The Poughkeepsie Tapes
Encyclopedia
The Poughkeepsie Tapes is a mockumentary
directed by John Erick Dowdle
and stars Bobbi Sue Luther
, Samantha Robson
and Ivar Brogger
.
The killer does not only capture the murders themselves, but the abductions, tortures and postmortem mutilations of his victims (along with bizarre fetishes involving balloons
) all the while never allowing himself to be shown on film unless entirely disguised. Because the killer numbered the video tapes in order, investigators are able to determine that he started with the most vulnerable of victims: an 8 year old named Jennifer Gorman is abducted while playing in her front yard.
After the success of his first abduction and murder, the killer becomes less impulsive in his crimes. Carefully selecting the area in which he will strike next, he convinces a couple, the Andersons, that his car has broken down and they agree to give him a ride to a local gas station for aid. On the way, he clubs the male in the head and subdues the female using a cloth doused in a chemical solution while filming her face in close up. Investigators understand this would have taken considerable practice to achieve. The tape shows that the killer has disemboweled the female, placing the severed head of her husband inside her stomach, and rouses her from unconsciousness in order to film her reaction. In the process of investigating the Andersons disappearance, they come to realise the level of mutilation the killer is capable of, as well as his degree of premeditation. The killer made himself known in the CCTV footage of another gas station some time before the Andersons abduction and murder, using sign language to give clues where he intends to dispose of one of the bodies.
It is then shown that the killer is stalking his next victim, the teenage Cheryl Dempsey. Taking advantage that she is alone with her boyfriend (Tim Surrey), he enters her house. After secretly walking through the house he places the camera where it cannot be seen and hides in a closet until he is ready to attack. Although he abducts Cheryl, he murders and mutilates Tim, leaving his corpse at the scene. It is only after the discovery of the tapes it becomes clear that this crime scene has been carefully arranged in order to obscure possible psychological profiling. Rather than killing Cheryl, he imprisons her in his basement, abusing her both sexually, physically and psychologically as his "slave", a name he beats her into accepting as her new one.
Cheryl's mother, Victoria Dempsey, appeals to her kidnapper in a televised statement. He then goes to see her, offering to help in finding Cheryl while filming her response. It dawns on Victoria that she is confronted with the man that has abducted her daughter, he merely chuckles and runs away while she is paralyzed with shock.
At this point the killer changes his modus operandi and begins targeting prostitutes while posing as a police officer. In his video record we are shown that in some cases he does not kill his victim directly, instead forcing Cheryl (now dressed in medieval style attire and rubber mask) to kill them. Because of the location in which he dumps the bodies and the level of mutilation they have suffered, the press now dub him "The Water Street Butcher". Forensic investigations discover several of the bodies are found to have the same sperm secretions.
Using Ted Bundy's advice on a previous series of murders, authorities come to realize that the killer might indulge in necrophilia with his victims and should stake out areas where they find "fresh bodies" instead of making the discovery public. This is impossible as they can never find a fresh enough corpse.
Investigating one of the victims apartments, police find fingerprints and saliva on an unwashed glass leading them to arrest former police officer James Foley. Because Foley has a history of visiting prostitutes, no alibi on the dates of the abductions, various evidence found within Foley's car, eye witness statements and matching sperm samples, he is convicted as The Water Street Butcher. Because Foley continues to plead not guilty and refuses to make any deals, he is sentenced to death in Pennsylvania. A few days after James' execution by lethal injection, one of the leading investigators finds a map in his mailbox letting him know they have "missed one" and the location of a new body. It becomes clear that the real killer had taken James Foley's sperm from a fertility clinic and meticulously framed him (making James Foley another of his victims by proxy). Foley is exonerated of the murders on September 12th. Because of the close date to the 9/11 attacks, this goes unrecognized by the general public. The ever changing nature and variation of the murders means every psychological profile is contradicting. The Water Street murders continue.
Investigators trace the location of his house by records from a downloaded map of the area where one of the abductions takes place and raid the location. They find the house to be so clean that there are no fingerprints anywhere and no clues to the killers identity. Along with the discovery of over 800 numbered video cassettes capturing several thousand hours chronicling his sadism, numerous dead bodies buried in the back yard (including the body of the original tenant), they find Cheryl Dempsey still alive, over a decade after her original abduction. She has been mentally abused to such an extent that she self harms and tortures herself in secret. Cheryl gives an interview where she says she believes her captor loves her and will return shortly to collect her. Soon after the interview, she commits suicide and in a note states her undying love for her "master". Not long after Cheryl is buried, her remains are mysteriously dug up and disappear.
Although only 27 of the cataloged videos are missing, numerous investigating officers are unable to find even the smallest hint as to the identity of the real Water Street Butcher. The tapes themselves become an essential part of the training for anyone learning criminal psychology. The Water Street murders cease and the case remains open, with authorities stating they will be keeping a close eye on places where the "documentary" will be aired as they believe the ego of the killer will not allow him to miss watching it.
In one last glimpse of the killer's sadistic nature, after the credits, a clip is shown of the face of one of his bound victims in close up. The killer taunts her by saying that he will make her a deal: he will release her unharmed if she does not blink. After a period of prolonged hyperventilation, the film ends as her eyes close.
has a "Saved" spot on the queue for it, but no DVD date is announced; however, the full film was available for viewing on YouTube
. Since then, however, it has been removed due to a copyright claim.
Mockumentary
A mockumentary , is a type of film or television show in which fictitious events are presented in documentary format. These productions are often used to analyze or comment on current events and issues by using a fictitious setting, or to parody the documentary form itself...
directed by John Erick Dowdle
John Erick Dowdle
John Erick Dowdle is a U.S. director, producer, screenwriter, and editor.-Early life:Dowdle grew up in the Twin Cities of Minnesota. After graduating from the St. Thomas Academy, an all-boys, military, Catholic high school, Dowdle moved to Iowa City, Iowa to attend the University of Iowa. There he...
and stars Bobbi Sue Luther
Bobbi Sue Luther
Bobbi Sue Luther is a model and host of TLC's Junkyard Mega Wars.- Movie career :Luther played an Orion Slave Girl on Star Trek: Enterprise, She also played a newsreader on Deuce Bigalow: European Gigolo. In March 2007, Bobbi Sue Luther was named the new face of St. Pauli Girl beer...
, Samantha Robson
Samantha Robson
Samantha Jane Robson is a British actress who played PC Vicky Hagen in The Bill from 1998 to 2001. She has also appeared in Red Dwarf as Pete Tranter's sister and Murder in Mind. Before working in television, she worked for eighteen months as a table dancer under the name Shelley at For Your Eyes...
and Ivar Brogger
Ivar Brogger
Ivar Brogger is an American actor of stage, motion pictures and television. He is known for his appearances in several TV shows like 24, NCIS, Star Trek: Voyager, Private Practice and a recurring role in Invasion. He had small roles in motion pictures like Dreamgirls, Ocean's Thirteen and Little...
.
Plot
When police raid a house in a city north of New York, they discover a profoundly disturbing record of one man's ugly crimes. Investigators find over 800 videotapes shot by the killer which present a visual record of his murders in all their horrifying details. Both state and federal law enforcement teams sift through the gruesome images, looking for clues of his identity, the identity of his victims, and where he could have gone. Repeated viewings of the materials reveal little beyond the terrible facts of the crimes, and as the authorities comb through the madman's images, they find the tapes have had a disquieting effect on them.The killer does not only capture the murders themselves, but the abductions, tortures and postmortem mutilations of his victims (along with bizarre fetishes involving balloons
Balloon fetish
A balloon fetish is a sexual fetish that involves balloons. A balloon fetishist is also referred to as a "looner". Some balloon fetishists "revel in the popping of balloons and [others] may become anxious and tearful at the very thought of popping balloons"...
) all the while never allowing himself to be shown on film unless entirely disguised. Because the killer numbered the video tapes in order, investigators are able to determine that he started with the most vulnerable of victims: an 8 year old named Jennifer Gorman is abducted while playing in her front yard.
After the success of his first abduction and murder, the killer becomes less impulsive in his crimes. Carefully selecting the area in which he will strike next, he convinces a couple, the Andersons, that his car has broken down and they agree to give him a ride to a local gas station for aid. On the way, he clubs the male in the head and subdues the female using a cloth doused in a chemical solution while filming her face in close up. Investigators understand this would have taken considerable practice to achieve. The tape shows that the killer has disemboweled the female, placing the severed head of her husband inside her stomach, and rouses her from unconsciousness in order to film her reaction. In the process of investigating the Andersons disappearance, they come to realise the level of mutilation the killer is capable of, as well as his degree of premeditation. The killer made himself known in the CCTV footage of another gas station some time before the Andersons abduction and murder, using sign language to give clues where he intends to dispose of one of the bodies.
It is then shown that the killer is stalking his next victim, the teenage Cheryl Dempsey. Taking advantage that she is alone with her boyfriend (Tim Surrey), he enters her house. After secretly walking through the house he places the camera where it cannot be seen and hides in a closet until he is ready to attack. Although he abducts Cheryl, he murders and mutilates Tim, leaving his corpse at the scene. It is only after the discovery of the tapes it becomes clear that this crime scene has been carefully arranged in order to obscure possible psychological profiling. Rather than killing Cheryl, he imprisons her in his basement, abusing her both sexually, physically and psychologically as his "slave", a name he beats her into accepting as her new one.
Cheryl's mother, Victoria Dempsey, appeals to her kidnapper in a televised statement. He then goes to see her, offering to help in finding Cheryl while filming her response. It dawns on Victoria that she is confronted with the man that has abducted her daughter, he merely chuckles and runs away while she is paralyzed with shock.
At this point the killer changes his modus operandi and begins targeting prostitutes while posing as a police officer. In his video record we are shown that in some cases he does not kill his victim directly, instead forcing Cheryl (now dressed in medieval style attire and rubber mask) to kill them. Because of the location in which he dumps the bodies and the level of mutilation they have suffered, the press now dub him "The Water Street Butcher". Forensic investigations discover several of the bodies are found to have the same sperm secretions.
Using Ted Bundy's advice on a previous series of murders, authorities come to realize that the killer might indulge in necrophilia with his victims and should stake out areas where they find "fresh bodies" instead of making the discovery public. This is impossible as they can never find a fresh enough corpse.
Investigating one of the victims apartments, police find fingerprints and saliva on an unwashed glass leading them to arrest former police officer James Foley. Because Foley has a history of visiting prostitutes, no alibi on the dates of the abductions, various evidence found within Foley's car, eye witness statements and matching sperm samples, he is convicted as The Water Street Butcher. Because Foley continues to plead not guilty and refuses to make any deals, he is sentenced to death in Pennsylvania. A few days after James' execution by lethal injection, one of the leading investigators finds a map in his mailbox letting him know they have "missed one" and the location of a new body. It becomes clear that the real killer had taken James Foley's sperm from a fertility clinic and meticulously framed him (making James Foley another of his victims by proxy). Foley is exonerated of the murders on September 12th. Because of the close date to the 9/11 attacks, this goes unrecognized by the general public. The ever changing nature and variation of the murders means every psychological profile is contradicting. The Water Street murders continue.
Investigators trace the location of his house by records from a downloaded map of the area where one of the abductions takes place and raid the location. They find the house to be so clean that there are no fingerprints anywhere and no clues to the killers identity. Along with the discovery of over 800 numbered video cassettes capturing several thousand hours chronicling his sadism, numerous dead bodies buried in the back yard (including the body of the original tenant), they find Cheryl Dempsey still alive, over a decade after her original abduction. She has been mentally abused to such an extent that she self harms and tortures herself in secret. Cheryl gives an interview where she says she believes her captor loves her and will return shortly to collect her. Soon after the interview, she commits suicide and in a note states her undying love for her "master". Not long after Cheryl is buried, her remains are mysteriously dug up and disappear.
Although only 27 of the cataloged videos are missing, numerous investigating officers are unable to find even the smallest hint as to the identity of the real Water Street Butcher. The tapes themselves become an essential part of the training for anyone learning criminal psychology. The Water Street murders cease and the case remains open, with authorities stating they will be keeping a close eye on places where the "documentary" will be aired as they believe the ego of the killer will not allow him to miss watching it.
In one last glimpse of the killer's sadistic nature, after the credits, a clip is shown of the face of one of his bound victims in close up. The killer taunts her by saying that he will make her a deal: he will release her unharmed if she does not blink. After a period of prolonged hyperventilation, the film ends as her eyes close.
Cast
- Bobbi Sue LutherBobbi Sue LutherBobbi Sue Luther is a model and host of TLC's Junkyard Mega Wars.- Movie career :Luther played an Orion Slave Girl on Star Trek: Enterprise, She also played a newsreader on Deuce Bigalow: European Gigolo. In March 2007, Bobbi Sue Luther was named the new face of St. Pauli Girl beer...
as Josephine - Samantha RobsonSamantha RobsonSamantha Jane Robson is a British actress who played PC Vicky Hagen in The Bill from 1998 to 2001. She has also appeared in Red Dwarf as Pete Tranter's sister and Murder in Mind. Before working in television, she worked for eighteen months as a table dancer under the name Shelley at For Your Eyes...
as Samantha - Ivar BroggerIvar BroggerIvar Brogger is an American actor of stage, motion pictures and television. He is known for his appearances in several TV shows like 24, NCIS, Star Trek: Voyager, Private Practice and a recurring role in Invasion. He had small roles in motion pictures like Dreamgirls, Ocean's Thirteen and Little...
as Leonard Schway - Ron HarperRon Harper (actor)Ronald Robert "Ron" Harper is an American television and film actor.- Biography :Harper was born in Turtle Creek in Allegheny County near Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, the son of Mabel Grace Champion and George Harper...
as Mike Moakes - Iris BahrIris BahrIris Bahr is an American-born Israeli actress, comedian, director, writer and producer. She has appeared on television programs such as Friends , Curb Your Enthusiasm as Rachel Heinemann , and The King of Queens...
as Psychiatrist - Todd CahoonTodd CahoonTodd Cahoon is an American actor. He starred as Jack Porter on the MyNetworkTV serial Watch Over Me. His previous acting credits include guest appearances on CSI: NY, Without a Trace and Charmed.-Filmography:...
as Ted BundyTed BundyTheodore Robert "Ted" Bundy was an American serial killer, rapist, kidnapper, and necrophile who assaulted and murdered numerous young women during the 1970s, and possibly earlier... - Henry DittmanHenry Dittman- History :He has performed on TV shows such as Crossing Jordan, Zoey 101, Breaking Up with Shannen Doherty, General Hospital, Titus, Hang Time and Felicity , as well as being a contributing writer and regular performer on The Chris Wylde Show Starring Chris Wylde on Comedy Central.Dittman has...
as Frank Anderson - Sean Huze as Hector Gomez
Release
The film's release was very limited and, while the trailer was mainstream, it was not shown in a wide release. As of 2010, a DVD is not available and is unlikely to ever be released. NetflixNetflix
Netflix, Inc., is an American provider of on-demand internet streaming media in the United States, Canada, and Latin America and flat rate DVD-by-mail in the United States. The company was established in 1997 and is headquartered in Los Gatos, California...
has a "Saved" spot on the queue for it, but no DVD date is announced; however, the full film was available for viewing on YouTube
YouTube
YouTube is a video-sharing website, created by three former PayPal employees in February 2005, on which users can upload, view and share videos....
. Since then, however, it has been removed due to a copyright claim.