True crime documentaries will remain beloved in the face of the most heinous accusations. Each example raises questions about the moral permissibility of getting entertainment out of the horrific death of living people. Whether it’s exploitative trash or harmless fun is a question for each individual viewer. When two filmmakers sought the origin of their local legend,Cropsey, they discovered a true crime story with too many questions left open.
Cropseycomes from the minds of Barbara Brancaccio and Joshua Zeman. Brancaccio doesn’t have any other credits in the industry, but Zeman remains active. He has built hiscareer out of true crime. His best-known project isThe Sons of Sam: A Descent Into Darkness, in which he profiles a journalist who has spent decades arguing that David Berkowitz did not act alone. Most recently, Zeman left the world of murder for a touching nature documentary calledThe Loneliest Whale: The Search for 52.
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What isCropseyabout?
Those who grew up on Staten Island, New York, in the 1970s and 80slikely remember hearing aboutCropsey. He came in many forms. He was often described as an escaped mental patient who lived in or near the Willowbrook State School. That institution is one of the most famous terrible healthcare providers in American History. Robert F. Kennedy called it a snake pit, and political pundit Geraldo Rivera attained national fame for covering its horrors. Willowbrook was shut down in 1987 after inspiring federal legislation to protect the rights of similar victims. Don’t applaud too loudly. Most of their alumni are still being abused in group homes. Willowbrook reportedly played home to Cropsey, whocarried a bloody axor a hook for a hand or both. He allegedly stole children off the streets, rendering many seemingly docile locations dangerous. In 1988, the perfect embodiment of Cropsey emerged.
Andre Rand, born Frank Rostum Rushan in 1944, worked as an orderly at Willowbrook. He sometimes lived in or around the campus. In 1969, Rand served 16 months of a four-year prison sentence for attempting to rape a nine-year-old girl. In 1983, he served ten months for bringing 11 children on an unplanned field trip without the consent of their parents. Rand was accused of being involved in thedisappearance of at least six missing children. None of these cases have been solved. In 1988, Rand was charged with the kidnapping and murder of Jennifer Schweiger, a 12-year-old girl with Down syndrome. He was convicted of kidnapping Schweiger after the police found her body in a shallow grave near his campsite. He was sentenced to 25 years. Rand would have been eligible for parole in 2008, but he was convicted of a second kidnapping in 2004, for which he received a second 25-to-life sentence. Rand is currently serving his two consecutive sentences. He will be eligible for parole again in 2037 when he is 93 years old.
Cropseyties the urban legend of the title to the true crime story that arguably inspired it. The film suggests that the unfounded fear of bloody axes and hook hands were convenient stand-ins for the banal horror of a rampant child snatcher. It also delves into Rand’s position as a figure of media interest. He’s apicture-perfect alleged serial killer. The details falling into place to stick him with the kidnappings feel almost too convenient. Most of the feature is made up of interviews with Staten Island natives who remember the folk tale and the court cases. Some speculate that Rand had accomplices. Others suggest he was in service to Satan, offering kids up as sacrifices. It’s a messy story that ends on a question mark, but it’s a nightmare along the way.
Are there other horror documentaries?
Joshua Zeman went on to develop a spiritual successor toCropseyin the form ofKiller Legends, which also investigates the ties between true crime stories and urban legends. Anyone looking for more of whatCropseyoffers should check it out. Other documentaries frequently borrow cinematic lessons from horror films.Paul Solet’sTreadtellsthe tale of a man fortifying a bulldozer to settle petty grievances with the flair one would expect from Eli Roth’s protégé. To look back at the early days of the genre, examine 1990’sParadise Lost: The Child Murders at Robin Hood. For an even more modern boogeyman,HBO’sBeware the Slendermanis still as poignant as it was in 2016. Anyone with even a passing interest in this genre should drop what they’re doing and seek outDear Zachary: A Letter to a Son About His Fatherimmediately. Don’t even look it up first.
Cropseyis a one-of-a-kind experience made by people with intimate memories of the original story’s effects. The idea that the urban legends that scare us could be a cover for the things we should truly fear should keep us in terror.Cropseyis availablefor free from Tubi, Pluto, and YouTube. It may not be the most terrifying film ever made, but its haunting presence will stick with the viewer.
