That scene with the brunette who mistakes Ed for a cop really stuck with me too... the slow realization, anxiety, denial and then panic and utter terror of what she sees is in store for her was disturbing as hell to me. Hearing her crying and screaming for help as she sees another women's mutilated corpse, knowing there's no escape, REALLY got to me. And while I agree that Ed's outfit and all-fours walk during her death scene was pretty goofy, seeing her sobbing and building anxiety as she knows her time is coming was gut-wrenching. Her reaction was just so...primal. And VERY authentic... 😳
I see you made a SUPER FREAKING LONG video on Terrifier, now this. Girl I had no other choice but to subscribe. I'm leaving the Terrifier video for other time as I didn't finish watching but I'm getting into this one right now
Wow, how has this video only gained less than a 1000 views? I'd figure this would have tens of thousands of views, even hundreds of thousands. This is a very well-created and structured video, and was incredibly thought provoking and fascinating to watch. I look forward to seeing your channel grow to the heights it deserves.
I love all of your commentary videos, but I loved this one in particular because I 100% agree with the point you ended on. It's too easy for people to forget that the victims in true crime videos were real people who suffered real, horrible fates, and aren't just spooky stories to turn on as background noise. Great stuff as usual!
36:18 I've been fighting this for awhile but this one broke me. This movie is a collection of serial killer cases, real ones. Missing people these days? Yes, we have Amber alerts and every missing child is treated as an abduction but the past? The past was the worst "We'd could do something but they're probably just a runaway." "But the blood!" "Eh." You actually made me look it up, Amber alerts started mid 90s. And police didn't talk to one another back then and if a cop was acting stilted while talking about a serial killer... chances are he's not the killer but it did happen, yeah. The reason the Poughkeepsie killer is so random is because he's made of real examples of different killers with different kinks with the names removed. Example: That bit the with "Actor" on tape. If that was a clown, could you guess where that came from?
I agree with the "killer made the documentary" theory. To me - that is the whole point of the film. Like you mention it seems to highlight the pain of the victims. I never thought about the missing tapes lining up with about how many "found footage" tapes that are shown. It even gets sort of meta because this film was actually never shown in theaters - seemingly because of how disturbing it is. The killer not only honed his killing skills throughout his spree - he also honed his directing and filming skills. This documentary is his magnum opus - and was the plan all along. To make a disgusting film that glorifies himself and his "work". That's also why he left all those tapes and led the cops to that house with Cheryl. That was the trigger for the documentary to exist. Cheryl's mom not recognizing him could also make sense - because we learn the killer is a master of disguise based on all the different fbi profiles of him. I'd say it's safe to assume that he can disguise himself using makeup as well, and this is reinforced from his "theater kid" characterization. I like to think that at the end Cheryl still recognizes him - because while she may not have seen his actual face too often, she could never forget his voice. Also the tape left at the scene is definitely the killer filming the graverobbing - but that doesn't disprove the theory. The killer was working closely with the police on this documentary, so he not only had all the footage that he saved himself, he had access to everything the police had as well. I think he took those particular tapes just to mess with them, and he also probably personally selected those taps and didn't want to part with them when he gave everything else up. Making the documentary and working with the police still had to go well - and he wanted to make sure he had those tapes regardless if he was able to weasel his way into the police records and get access to everything.
17:00 what you're saying here about how all the focus is on Cheryl and the unnamed prostitutes are just a stepping stone for Cheryls story really made me think of this quote from the QC on the Yorkshire Ripper case. "Some were prostitutes, but perhaps the saddest part of the case is that some were not. The last six attacks were on totally respectable women" A better film could have found a way to use it's framing device to critize how we as a society deem prostitutes as deserving of all kinds of horrors that we don't deem other women as deserving. But it's a mediocre film, so it lets that attitude wash over it, uninterrogated.
Omg I have a really weird fixation on this movie, thats how i found u. Never seen such a complete review on this movie (++ You included the little podcast) It's so amazingly done, definitely checking ur content later. Also 100% agree with your commentary in general, exactly the same things I always say everytime I see the movie. 💖💖
I really enjoyed this movie because I was lucky enough to see it's extremely limited release and then it fell off the face of the world for a decade. It made it a really obscure and unique experience for the younger me and made this stick with me more than it likely would have had it not had the release it had.
Most of the actors were criminally bad in this but the lead actress played her role BRILLIANTLY...... I must have checked out her interviews to see if she is OK.......
I live about 20 minutes from Poughkeepsie, NY and I can only speculate that people might think this is real is because we had a 'real' serial killer here back in the 90's. He was caught and turned out to be an almost stereotypical weirdo who lived with his mom and was killing hookers, but the story has sort of become the stuff of legend over the years - with the stories getting crazier and crazier. At this point anything is possible. :)
A lifelong horror connoisseur, I actually owned this previously and notoriously difficult to find film for a long time. I bought a bootlegged VHS version (with a “not for reproduction” moniker at the bottom 😂it must have been ripped from a screener when the filmmakers were shopping it for distribution) along with two others films (the incredible J horror “Audition” and a great campy horror from the 80’s called “Motel Hell”) in a “3 for 30”, cash only deal out of the back of a Buick LeSaber in the Tropicana parking garage in Atlantic City in 2009. Just fyi- I’ve never lived in Atlantic City or New Jersey at all. Let’s just say my early 20’s were a wild time. That’s all I’m gonna write about that. 🤣 When I bought it I didn’t even know what it was and had never heard of it. It was the other two films I wanted, and just grabbed it to get 3 for 30 instead of 2 for 25. When I was finally back home, I watched the other two first. It wasn’t until about a month later that I actually watched Poughkeepsie. And….it shook me. The images of the torture, the fact that sick people like him actually exist, the grim ending, it was a lot. But, more than anything else, it’s Cheryl’s shocking, utterly tragic and bitterly sad Stockholm syndrome outcome that really stuck with me. That last interview with Cheryl is an acting masterclass. In fact, I think it’s one of the most accurate, genuine, understated but powerful, absolutely brilliant portrayals of the psychological phenomena of Stockholm syndrome that I’ve ever seen put to film. What a performance that actress gives in that moment. Such a shame it wasn’t released way back in 2008. It could have very rightly propelled the actor playing Cheryl to a successful acting career and possibly many more wonderful performances. Anyway, my friends all had to see So, along the years I got married, bought a home, had a family, and that outdated technology VHS tape disappeared somewhere along the way and went to that big VHS heaven in the sky. How delighted I was when I discovered the film was finally getting a dvd wide release, and it’s also streaming on paramount plus right now! Guess they were the ones who finally ended up with the distribution rights 🤷🏼♀️ Another fun fact I later learned about this film: the actress that played Cheryl was the director/writer’s real life girlfriend at the time, and later wife. They are still together to this day.
Hey odd thing but during Cheryl's interview her eyes seem to dart to the camera man a lot. So in the "killer made the film" theory maybe she realizes that ED was behind the camera
that part when you said "getting in a car with a stranger" made me sit up a little. i got in a stranger's car when i was 15/16 and it was terrifying. creepy ass freak.
I probably would have enjoyed this movie if it was a cynical take on True Crime documentaries. However, the killer was just so "over the top" that it seemed more like a collection of the director's jerk-off fantasies than an attempt to lampoon the True Crime genre.
Dude… you do t know if this was good??? It was AMAZING, I was so caught up in the story I could invision each scene like I was there. Please keep writing knowing that you have plenty of fans that love your work
the most absurd and immersion-breaking thing this movie does is present a scenario wherein multiple sex workers go missing after being supposedly arrested and the other girls working in the area not only readily go to the cops with that information, but are taken seriously. its wild bc there are a lot of intentional parallels to real life serial killer cases, so at least some level of research must have gone into writing this movie, but its handling of sex work comes across like the writer did absolutely no reading on cases of killers who targeted sex workers. if the common denominator between all these missing sex workers is that they were last seen being arrested, why would the other sex workers tell the cops? realistically they would already be wary of cops to begin with- crimes against sex workers often goes unreported because victims justifiably fear being arrested for prostitution rather than taken seriously as a witness to or victim of violence. but on top of that, while we as the audience obviously can put it together that the killer is disguising himself as a cop as an abduction tactic, all the other sex workers in the area know is "girl gets arrested, girl goes missing". unless they're all fuckin stupid they would obviously take this to mean the police are behind the disappearances somehow, and therefore going to them for help would be at best pointless and at worst really dangerous. plus i can't think of a single case of an american serial killer who targeted sex workers where the investigation wasn't plagued with police negligence and incompetence. this movie is clearly trying to feel as real as possible, but its also trying to sell its audience on the idea that these cops in poughkeepsie in the 80s took it seriously when the local whores started going missing. sex workers are treated like shit by cops in 2024, and they were treated just as bad if not worse by cops in the 80s. at best its a case of not knowing enough about the thing your story is about, and at worst they're just underestimating the intelligence of their audience and expecting nobody will question it.
I remember me and my step dad were looking for a new movie to watch and I was going through horror movie lists online, came across this one and we found it, watched it. We both were petrified 🤣 the acting in some scenes is a little cheesy but tbh I appreciate the levity because the movie is so dark and heavy. Some scenes will never leave me like me and my step dad were almost crying at the scene where the killer is crab walking with a upside down mask 🤣
In my opinion the killer came across as being kind of pathetic, not only because of the costume but also some things he said. Like he was trying to be scary. For example when he said "of course I took off the door handles" (or something like that lol) it came across as such a pathetic thing to say. He was trying to have a "gotcha" moment. But what makes it scary is that it doesn't matter that you see through him and his performance. He still is in power. For me this made me feel more uncomfortable and created more tension. Like even if you didn't know he's a serial killer just because he's so odd you can tell there's no way you can reason with this guy. Like you can't even get to him to begin with.
52:51 I initially disliked this interpretation, but oh my God, this is brutal. I love it. It even explains why the interview incited her self-destruction. She doesn’t want to live with the prospect he can come back. She knows now that she isn’t safe.
ive been looking for a good analysis of this movie and urs really hit the nail on the many many heads. im an avid lover of found footage horror (check out Lake mungo if u havent. its not as gorey) and had a movie night with a friend who i knew has quite thick skin so i suggested we watch the pughkeepsie tapes since it was on my watchlist. Lemme tell u we were dead quiet during this entire film lmao i agree with the killer being very silly whenver hes on screen and overall its probs not that great a film but few images has stuck in my mind like getting to the end of the movie and seeing Cheryl moving whats left of her hand to rub her face. this movie most likely isnt that deep but its still fun analysing it and i havent seen anyone look at this movie from this many angles before C:
I found it forever ago on one of those sites where people upload movies and tv shows and the legalities feel dubious. So the quality of the recording wasn’t amazing. It made the movie a thousand times scarier and more off putting. Felt like something I wasn’t supposed to find and definitely wasn’t supposed to see. I can’t say I enjoyed it and I probably wouldn’t recommend it to anyone. I didn’t feel good afterwards. But I was really into horror at the time and I would watch almost anything and everything I could find.
The one scene in this movie that haunted me was right after he kills Cheryl's boyfriend and she is running away screaming. You know there is no fucking way she is getting out and it was so bizarre how he stalked and kept her despite disposing of everyone else he captures rather quickly. Wasn't as scary as I had anticipated but that one scene haunted me for weeks!!! Never thought about it as if the killer made the documentary but that does make a lot of sense!
i get the feeling its meant to show how we make murderers look good and completely forget the victims and see them just as the people that were killed and not actual humans
The filmaker(s) being the killer(s) could make sense if a different person interviewed the mom it could be possible. Also Ted Bundy had such a plain face that victims wouldn't remember him.
Love this movie, it’s way better then As Above So Below! This movie has some of the most realistic depictions of killing from the killers perspective imo. I was never distracted by the acting or effects but I’m super lenient. 15:00 quick deaths for men torture for women, how is that a criticism? That’s a matter of course, not a trope. That’s realistic and common cause men are usually harder to control so they get killed quickly. Also killers often focus on women in general.
yeah just seeing these clips I find the serial killer alot more frightening when he's just like.. being a guy, yanno? when he's playing it up he's just silly but during the scene's with the little girl and with the woman in the car he's got this gentle and awkward tone that sounds so fukken normal and feels like it would be a perfectly sweet dude if not for the actual words he was saying and that juxtaposition makes me so incredibly uncomfortable.
44:35 I don’t want this theory to be true, but you made a good argument. I think the issue of graphicness and disrespect to the victims could be a deliberate satire of true crime.
26:02 Yes. That’s the joke. He’s a completely ridiculous guy with theatre kid panache. Most weird sex pervert murderers have absurd BDSM fetishes. That’s what the silly “master” and “slave” thing is. To me, that’s part of horror. You can get murdered by someone who is utterly cringe.
I think this movie is meant to be a satire on true crime documentaries and how disrespectful they can be. Edit: You proceeded to talk about this minutes after I posted this comment lol
i call this my friendship gadge test , if your a freind of mine long enough, and i think you might be able to handle it and its established that one of my interests is true crime , i may suggest you watch this film, just to see what you think about it, and usually it was wtf dude response that i get after threy watch the movie.
I didn't buy into the theory that the killer was making the documentary, but you mentioned so many things that I never even realised supported that theory that I'm honestly thinking there is something to it now. [Edit] lol. And then you go on to flush it away for a couple of the same reasons I initially didn't go for it but also pointing out evidence against the theory that I didn't pick up on. I feel so stupid, having all the pieces but not being able to put them together properly in my head. 🤦
one time when I was 16 I accidentally whacked off to this movie without realizing it was a horror movie and busted during "you're my slave" scene of the movie, I've never busted since
Why are we always talking about sexism within fiction? Characters, setting, atmosphere - they are separate from reality, and are totally separated from the creator's true philosophies and ideologies. I am not sure why anybody ever brings it up, unless the creator of the respective content is provably sexist, besides just his or her characters.
Amazing video but you gonna like Velma you both sound similar and tries to find misogeny everywhere. You think that the director will pust his wife in a role like this if was just a hollow exploitation?
A lifelong horror connoisseur, I actually owned this previously and notoriously difficult to find film for a long time. I bought a bootlegged VHS version (with a “not for reproduction” moniker at the bottom 😂it must have been ripped from a screener when the filmmakers were shopping it for distribution) along with two others films (the incredible J horror “Audition” and a great campy horror from the 80’s called “Motel Hell”) in a “3 for 30”, cash only deal out of the back of a Buick LeSaber in the Tropicana parking garage in Atlantic City in 2009. Just fyi- I’ve never lived in Atlantic City or New Jersey at all. Let’s just say my early 20’s were a wild time. That’s all I’m gonna write about that. 🤣 When I bought it I didn’t even know what it was and had never heard of it. It was the other two films I wanted, and just grabbed it to get 3 for 30 instead of 2 for 25. When I was finally back home, I watched the other two first. It wasn’t until about a month later that I actually watched Poughkeepsie. And….it shook me. The images of the torture, the fact that sick people like him actually exist, the grim ending, it was a lot. But, more than anything else, it’s Cheryl’s shocking, utterly tragic and bitterly sad Stockholm syndrome outcome that really stuck with me. That last interview with Cheryl is an acting masterclass. In fact, I think it’s one of the most accurate, genuine, understated but powerful, absolutely brilliant portrayals of the psychological phenomena of Stockholm syndrome that I’ve ever seen put to film. What a performance that actress gives in that moment. Such a shame it wasn’t released way back in 2008. It could have very rightly propelled the actor playing Cheryl to a successful acting career and possibly many more wonderful performances. Anyway, my friends all had to see it when they found out I somehow had obtained this impossible to find film. Their reactions ranged from absolutely terrified, somewhat horrified to mid all the way to laughing at it’s absurdity and at times cheesiness 😂 but all of them agreed that the torture and subsequent results were horrific. So, along the years I got married, bought a home, had a family, and that outdated technology VHS tape disappeared somewhere along the way and went to that big VHS heaven in the sky. Needless to say, I was thoroughly delighted when I discovered the film was finally getting a dvd wide release; it’s also streaming on paramount plus right now! Guess they were the ones who finally ended up with the distribution rights 🤷🏼♀️ Another fun fact I later learned about this film is the actress that played Cheryl was the director/writer’s real life girlfriend at the time, and later wife, and a producer on the picture. They are still together to this day. And I agree with you that it makes one feel better knowing she was directly involved, protected, and in a controlled, safe environment, with a definite say in her performance, the character choices, and express consent, especially through the difficult torture sequences…and not an underage actress that was stripped of autonomy and victimized so some adult men could make some sick movie.
That scene with the brunette who mistakes Ed for a cop really stuck with me too... the slow realization, anxiety, denial and then panic and utter terror of what she sees is in store for her was disturbing as hell to me. Hearing her crying and screaming for help as she sees another women's mutilated corpse, knowing there's no escape, REALLY got to me. And while I agree that Ed's outfit and all-fours walk during her death scene was pretty goofy, seeing her sobbing and building anxiety as she knows her time is coming was gut-wrenching. Her reaction was just so...primal. And VERY authentic... 😳
Yea that part stuck with me too.
I see you made a SUPER FREAKING LONG video on Terrifier, now this. Girl I had no other choice but to subscribe. I'm leaving the Terrifier video for other time as I didn't finish watching but I'm getting into this one right now
Wow, how has this video only gained less than a 1000 views? I'd figure this would have tens of thousands of views, even hundreds of thousands. This is a very well-created and structured video, and was incredibly thought provoking and fascinating to watch. I look forward to seeing your channel grow to the heights it deserves.
I love all of your commentary videos, but I loved this one in particular because I 100% agree with the point you ended on. It's too easy for people to forget that the victims in true crime videos were real people who suffered real, horrible fates, and aren't just spooky stories to turn on as background noise. Great stuff as usual!
😊point I
36:18 I've been fighting this for awhile but this one broke me. This movie is a collection of serial killer cases, real ones. Missing people these days? Yes, we have Amber alerts and every missing child is treated as an abduction but the past? The past was the worst "We'd could do something but they're probably just a runaway." "But the blood!" "Eh." You actually made me look it up, Amber alerts started mid 90s. And police didn't talk to one another back then and if a cop was acting stilted while talking about a serial killer... chances are he's not the killer but it did happen, yeah.
The reason the Poughkeepsie killer is so random is because he's made of real examples of different killers with different kinks with the names removed. Example: That bit the with "Actor" on tape. If that was a clown, could you guess where that came from?
I agree with the "killer made the documentary" theory. To me - that is the whole point of the film. Like you mention it seems to highlight the pain of the victims. I never thought about the missing tapes lining up with about how many "found footage" tapes that are shown. It even gets sort of meta because this film was actually never shown in theaters - seemingly because of how disturbing it is.
The killer not only honed his killing skills throughout his spree - he also honed his directing and filming skills. This documentary is his magnum opus - and was the plan all along. To make a disgusting film that glorifies himself and his "work". That's also why he left all those tapes and led the cops to that house with Cheryl. That was the trigger for the documentary to exist.
Cheryl's mom not recognizing him could also make sense - because we learn the killer is a master of disguise based on all the different fbi profiles of him. I'd say it's safe to assume that he can disguise himself using makeup as well, and this is reinforced from his "theater kid" characterization. I like to think that at the end Cheryl still recognizes him - because while she may not have seen his actual face too often, she could never forget his voice.
Also the tape left at the scene is definitely the killer filming the graverobbing - but that doesn't disprove the theory. The killer was working closely with the police on this documentary, so he not only had all the footage that he saved himself, he had access to everything the police had as well. I think he took those particular tapes just to mess with them, and he also probably personally selected those taps and didn't want to part with them when he gave everything else up. Making the documentary and working with the police still had to go well - and he wanted to make sure he had those tapes regardless if he was able to weasel his way into the police records and get access to everything.
17:00 what you're saying here about how all the focus is on Cheryl and the unnamed prostitutes are just a stepping stone for Cheryls story really made me think of this quote from the QC on the Yorkshire Ripper case.
"Some were prostitutes, but perhaps the saddest part of the case is that some were not. The last six attacks were on totally respectable women"
A better film could have found a way to use it's framing device to critize how we as a society deem prostitutes as deserving of all kinds of horrors that we don't deem other women as deserving. But it's a mediocre film, so it lets that attitude wash over it, uninterrogated.
Omg I have a really weird fixation on this movie, thats how i found u. Never seen such a complete review on this movie (++ You included the little podcast) It's so amazingly done, definitely checking ur content later.
Also 100% agree with your commentary in general, exactly the same things I always say everytime I see the movie. 💖💖
I really enjoyed this movie because I was lucky enough to see it's extremely limited release and then it fell off the face of the world for a decade.
It made it a really obscure and unique experience for the younger me and made this stick with me more than it likely would have had it not had the release it had.
Most of the actors were criminally bad in this but the lead actress played her role BRILLIANTLY...... I must have checked out her interviews to see if she is OK.......
I also love both Ryan Hollinger and the Venture brothers. You're my new favorite UA-camr.
How do you not have thousands of views and subscribers?!? I'm so glad I found your channel
I live about 20 minutes from Poughkeepsie, NY and I can only speculate that people might think this is real is because we had a 'real' serial killer here back in the 90's. He was caught and turned out to be an almost stereotypical weirdo who lived with his mom and was killing hookers, but the story has sort of become the stuff of legend over the years - with the stories getting crazier and crazier. At this point anything is possible. :)
As someone who's lived less than an hour from Poughkeepsie for the past 20+ years, I'm disappointed I've never heard of this
A lifelong horror connoisseur, I actually owned this previously and notoriously difficult to find film for a long time.
I bought a bootlegged VHS version (with a “not for reproduction” moniker at the bottom 😂it must have been ripped from a screener when the filmmakers were shopping it for distribution) along with two others films (the incredible J horror “Audition” and a great campy horror from the 80’s called “Motel Hell”) in a “3 for 30”, cash only deal out of the back of a Buick LeSaber in the Tropicana parking garage in Atlantic City in 2009. Just fyi- I’ve never lived in Atlantic City or New Jersey at all. Let’s just say my early 20’s were a wild time. That’s all I’m gonna write about that. 🤣
When I bought it I didn’t even know what it was and had never heard of it. It was the other two films I wanted, and just grabbed it to get 3 for 30 instead of 2 for 25. When I was finally back home, I watched the other two first. It wasn’t until about a month later that I actually watched Poughkeepsie. And….it shook me.
The images of the torture, the fact that sick people like him actually exist, the grim ending, it was a lot. But, more than anything else, it’s Cheryl’s shocking, utterly tragic and bitterly sad Stockholm syndrome outcome that really stuck with me.
That last interview with Cheryl is an acting masterclass. In fact, I think it’s one of the most accurate, genuine, understated but powerful, absolutely brilliant portrayals of the psychological phenomena of Stockholm syndrome that I’ve ever seen put to film. What a performance that actress gives in that moment. Such a shame it wasn’t released way back in 2008. It could have very rightly propelled the actor playing Cheryl to a successful acting career and possibly many more wonderful performances. Anyway, my friends all had to see
So, along the years I got married, bought a home, had a family, and that outdated technology VHS tape disappeared somewhere along the way and went to that big VHS heaven in the sky. How delighted I was when I discovered the film was finally getting a dvd wide release, and it’s also streaming on paramount plus right now! Guess they were the ones who finally ended up with the distribution rights 🤷🏼♀️
Another fun fact I later learned about this film: the actress that played Cheryl was the director/writer’s real life girlfriend at the time, and later wife. They are still together to this day.
Hey odd thing but during Cheryl's interview her eyes seem to dart to the camera man a lot. So in the "killer made the film" theory maybe she realizes that ED was behind the camera
I thought she was looking to the man for permission.
totally relate to what you said about being too scared to watch the movies, so just reading the Wikipedia summaries. I do that still :D
that part when you said "getting in a car with a stranger" made me sit up a little. i got in a stranger's car when i was 15/16 and it was terrifying. creepy ass freak.
14:40 The whole “disposing of the man” is pretty typical of serial killers. Richard Ramirez did it too.
I probably would have enjoyed this movie if it was a cynical take on True Crime documentaries. However, the killer was just so "over the top" that it seemed more like a collection of the director's jerk-off fantasies than an attempt to lampoon the True Crime genre.
I get so excited when i see you’ve posted! Great video!
You said that this movie doesn’t center the humanity of the victims, but I disagree. Cheryl risks her life to squeak and warn the girls.
Dude… you do t know if this was good??? It was AMAZING, I was so caught up in the story I could invision each scene like I was there. Please keep writing knowing that you have plenty of fans that love your work
Maybe he dyed his hair and grew a beard got a scar on his face that theory to me could be about 95% accurate.
the most absurd and immersion-breaking thing this movie does is present a scenario wherein multiple sex workers go missing after being supposedly arrested and the other girls working in the area not only readily go to the cops with that information, but are taken seriously. its wild bc there are a lot of intentional parallels to real life serial killer cases, so at least some level of research must have gone into writing this movie, but its handling of sex work comes across like the writer did absolutely no reading on cases of killers who targeted sex workers. if the common denominator between all these missing sex workers is that they were last seen being arrested, why would the other sex workers tell the cops? realistically they would already be wary of cops to begin with- crimes against sex workers often goes unreported because victims justifiably fear being arrested for prostitution rather than taken seriously as a witness to or victim of violence. but on top of that, while we as the audience obviously can put it together that the killer is disguising himself as a cop as an abduction tactic, all the other sex workers in the area know is "girl gets arrested, girl goes missing". unless they're all fuckin stupid they would obviously take this to mean the police are behind the disappearances somehow, and therefore going to them for help would be at best pointless and at worst really dangerous.
plus i can't think of a single case of an american serial killer who targeted sex workers where the investigation wasn't plagued with police negligence and incompetence. this movie is clearly trying to feel as real as possible, but its also trying to sell its audience on the idea that these cops in poughkeepsie in the 80s took it seriously when the local whores started going missing. sex workers are treated like shit by cops in 2024, and they were treated just as bad if not worse by cops in the 80s. at best its a case of not knowing enough about the thing your story is about, and at worst they're just underestimating the intelligence of their audience and expecting nobody will question it.
40:45 This also happens. There’s a serious replication crisis in forensics and psychology.
Really enjoyed your video; my interview is the one you used at 9:06 with Stacy!
I remember me and my step dad were looking for a new movie to watch and I was going through horror movie lists online, came across this one and we found it, watched it. We both were petrified 🤣 the acting in some scenes is a little cheesy but tbh I appreciate the levity because the movie is so dark and heavy. Some scenes will never leave me like me and my step dad were almost crying at the scene where the killer is crab walking with a upside down mask 🤣
In my opinion the killer came across as being kind of pathetic, not only because of the costume but also some things he said. Like he was trying to be scary. For example when he said "of course I took off the door handles" (or something like that lol) it came across as such a pathetic thing to say. He was trying to have a "gotcha" moment. But what makes it scary is that it doesn't matter that you see through him and his performance. He still is in power. For me this made me feel more uncomfortable and created more tension. Like even if you didn't know he's a serial killer just because he's so odd you can tell there's no way you can reason with this guy. Like you can't even get to him to begin with.
1:15:01 Reminds me of Peter Sotos’s epilogue to Ian Brady’s _Gates of Janus._ He said that Brady’s book was merely pornography.
52:51 I initially disliked this interpretation, but oh my God, this is brutal. I love it. It even explains why the interview incited her self-destruction. She doesn’t want to live with the prospect he can come back. She knows now that she isn’t safe.
ive been looking for a good analysis of this movie and urs really hit the nail on the many many heads. im an avid lover of found footage horror (check out Lake mungo if u havent. its not as gorey) and had a movie night with a friend who i knew has quite thick skin so i suggested we watch the pughkeepsie tapes since it was on my watchlist. Lemme tell u we were dead quiet during this entire film lmao
i agree with the killer being very silly whenver hes on screen and overall its probs not that great a film but few images has stuck in my mind like getting to the end of the movie and seeing Cheryl moving whats left of her hand to rub her face. this movie most likely isnt that deep but its still fun analysing it and i havent seen anyone look at this movie from this many angles before C:
I found it forever ago on one of those sites where people upload movies and tv shows and the legalities feel dubious. So the quality of the recording wasn’t amazing. It made the movie a thousand times scarier and more off putting. Felt like something I wasn’t supposed to find and definitely wasn’t supposed to see. I can’t say I enjoyed it and I probably wouldn’t recommend it to anyone. I didn’t feel good afterwards. But I was really into horror at the time and I would watch almost anything and everything I could find.
When I 1st seen Poughkeepsie's tapes I taught it was a real documentary on a killer
The one scene in this movie that haunted me was right after he kills Cheryl's boyfriend and she is running away screaming. You know there is no fucking way she is getting out and it was so bizarre how he stalked and kept her despite disposing of everyone else he captures rather quickly. Wasn't as scary as I had anticipated but that one scene haunted me for weeks!!! Never thought about it as if the killer made the documentary but that does make a lot of sense!
Why didn't UA-cam notify me that you uploaded??? I freaking love your channel
I love this movie so much. I’m so glad you reviewed it.
Same with the reading Wikipedia synopses instead of watching movies 💀 just at the start but can't wait for the video! You go Gracie!
The killer obviously can’t be the camera man for the interviews however cus the mother he visited at her home would’ve recognised him
I used love horror movies before I got sober from drugs and alcohol.
51:33 This is like Ian Brady tormenting his victims’ families.
Love your commentary!! This movie was accidentally ahead of its time
I watched this movie high and having been to poughkeepsie, it was kind of fun for that
Yes! More Grace! Keep it up 😌❤️
I’d love for you to dissect Darron Aronofsky’s “Mother!”
Lots of small details and extremely interesting.
This is such a great analysis.
U notice the Dempsey house looks a awful alot like the freedy Kruger house from nightmare on elm street 😂😂😂😂
DUDE, awesome video
Love this video it was very good to watch
i get the feeling its meant to show how we make murderers look good and completely forget the victims and see them just as the people that were killed and not actual humans
The most horrifying part of the movie to me is at 49:52 where she goes to scratch her head without a hand.
The filmaker(s) being the killer(s) could make sense if a different person interviewed the mom it could be possible. Also Ted Bundy had such a plain face that victims wouldn't remember him.
30:00 This is a common fetish. It’s called “mindbreak”.
Love this movie, it’s way better then As Above So Below! This movie has some of the most realistic depictions of killing from the killers perspective imo. I was never distracted by the acting or effects but I’m super lenient.
15:00 quick deaths for men torture for women, how is that a criticism? That’s a matter of course, not a trope. That’s realistic and common cause men are usually harder to control so they get killed quickly. Also killers often focus on women in general.
yeah just seeing these clips I find the serial killer alot more frightening when he's just like.. being a guy, yanno? when he's playing it up he's just silly but during the scene's with the little girl and with the woman in the car he's got this gentle and awkward tone that sounds so fukken normal and feels like it would be a perfectly sweet dude if not for the actual words he was saying and that juxtaposition makes me so incredibly uncomfortable.
Great video as always!
44:35 I don’t want this theory to be true, but you made a good argument. I think the issue of graphicness and disrespect to the victims could be a deliberate satire of true crime.
TRAPPER AT 41:50 SCARED ME
26:02 Yes. That’s the joke. He’s a completely ridiculous guy with theatre kid panache. Most weird sex pervert murderers have absurd BDSM fetishes. That’s what the silly “master” and “slave” thing is. To me, that’s part of horror. You can get murdered by someone who is utterly cringe.
1:26 watch the Venture Bros.
Can you make a mad god deep dive
35:07 Sarah Silverman was great in this movie
I think this movie is meant to be a satire on true crime documentaries and how disrespectful they can be.
Edit: You proceeded to talk about this minutes after I posted this comment lol
i call this my friendship gadge test , if your a freind of mine long enough, and i think you might be able to handle it and its established that one of my interests is true crime , i may suggest you watch this film, just to see what you think about it, and usually it was wtf dude response that i get after threy watch the movie.
Great video mate
I still do that because I'm a woose 🤣🤣🤣🤣
I didn't buy into the theory that the killer was making the documentary, but you mentioned so many things that I never even realised supported that theory that I'm honestly thinking there is something to it now.
[Edit] lol. And then you go on to flush it away for a couple of the same reasons I initially didn't go for it but also pointing out evidence against the theory that I didn't pick up on.
I feel so stupid, having all the pieces but not being able to put them together properly in my head. 🤦
one time when I was 16 I accidentally whacked off to this movie without realizing it was a horror movie and busted during "you're my slave" scene of the movie, I've never busted since
love this video
I hate horror movies so i just watch UA-cam videos about them
Great video
Why are we always talking about sexism within fiction? Characters, setting, atmosphere - they are separate from reality, and are totally separated from the creator's true philosophies and ideologies. I am not sure why anybody ever brings it up, unless the creator of the respective content is provably sexist, besides just his or her characters.
Amazing video but you gonna like Velma you both sound similar and tries to find misogeny everywhere. You think that the director will pust his wife in a role like this if was just a hollow exploitation?
A lifelong horror connoisseur, I actually owned this previously and notoriously difficult to find film for a long time.
I bought a bootlegged VHS version (with a “not for reproduction” moniker at the bottom 😂it must have been ripped from a screener when the filmmakers were shopping it for distribution) along with two others films (the incredible J horror “Audition” and a great campy horror from the 80’s called “Motel Hell”) in a “3 for 30”, cash only deal out of the back of a Buick LeSaber in the Tropicana parking garage in Atlantic City in 2009. Just fyi- I’ve never lived in Atlantic City or New Jersey at all. Let’s just say my early 20’s were a wild time. That’s all I’m gonna write about that. 🤣
When I bought it I didn’t even know what it was and had never heard of it. It was the other two films I wanted, and just grabbed it to get 3 for 30 instead of 2 for 25. When I was finally back home, I watched the other two first. It wasn’t until about a month later that I actually watched Poughkeepsie. And….it shook me.
The images of the torture, the fact that sick people like him actually exist, the grim ending, it was a lot. But, more than anything else, it’s Cheryl’s shocking, utterly tragic and bitterly sad Stockholm syndrome outcome that really stuck with me.
That last interview with Cheryl is an acting masterclass. In fact, I think it’s one of the most accurate, genuine, understated but powerful, absolutely brilliant portrayals of the psychological phenomena of Stockholm syndrome that I’ve ever seen put to film. What a performance that actress gives in that moment. Such a shame it wasn’t released way back in 2008. It could have very rightly propelled the actor playing Cheryl to a successful acting career and possibly many more wonderful performances. Anyway, my friends all had to see it when they found out I somehow had obtained this impossible to find film. Their reactions ranged from absolutely terrified, somewhat horrified to mid all the way to laughing at it’s absurdity and at times cheesiness 😂 but all of them agreed that the torture and subsequent results were horrific.
So, along the years I got married, bought a home, had a family, and that outdated technology VHS tape disappeared somewhere along the way and went to that big VHS heaven in the sky. Needless to say, I was thoroughly delighted when I discovered the film was finally getting a dvd wide release; it’s also streaming on paramount plus right now! Guess they were the ones who finally ended up with the distribution rights 🤷🏼♀️
Another fun fact I later learned about this film is the actress that played Cheryl was the director/writer’s real life girlfriend at the time, and later wife, and a producer on the picture. They are still together to this day. And I agree with you that it makes one feel better knowing she was directly involved, protected, and in a controlled, safe environment, with a definite say in her performance, the character choices, and express consent, especially through the difficult torture sequences…and not an underage actress that was stripped of autonomy and victimized so some adult men could make some sick movie.
This is very true