The movie makers attempt to uncover a seedy and tragic underbelly of Staten Island, revealing its past in the form of unsanitary and inhumane mental institutions, such as the notorious Willowbrook Institute, and suggest that the abandoned patients had formed an underground society of sorts beneath the foundations of an abandoned building (which may or may not even be Willowbrook). It is suggested that these people are connected with the disappearances of the children, though no exact evidence is given. It seems these people, who are never seen (except in footage from a Geraldo Rivera expose) but only talked about, serve as scapegoats and freaks for the filmmakers and viewers alike, and this discrimination is ultimately one of the more chilling aspects to the film. There are some references made to the tragedy of the sub-human conditions in which these patients were forced to live, but the film keeps coming back to the idea that the mentally ill are somehow people to be feared.There's also the obligatory mention made of a "Satanic cult," but that subplot never really goes anywhere. The main suspect, one Andre Rand, who has been in prison for these crimes without, it seems, solid evidence other than his weirdness, is an easy villain, and while some of the people interviewed are not willing to believe his guilt, many are, including, it seems, the filmmakers.Overall, Cropsey does little to uncover any truth about the legends or the missing children. To its credit, the film owns up to this in the end, saying that urban legends, with their manifold versions, are not things that can easily be determined as true or untrue. The film stays exactly in the place it started, offering little breakthroughs or even possibilities. The belief in Rand's guilt seems present from the outset, and little is done to explore any alternatives.The one good thing this film does, perhaps unintentionally, is bring to light the mob mentality and the simultaneous repulsion to and interest in the sensationalism of the crimes seen in the Staten Island locals. Interviews with them show a shocking lack of critical thought on the matter, and a willingness to believe the most "us-vs-them" version of possible events.I'd recommend this movie, but caution viewers not to take it literally, and to actively think about what they are being shown.

Children's goes missing, police catch a guy, who obviously have mental issues and looks bit "funny", get him to jail for kidnapping with very little evidence, for the next 20 years.Add a lot of white trash religious bigotry, some religious nutcase who wont to talk in front of the camera because she believes that satanists could harm her, some retired policemen and DA who have absolutely no problem charging people with no proof whatsoever and the list goes on.I don't know, and nobody knows if the suspect was guilty or not, but what about the presumption of innocence if there is not enough proof ?? This documentary reminds me of another one called "Murder on a Sunday Morning", an excellent doc about some black guy who was unlucky enough to be at the wrong place at the wrong time

As most of us growing up were told by (some,'tho thankfully not all) parents & older siblings/peers..."the bogyman will get you if you don't watch out",just to scare the living crap out of us. In Staten Island,New York,a real life bogyman was apparently doing so. Between 1972 to 1987,several children went missing in the area of Willowbrook State School for the mentally disabled. The prime suspect was one Andre Rand,a former inmate at Willowbrook in the 1950's,and who would be found creeping around the abandoned building. Andre Rand was eventually captured,put on trial & convicted for several grisly murders. Cropsey (Rand's nick name)attempts to try & make some sort of sense out of what could have happened (and makes attempts to try & clear Rand's name). Did Andre Rand commit all of those gruesome murders,or is he (Rand) just being used as some kind of scapegoat to pacify the community of Staten Island? Life long Staten Island residents,Joshua Zeman & Barbara Brancaccio direct this riveting documentary,from a scenario conceived by Zeman. Cinematography is by Chad Davidson & edited by Tom Patterson. Not rated by the MPAA,this film contains some truly disturbing images & testimony that will haunt you for a long time after,as well as a bit of rough language. Not a good choice for children.