The Poughkeepsie Tapes (2007)
Directed by John Erick Dowdle
Very few times in my life have I watched movies that really get under my skin. A few off the top of my head are A Serbian Film (yikes), Paranormal Activity, and Insidious. For whatever reason those movies stuck with me. The Poughkeepsie Tapes is a movie that belongs on that list, here’s why.
The Poughkeepsie Tapes is a mockumentary detailing an abandoned house in Poughkeepsie, New York where a murder investigation discovers hundreds of tapes showing decades of a serial killer’s work. There are some super unsettling scenes ranging in crudeness. We get some weird balloon fetish stuff to straight up gruesome murders. Each tape shown seems to be more skin crawling than the last. Everything is presented as a true act, and a real documentary which only adds to the unease.
The acting is pretty damn good. Granted this is a bunch of money shots stitched together with a documentary narrative but the scenes are very real feeling and the unease you feel will stick with you afterwards. If you are into true crime this fits right into that area, but everything is made for the movie. If they showed this and claimed it all to be real, I would’ve believed it. It echoes many tropes of other famous serial killers such as Bundy and BTK. This was my second viewing of the movie and it still made an impact on me.
Special effects for this movie kind of take a back seat, they aren’t the point and they don’t need to be. This movie relies heavily on atmosphere and the disturbing nature of the tapes “found”. It is an admirable way to present found footage, which is a genre that has been beaten to death. Similar in the way of Cannibal Holocaust I suppose.
If you are into true crime, or disturbing and impactful movies then this is for you. If you are squeamish or easy scarred by such things then definitely steer clear. The Poughkeepsie Tapes is done really well and I appreciate the things it attempts and accomplishes. I give it an A-, it is really disturbing but that also hinders its rewatchability.
31 Horror Movies 