Cropsey: Documentary

Cropsey is a 2009 American documentary film was written and directed by Joshua Zeman and Barbara Brancaccio. The film initially begins as an examination of "Cropsey", a boogeyman-like figure from New York City urban legend, before segueing into the story of Andre Rand, a convicted child kidnapper from Staten Island.

In 2009, Cropsey premiered at the Tribeca Film Festival, where programmer David Kwok stated; “the eeriness of the mystery pulsates through the film as they journey into the underbelly… as more information and clues unravel, Zeman and Brancaccio become more immersed in shocking surprises and revelations. The reality they uncover in this uniquely hair-raising documentary is more terrifying than any urban legend.”

Production

Upon shooting their research of the origins of the missing kids’ stories, Zeman and Brancaccio realized the truth did not dwindle into something concrete; instead, it expanded into something larger and convoluted, becoming an in-depth investigation of five missing children’s stories. The objective was to bring the distinct elements into one overarching narrative: the oral tradition of urban legends; the mystery of the missing children; the courtroom drama; the search for the roots of Staten Island’s obsession with the case, the community’s need for catharsis.

When filming began, Zeman and Brancaccio sent Andre Rand a letter. After not receiving a response for approximately a month, they decided to visit him directly at Rikers Island. On the day they were going to Rikers, they received the reply. After a series of letter exchanges, Rand agreed to an interview. However, by the time the filmmakers arrived at the prison, Rand had changed his mind and declined.

Andre Rand’s court case did not start until four years after his indictment, which was one of the longest pre-trial motions in New York State history. The culmination of the film alludes to indicting Rand, which became controversial.

Reception

On review aggregator Rotten Tomatoes, Cropsey holds an approval rating of 91%, based on 44 reviews, and an average rating of 7.2/10. Its consensus reads, "Riveting and bone-chillingly creepy, Cropsey manages to be one of the best documentaries and one of the best horror movies of the year."  On Metacritic, the film has a weighted average score of 73 out of 100, based on 14 critics, indicating "generally favorable reviews".

Film critic Roger Ebert gave the film three out of four stars, writing, "Cropsey is a creepy documentary with all the elements of a horror film about a demented serial killer, and an extra ingredient: This one is real."  Jeannette Catsoulis of The New York Times called it "Disturbing and flavorful", praising the film's use of archival footage, interviews, and "true-crime narrative".   Noel Murray from The A.V. Club wrote, "Cropsey is compelling as a meditation on how we use stories to explain the inconceivable, and how if no story is handy, we take the available clues and make one up."   J.R. Jones from The Chicago Reader praised the film as "disturbing", and praised the filmmakers exploration behind the real-life inspiration behind the urban legend.  Cynthia Fuches of PopMatters rated the film seven out of ten stars, offering the film similar praise as well is its storytelling and investigation aspects.

The film was not without its detractors. Slant Magazine's Nick Schager awarded the film two out of four stars, writing, "Zeman’s portentous, trailer-ready narration and the film’s correspondingly manipulative horror-film aesthetics and fondness for creepy suggestions over-vigorous journalism, typified by a wannabe-Zodiac “You decide!” ending, turns what might have been a portrait of the boogeyman myth’s lingering societal role into merely a crude episode of 48 Hours."

Awards and nominations

Hammer to Nail: 2009 Tribeca’s Grand Jury Prize

IndieWIRE’s 2009 Best Undistributed Film list, Annual Critics Survey

Closing Night Film, SF Documentary Festival

Audience Award Winner, Staten Island Film Festival