The Poughkeepsie Tapes (2007)

Alright, so despite my best judgment, I've been on something of a found footage kick recently, inspired by the recent re-release of cult film The Last Broadcast and its wild twist ending. It's got me thinking back on great found footage horror films I've stumbled across before, and searching for new ones to add to the pile. The Poughkeepsie Tapes was one that immediately sounded interesting, given that I have enjoyed my fair share of true crime books and serial killer documentaries over the years. Its shadowy release history certainly stood out as well, with it having been pulled from the release schedule just before it was supposed to make its debut. The Shout! Factory Blu-ray that I watched is actually the first time the film has gotten a wider release, and it comes almost exactly ten years after the day it was originally supposed to arrive. Sounds interesting, right? Was MGM trying to keep the lid on this thing for any specific reason? Or could this be something far more mundane? Either way, we've never gotten clarification and I begin to doubt if we ever will.

The Poughkeepsie Tapes is the feature film debut of on John Erick Dowdle, a filmmaker who would go on to dabble in this genre a few more times before seemingly disappearing off the face of the earth: Quarantine, As Above, So Below, that weird Devil film set in the elevator and based on a story 'idea' by M. Night Shyamalan? Yeah, that was this guy, and two of those films are obvious examples of the found footage subgenre, so it's safe to say this man has something of a forte, even if the divisive nature of his work doesnn't leave me with the highest expectations in the world.

The premise for this film is simple if intriguing for those well-versed in true crime: it's been years since the "Water Street Butcher" wreaked havoc all across the greater Poughkeepsie area, leaving wounds that will likely never heal. Sure, they nabbed the bastard who did it and saw him sit on the electric chair for his crimes, but no one is left feeling any easier in the aftermath of this horrible ordeal. Only, it's about to get far worse. You see, the murdering and mutilation have started up again, indicating that the man they executed was likely innocent, and a trail of clues left by the killer leads law enforcement to a treasure trove of home movies the real killer made over the course of his killing spree. By analyzing the content of these disturbing snuff tapes, detectives hope they can learn more about this elusive killer and finally end his reign of terror for good.

We experience his "rise" if you will, from amateur child abductor to a chameleon-like chess master who plays the cops and everyone in their jurisdiction like a damn fiddle, over the course of these disturbing home recordings. As you might imagine, this includes lots of rather off-putting stuff: there is gruesome violence, cold-blooded torture, innocents begging for their lives in dirty, dingey prisons, rape, psychological torment, sadomasochism, you name it. Those well-versed in serial killer films will find none of this particularly new, though it's undeniably effective. Ever wonder where the inspiration for RedLetterMedia's old Plinkett sketches came from? The ones where Plinkett kidnapped women and forced them to watch awful films with him? Well, I'd bet with almost a hundred percent certainty that it started with The Poughkeepsie Tapes. 

We spend a lot of time getting intimate with this psychopathic, terrifying individual as he conducts his awful experiments and games with various unlucky men, women, and children. We linger on each gruesome moment and are left to stew in the sheer horribleness of such a bleak situation. But yet, we never really get a grasp on who our villain-protagonist is and why they do what they do. His whole thing is that he can evade the cops so easily because he flies in the face of everything criminal psychology tells us. The man meticulously affects different styles of serial killing, be it the messy, sexual kind, the artsy type, or the spontaneous, impulsive style. This means it takes law enforcement a long time to figure out that these killings are all originating with the same psycho, and it especially makes it hard to predict his next move. He's an intimidating villain for sure, and while you expect at any moment the film to delve more into his psychology, it never does, besides various small hints of some greater psychological hangup. 

The antagonist is made all the more effective thanks to the film's feigned authenticity. This is one of the more convincing mockumentaries around, and if you weren't very attuned to some of its dark humorous touches and the legalities surrounding releasing footage of real people being murdered, you could easily buy into it and have trouble sleeping for some time after. This is some really twisted shit, it must be said again and again. There's not a lot of plot to get in the way of the grotesque serial killings, nor much subtext. It's just disturbing vignette after disturbing vignette, ending with the most disturbing one of all: the complete ruining of a woman's psyche, which ultimately drives her to end her own life. And that's just after he uses the justice system to take the life of an innocent man through falsified evidence. They really take the concept to its conclusion.

It's too bad, then, that the whole thing seems to be missing a little something. As a narrative, the premise never really develops beyond "Look at this twisted shit." No big developments occur at the end, though it does at least end on a rather disturbing note even if it is subtler than expected. And you know, if they wanted to make a ballsy film that would actually scare audiences, they kind of had to end things with "He's still out there, somewhere..." They pulled it off especially well too, with its parting words implying that those watching this in theaters ought to look over their shoulders because the killer just might be in the theater watching it right next to them. It's good fun and combined with the film's streak of vicious pitch-black comedy, it leaves you with a good feeling, despite the lack of any exciting climax to the film and its short running time.

Technically, the film is very believable for the most part. When we see the evening news, it looks real enough. Talking head interviews look great, and the locations they are in appear as they should. The only thing that really bothered me, and it's absolutely a nitpick, but I really despised the fake video distortion and aging. I get it: you think the video sputtering and seemingly trying to kill itself while such disturbing material plays out is chilling, aka it's a found footage cliche, but whatever: you want to do it, end of story. Fine, but maybe figure out some other way of pretending to distort the video other than doing the weird rainbow colorization effect and introducing digital ripples. For most people, this won't be a problem, and I'm usually not the one to be put out by slight exaggerations of reality, but I did find it kind of unimaginative and over-the-top. It seemed to only be there because other things have done it before, even though the best found-footage film of all time, The Blair Witch Project, never tried anything so on the nose, and was a thousand times more believable as a result.

Oh and whose idea was the static transitions that are so loud? They're obviously intended to work as a constant source of jump scares, even noticeably becoming louder at certain points in the film, but I just found them annoying and immediately off-putting. The film was plenty disturbing without such a cheesy, amateuriah touch.

So enough nitpicking: was The Poughkeepsie Tapes a standout in this crowded subgenre of found footage horror films? I would say yes, provided you have the stomach for the shocking subject matter that's explored. Those expecting an intricate plot that only gets more intricate and action-packed as the film goes on are in for a disappointment, as the film is really more of a sustained act of suspense and utter dread that goes on for a merciful 85 minutes or so and which leaves us with a frightening ending more than a satisfying one. Still, I was not exactly disappointed, even if I was left wanting more to hang on to as the film concluded.