Review of The Poughkeepsie Tapes (2007) by Michelle W — 06 Oct 2009

The documentary part of the film adds a whole different sense of realism to this. I realize that's why the film focuses more on the documentary and less on the killer's tapes, which is a shame since the tapes are really what steal the show for me. Each tape that's shown is edited in a way to make it look worn down, to look grainy, and to basically look like a VHS tape that's been sitting around in somebody's closet for however long. So it does the job nicely. There isn't a lot of gore shown on screen. The majority of it takes place off camera. It shows you enough that you can use your imagination to figure out what exactly is going on. I felt a few of the scenes were a little too dark at times; like when he's in Cheryl Dempsey's house stalking her and her boyfriend is when it stuck out the most for me. Otherwise, this technique works very well.

Speaking of the Cheryl Dempsey stalking scene, I actually felt the tension incredibly well during that whole scene. My heart was racing and I kept asking myself when he was finally going to strike. My favorite idea from the whole film is the fact that the killer changes his M.O. periodically to throw police off his trail. That's an incredible idea. Being somewhat of a horror writer myself, I thought that was an idea I would've loved to have used for a story. The cinematography also plays a big role in some of the scenes. Two of the best scenes in the film are so good due to where the camera is at the time.

This film is incredibly realistic at times. A few of the actors may spoil that every now and then, but for the most part, it's pulled off almost flawlessly. The scariest part is that people will be asking themselves if this is real or if this is based on true events. I remember hearing some people talk about the black and white police footage from the Texas Chainsaw remake and thinking that was real. Well if you thought that was real, this is going to scare the shit out of you.

The Poughkeepsie Tapes isn't without its flaws, but its good elements more than make up for them. It does have a bit of a Behind the Mask: The Rise of Leslie Vernon feel to it while also throwing in some elements from Hostel and taking the whole handheld camera perspective from The Blair Witch Project. It is worth seeing for the footage from the tapes alone. I actually really like how the last twenty or so minutes played out. The last victim we see our killer stalk is just a great scene from start to finish. Also, be sure to watch the credits and I'll make a deal with you...