The Poughkeepsie Tapes

The Poughkeepsie Tapes
Theatrical release poster
Directed by	John Erick Dowdle
Produced by	Drew Dowdle
Written by	John Erick Dowdle Drew Dowdle
Starring	Bobbi Sue Luther Samantha Robson Ivar Brogger
Music by	Keefus Ciancia
Cinematography	Shawn Dufraine
Edited by	John Erick Dowdle
Distributed by	Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer
Release date	April 27, 2007
Running time	86 minutes
Country	United States
Language	English

The Poughkeepsie Tapes is a 2007 American documentary-style horror film directed by John Erick Dowdle and starring Bobbi Sue Luther, Samantha Robson and Ivar Brogger. The film has become known for its troubled release history; despite being completed in 2007, the film's only release to the general public occurred in 2014, seven years later.

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 not only captures 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 performed a C-section on the female, placing the severed head of her husband inside her womb before sewing her up again to later rouse her from unconsciousness and 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.