Cropsey (2009, Review) Vicious Circle Films

Director: Joshua Zeman and Barbara Brancaccio

Breaking Glass Pictures

Joshua Zeman’s documentary on the urban-legendary kiddie killer “Cropsey” is about as unsettling as documentaries get. It’s an interesting watch on many levels and caters to an array of viewers—from the die-hard horror fan (such as myself), to the history buff, the aficionados of true crime, and the group of happy campers looking for a good old-fashioned scary story to listen to around the campfire.

Zeman and co-director Barbara Brancaccio explore the evolution of the American urban legend—one that has shaped horror films for decades, from the screen adaptation of Clive Barker’s Candyman, to the underrated (and one of my personal favourite) 80s summer camp slasher flicks, The Burning. They explain the origin of the sometimes hook-handed or axe-wielding psychotic real-life child murdered known as Cropsey. And they do so in such an intricately detailed fashion that you have no other choice but to praise how much work was put into the film.

The film opens with Zeman exploring the grounds surrounding the dilapidated remains of the Willowbrooke mental institution in Staten Island, New York where the real life Cropsey was said to have initially escaped from. If you dig old, creepy buildings, you’re in for a real treat. The filmmakers managed to dig up photos of the facility while it was still up & running, deeply disturbing images of young mental patients living in their own filth. It’s a tragic thing that Willowbrooke was closed down and its patients were left to fend for themselves on the streets. It is said that many of them returned to the building that was so familiar to them, hiding within the walls and tunnels that ran underneath the foundation. Perhaps some of them even died in the only place they could call home.

It’s impressive how determined these two filmmakers were to make this film and make it right. I can only imagine how many hours went into digging up all of the footage surrounding the Willowbrooke Institution, the missing children and Andre Rand, the man who was convicted in connection with the murder of 12-year-old Jennifer Schweiger—the first of the children to go missing, and the first to be discovered as a murder victim.

What real-life footage wasn’t found was replaced with staged scenes that could easily be mistaken for more of the authentic material. Not only did the legend of the Cropsey killer and the debate of whether he actually existed impact Zeman and Brancaccio in such a way that they felt deeply compelled to make the documentary, but it also affected many of Staten Island’s residents over the decades since Jennifer Schweiger and four other children went missing. Zeman documents his encounters with teenagers who roam the woods surrounding Willowbrooke late at night, in search of a good scare. These are the children who were lucky enough to have avoided abduction by Andre Rand aka Cropsey. The truth is in the eye of the beholder.

The second half of the film gets into the criminal investigation of Rand, letters that were exchanged during the period that the filmmakers attempted to arrange an interview with the “real-life boogeyman”, information regarding the court proceedings, and more interviews with Staten Island residents. Particularly striking are the interviews with family members of the children who were abducted, some of whom were proven to have been murdered. I couldn’t distinguish between the staged footage and the real stuff, but as I mentioned above, it is all so believable.

Roughly about an hour in, the film really starts to drag in scenes that focus primarily on the investigation and the correspondence with Rand. It’s hard to say whether cutting some of these scenes down would have benefited the overall product or deprived it of some of its essence. I have a keen interest in real crime cases and the killers and psychopaths who have plagued society throughout history, but I found my interest in the film dwindling during these lengthier scenes.

By the time the end credits rolled I felt an overall sense of unease, knowing that there are real life Cropsey killers all over the world, abducting and murdering not only children but innocent victims of all ages. It could be anyone at any given time, as the Jeff Dahmers, John Gacys and Richard Ramirez’ have taught us. One thing is for certain, I’ll be a bit more cautious when I’m walking somewhere alone at night. And if I ever have children of my own, I will never let them out of my sight.

Lacey Paige

Lacey is a recent journalism school graduate and freelance writer for various print and web publications. She is a horror culturist, DVD collector and enthusiast of independent-underground film and music. She is a contributing writer for Cinesploitation, Absolute Underground, Fangoria, Cinema Head Cheese and the West Edmonton Local.

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