Cropsey Screened as BIFF Special
Great Barrington Triplex Oct.29
By: BIFF - Oct 26, 2010
For all you fright seeking film fans, don’t miss out on the creepy film CROPSEY this Friday! In honor of the Halloween weekend, the BIFF’s REEL FRIENDS Film Society will present the special screening of the documentary film, CROPSEY directed by Joshua Zeman and Barbara Brancaccio. The film will be screened only once at the Triplex on Friday, October 29th at 9 p.m. with a Q&A with the filmmaker immediately following.
In almost every community there is an urban legend floating around about a madman who disposes of children who aren't careful and become too curious about their surroundings. The boogeyman himself varies from town to town - even within the community itself - but the message is always the same: travel in packs and stay away from dangerous areas....or else! For kids on Staten Island in New York, that boogeyman was known as Cropsey, an escaped mental patient who would snatch kids off the street late at night. Filmmakers Zeman and Brancaccio grew up with the legend of Cropsey, but in 1987 the legend took on human form when Andre Rand, a former employee of the Willowbrook mental institute for children, was convicted of the kidnapping and murder of 13 year-old Jennifer Schweiger.
Now as adults Zeman and Brancaccio have returned to Staten Island to create Cropsey, a feature documentary that delves into the mystery behind Jennifer and four additional missing children. The film also investigates Andre Rand, the real-life boogeyman linked to their disappearances.
Embarking on a mysterious journey into the underbelly of their forgotten borough, these filmmakers uncover a reality that is more terrifying than any urban legend. Zeman comments, “We knew the Satan-worshipping stories as kids, as well as the stories about the tunnels. Every college, mental institution, prison, they all have urban legends about tunnels, and many of them are based in reality. What we discovered was quite shocking, though…"
CROPSEY is open to the public. Tickets are $9 for adults, 6.50 for seniors and free for REEL Friends.
BIFF 2011 will be held June 2-5, and submissions are now open.