Serial Killer Documentary Horror Is Almost Too Real, Stream Without Netflix
If you plan on checking out The Poughkeepsie Tapes on Tubi, I’d strongly advise you to not watch it alone because it’s the stuff of nightmares and will keep you up at night for weeks. Not unlike The Blair Witch Project, The Poughkeepsie Tapes is one of those titles that was marketed as something that actually happened, but it’s so convincing that you’ll find yourself looking up the events depicted in this film in search of closure you’ll never find because it’s not actually real. Playing out like a series of snuff tapes compiled by an unknown prolific serial killer (referred to as Ed Carver), The Poughkeepsie Tapes is such a raw exploration of unhinged violence and deception that you’ll never trust a stranger again.
Found Footage
The Poughkeepsie Tapes begins with the discovery of hundreds of video tapes containing footage of Carver kidnapping, assaulting, and murdering his many victims over the course of several years. But Ed Carver isn’t your typical serial killer because he’s smart enough to change his modus operandi whenever the police nail down his psychological profile. Carver is also smart enough to wear a disguise whenever he’s seen on tape, so nobody can say for certain what he actually looks like after working through his extensive catalog of torture and depravity.
The Story
The investigators interviewed in The Poughkeepsie tapes lay out an elaborate map of Carver’s murder sites in an attempt to make sense of who he is, where he’s from, and where they can possibly find him next. As his victim’s bodies continue to be found in the Poughkeepsie area, the whereabouts of one victim named Cheryl Dempsey (Stacy Chbosky) remains a mystery to authorities because there is no video evidence of her being executed. While there a handful of tapes missing from Carver’s catalog, the tapes that have been reviewed suggest that she’s still alive and hidden in captivity somewhere.
From The Killer’s POV
What makes The Poughkeepsie tapes so terrifying is the fact that Ed Carver shoots most of his footage from a first-person perspective while he preys on his victims. As a viewer, you’re forced to experience his twisted psyche as he meticulously plots and executes his heinous crimes against his subjects. What’s more, Chbosky’s portrayal of Cheryl Dempsey is worthy of an Academy Award because her fear seems 100 percent genuine in this found footage work of fiction.
Almost Too Real
If somebody showed me The Poughkeepsie Tapes and I didn’t have access to IMDb or Wikipedia, I would hate them forever for showing me a true crime documentary that I wasn’t mentally prepared to watch. From the police and witness interviews to Carver’s footage, the documentary premise is so well-done that it’s hard to believe that this movie was acted out on a sound stage with a full film crew present just out of frame. Having watched an unhealthy amount of Forensic Files myself, I know all of the true crime beats like the back of my hand, and it’s clear that writer and director John Erick Dowdle is more than familiar with them as well.
Stream It Now
GFR SCORE
If you want to see found footage horror done right, The Poughkeepsie Tapes is the next movie that you should watch. I went into this movie knowing that it was fake, but still had to do some Google searches after my initial viewing because I wasn’t entirely convinced it was a work of fiction. You can stream The Poughkeepsie Tapes on Tubi right now, but don’t say I didn’t warn you.
