Cropsey ~ Film Review
When analyzing horror, it’s important to realize the stories' implications and inspirations portrayed on screen. There is a beginning with every stroke of genius, and for many of the horror films we watch, it is a local legend or folklore that sets the stage for horror. Cropsey is a documentary film that has the ability to make horror seem real, which is unique for this genre. In flashy studio productions, scares and frights present themselves around corners or under beds, but I wonder if that is how they really occur in real life? What Cropsey does so brilliantly is it analyzes the roots of a horrifying time period in Staten Island, where what we usually only see in the films we watch is playing out in real life with real-world consequences.
Joshua Zeman and Barbara Brancaccio investigate their youth and the relationship between legend and facts to understand their childhood. There were always rumors of a “boogeyman” in the area. Still, the coincidences between this folklore and the numerous missing children abducted from the area create a stirring tale that asks the viewer to pick their own horrifying truths. Was the man that was arrested, Andre Rand, really the man that abducted all these children? If he did, then why? Were other people involved? All of these questions are analyzed and pull the viewer in a million different directions.
When watching so many horror movies, it is important to put…
