A great documentary only needs one thing to be successful. It needs to have a hook, a story that is worth filming and worth sitting through long periods of shaky camera work and muddled dialogue. Fantastic editing and copious amounts of background work can are feathers a great documentary can stick in its cap but if there's no hook then there's no real point.
Description:Realizing the urban legend of their youth has actually come true, two filmmakers delve into the mystery behind five missing children and the real—life boogeyman linked to their disappearance in their hometown of Staten Island, New York. Growing up on Staten Island, filmmakers Joshua Zeman and Barbara Brancaccio had often heard the lRealizing the urban legend of their youth has actually come true, two filmmakers delve into the mystery behind five missing children and the real—life boogeyman linked to their disappearance in their hometown of Staten Island, New York. Growing up on Staten Island, filmmakers Joshua Zeman and Barbara Brancaccio had often heard the legend of ‘Cropsey.’ For the kids in their neighborhood, Cropsey was the escaped mental patient who lived in the old abandoned Willowbrook Mental Institution, who would come out late at night and snatch children off the streets. Sometimes Cropsey had a hook for a hand, other times he wielded a bloody axe, but it didn’t matter, Cropsey was always out there, lurking in the shadows, waiting to get them. Later as teenagers, the filmmakers assumed Cropsey was just an urban legend: a cautionary tale used to keep them out of those abandoned buildings and stop them from doing all those things that teenagers like to do. That all changed in the summer of 1987 when a 13—year—old girl with Down syndrome, named Jennifer Schweiger, disappeared from their community. That was the summer all the kids from Staten Island discovered that their urban legend was real. Now as adults Joshua and Barbara have returned to Staten Island to create Cropsey, a feature documentary that delves into the mystery behind Jennifer and four additional missing children. The film also investigates Andre Rand, the real—life boogeyman linked to their disappearances. Embarking on a mysterious journey into the underbelly of their forgotten borough, these filmmakers uncover a reality that is more terrifying than any urban legend.... (more)(less)
"A doc framed around an urban legend, a horrible asylum, and a serial killer. Shows you how we don't need to make up monsters because they are already on Earth and are human. This also feels very personal as the filmmakers are natives to the area so it feels authentic. Never heard of this real life story but it definitely gets you and leaves you with questions and uneasy answers.
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"Realizing the urban legend of their youth has actually come true; two filmmakers delve into the mystery surrounding five missing children and the real-life boogeyman linked to their disappearances.
This is interesting and at times plain creepy yet fails somewhat in terms of linking in facts and real truths.
The crimes that formed the basis of the 'urban legend' I wanted to learn more about but the documentary couldn't really offer anything substantial. "
"Ostensibly about an urban legend, this doc ends up focusing on a series of child disappearances and the man the community pinned the blame on. Reminds me a bit of Errol Morris' docs, but then, that's a bad thing because most of what Morris does is better than this..."
“A great documentary only needs one thing to be successful. It needs to have a hook, a story that is worth filming and worth sitting through long periods of shaky camera work and muddled dialogue. Fantastic editing and copious amounts of background work can are feathers a great documentary can stick in its cap but if there's no hook then there's no real point.
Cropsey, regrettably, falls into a sort of gray area. The film technique here is wonderful - the opening menus and contextual interludes look great - and the filmmakers effectively utilize first and third person sources in telling their selected story. The problem is the story itself. On paper Cropsey sounds intriguing. It promises to explore the dark, dirty secrets of Staten Island as it uncovers the truth behind a ” read more
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