What I admire most about "Cropsey" is that Barbara Brancaccio and Joshua Zeman actually stood up and made it. The cases of children gone missing sadly aren't unique, and urban legend/folklore tales developing themselves in the region of an abandoned orphanage-slash-institute for handicapped children are more than normal as well. But, unlike myself and probably hundreds of other true-crime fanatics, Brancaccio and Zeman persisted and made a documentary about the "boogeyman" of their hometown. I bow my head to them for that!
Personally, I'm convinced that every town - or at least wider region - has its own local urban legend and/or (unresolved) murder cases. In the area where I grew up alone, there were three bizarre - albeit unrelated - murders and the tragic story of a 9-year-old girl who disappeared in 1989 and never got found. And no, I did not grow up in a particularly dangerous place. It's just the ugly world we live in, and almost every single and individual murder can be turned into a semi-interesting and compelling documentary, I'm sure.
"Cropsey" is the legend of a boogeyman that originated in Staten Island, New York. Originally an intellectually disabled orphan who got left behind when the infamous Willowbrook institution shut down, the myth suddenly became a bit too realistic when other mentally handicapped children in the area started to go missing during the 80s. Brancaccio and Zeman are Staten Island locals and revolved their documentary primarily around André Rand; - another local convicted twice for the kidnapping and murder of two young girls, but his guilt was never factually proven.
Of course, it's an interesting and fascinating case... But not more interesting or more fascinating than any other murder/kidnapping case, and I write this with utmost respect for the victims and their families. It's objectively made with respect for all persons involved, even the alleged monster, and there's a professional balance between melodramatic interviews, foreboding news bulletins archive footage, and atmospheric footage of the ugliest and most ominous places to be found on Staten Island. The documentary tends to get boring occasionally, but - again - big respect to the makers.
Personally, I'm convinced that every town - or at least wider region - has its own local urban legend and/or (unresolved) murder cases. In the area where I grew up alone, there were three bizarre - albeit unrelated - murders and the tragic story of a 9-year-old girl who disappeared in 1989 and never got found. And no, I did not grow up in a particularly dangerous place. It's just the ugly world we live in, and almost every single and individual murder can be turned into a semi-interesting and compelling documentary, I'm sure.
"Cropsey" is the legend of a boogeyman that originated in Staten Island, New York. Originally an intellectually disabled orphan who got left behind when the infamous Willowbrook institution shut down, the myth suddenly became a bit too realistic when other mentally handicapped children in the area started to go missing during the 80s. Brancaccio and Zeman are Staten Island locals and revolved their documentary primarily around André Rand; - another local convicted twice for the kidnapping and murder of two young girls, but his guilt was never factually proven.
Of course, it's an interesting and fascinating case... But not more interesting or more fascinating than any other murder/kidnapping case, and I write this with utmost respect for the victims and their families. It's objectively made with respect for all persons involved, even the alleged monster, and there's a professional balance between melodramatic interviews, foreboding news bulletins archive footage, and atmospheric footage of the ugliest and most ominous places to be found on Staten Island. The documentary tends to get boring occasionally, but - again - big respect to the makers.