“The Poughkeepsie Tapes” fails at whatever it was trying to do.
I guess horror, but I’m not exactly sure. This indie flop premiered at the 2007 Tribeca Film Festival, but took a decade to finally reach viewers in 2017. Lucky us. Written, produced, and directed by the Dowdle brothers, John Erick and Drew, its 86 minutes that you’ll never get back.
The idea could be considered fresh. The story is told as a blend of found footage and mockumentary styled interviews. The police have discovered a burial ground of victims from the serial killer known as the “Water Street Butcher” (creative, guys). Said serial killer videotaped his crimes. The movie is revealed as a series of law enforcement, media, and family member interviews, interlaced with the “actual” footage of the crimes.
What seems a promising premise quickly devolves into complete trash. I won’t pretend to like so-called torture porn movies. I can stomach gruesome imagery if it’s done with a purpose. Films like “Saw” are okay to watch. That is, the original. The two dozen sequels are total garbage.
With “The Poughkeepsie Tapes” we get failed attempts at being shocking. The acting on all fronts is abhorrent, and completely removes any shred of this being authentic. Even the interactions between the killer and his victims are clumsy at best. Lines are delivered like drama school dropouts. I won’t list any of the cast members here. You won’t recognize a single name. None of the stars are noteworthy, and you’ll never hear from any of them in a meaningful way ever again.
That brings us to the Brothers’ Dowdle.
The filmmaking itself is lousy.
I can accept the idea that the killer recorded everything he did. The tracking on the supposedly decades old VHS tapes is distractingly bad. It’s as if the Brothers’ thought making it grainy would be cool and genuine, then overdid it to the point of distraction. And the abrasive noise that blasted every time the story cut from the tapes to the real world was obnoxious at best.
“The Poughkeepsie Tapes” sucks. If you’re interested in serial killer documentaries, there are plenty of available options and most are excellent. With one month to go before October, remove any ideas of watching this junk.
“The Poughkeepsie Tapes” is available to stream on Amazon Prime.
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