Posted: 05/07/2011

CROPSEY

by Jessica Machen

Filmmakers Joshua Zeman and Barbara Brancaccio both grew up knowing the urban legend of Cropsey, an escaped mental patient living in the abandoned Willowbrook Mental Institution who kidnaps and murders children on the streets. As teenagers, they believed the stories to be just that: stories. However, when one particular young girl in their town went missing in 1987, their myth seemed to become a reality.

This documentary focuses on Andre Rand, the man linked to the disappearances of five missing children, including twelve year old Jennifer Schweiger, who’s body was recovered near the Willowbrook Mental Institution. None of the other bodies, to this day, have been found.

Although this is a very eerie and scary situation that the people of Staten Island have been dealing with, the documentary itself is not a horror story, though it may give you chills as the filmmakers walk along in abandoned buildings in the pitch black. The film’s music gives you a heightened awareness of everything taking place, keeping you on your toes, much like how the television show Unsolved Mysteries did. If you were a fan of that television show, you will enjoy watching Cropsey.

Cropsey can be found on DVD May 10th.

Jessica Machen is a writer and filmmaker currently living in Chicago.

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