Exclusive: UTA has signed director, producer and writer Joshua Zeman — a leading voice in the true-crime storytelling space — with plans to find him new opportunities in documentary filmmaking, narrative directing, digital content and more.
Zeman is best known for his critically acclaimed debut feature Cropsey, as well as such series as The Killing Season (A+E Networks), Murder Mountain (Netflix) and The Sons of Sam: A Descent into Darkness (Netflix).
Co-directed with Barbara Brancaccio, Cropsey watches as the filmmakers delve into the mystery surrounding five missing children and the real-life boogeyman linked to their disappearances. The Killing Season sees Zeman and Rachel Mills examine unsolved serial killer cases, while Murder Mountain looks at crime surrounding the marijuana industry in Humboldt County, California. And then, there’s The Sons of Sam, which looks at journalist Maury Terry’s conspiratorial thinking surrounding the infamous Son of Sam murders.
Zeman most recently departed from...
Zeman is best known for his critically acclaimed debut feature Cropsey, as well as such series as The Killing Season (A+E Networks), Murder Mountain (Netflix) and The Sons of Sam: A Descent into Darkness (Netflix).
Co-directed with Barbara Brancaccio, Cropsey watches as the filmmakers delve into the mystery surrounding five missing children and the real-life boogeyman linked to their disappearances. The Killing Season sees Zeman and Rachel Mills examine unsolved serial killer cases, while Murder Mountain looks at crime surrounding the marijuana industry in Humboldt County, California. And then, there’s The Sons of Sam, which looks at journalist Maury Terry’s conspiratorial thinking surrounding the infamous Son of Sam murders.
Zeman most recently departed from...
- 3/6/2023
- by Matt Grobar
- Deadline Film + TV
Journalist Maury Terry was already neck-deep into trying to prove that David Berkowitz, a.k.a. the Son of Sam, did not act alone in his New York City killing spree when he received a letter from the serial killer in 1981, postmarked Attica Correctional Facility. “I am guilty of these crimes,” Berkowitz wrote, “But I didn’t do it all.”
Berkowitz went on to tell Terry that he was part of a cult, as the journalist had suspected, and that there was more than one Son of Sam, even naming his neighbor John Carr,...
Berkowitz went on to tell Terry that he was part of a cult, as the journalist had suspected, and that there was more than one Son of Sam, even naming his neighbor John Carr,...
- 4/30/2021
- by Brenna Ehrlich
- Rollingstone.com
While the SXSW Film Festival is kicking off in Austin this week, the Tribeca Film Festival will continue to shine a spotlight on upcoming genre films in April and May, including Joe Begos' Bliss, Ant Timpson's Come to Daddy (starring Elijah Wood and Stephen McHattie), and Something Else (directed by Jeremy Gardner and Christian Stella).
From the Press Release: "New York – March 5, 2019 – The 2019 Tribeca Film Festival, presented by At&T, today unveiled its feature film lineup. Continuing its tradition of elevating exceptional storytelling rooted in today’s global film communities, the 18th annual Festival will showcase debut works from emerging talent and new works from notable filmmakers. The program includes discoveries, comedies, music-centered, political and social films. The 2019 Tribeca Film Festival takes place April 24 - May 5.
The feature program includes 103 films from 124 filmmakers. The films selected in the three competition sections consist of 50% women directed films. The lineup includes 81 World Premieres,...
From the Press Release: "New York – March 5, 2019 – The 2019 Tribeca Film Festival, presented by At&T, today unveiled its feature film lineup. Continuing its tradition of elevating exceptional storytelling rooted in today’s global film communities, the 18th annual Festival will showcase debut works from emerging talent and new works from notable filmmakers. The program includes discoveries, comedies, music-centered, political and social films. The 2019 Tribeca Film Festival takes place April 24 - May 5.
The feature program includes 103 films from 124 filmmakers. The films selected in the three competition sections consist of 50% women directed films. The lineup includes 81 World Premieres,...
- 3/8/2019
- by Derek Anderson
- DailyDead
The second film in the collaboration between Dread Central and Constellation.tv has been announced: This Friday, March 16, at 10pm Edt, DC's own (me!) Doctor Gash will be hosting an online screening of the chilling documentary Cropsey.
The things Joshua Zeman and Barbara Brancaccio reveal in this film are downright scary.
After hosting a successful screening of Absentia on Constellation.tv, Gash returns with his unique hosting style to bring you the story of a living, breathing nightmare. Follow this link to get your ticket to Cropsey! Muh-wa-ha-ha!
Synopsis
Growing up on Staten Island, filmmakers Joshua Zeman and Barbara Brancaccio had often heard the legend of Cropsey. For the kids in their neighborhood, Cropsey was the escaped mental patient who lived in the old abandoned Willowbrook Mental Institution, who would come out late at night and snatch children off the streets. Sometimes Cropsey had a hook for a hand, other...
The things Joshua Zeman and Barbara Brancaccio reveal in this film are downright scary.
After hosting a successful screening of Absentia on Constellation.tv, Gash returns with his unique hosting style to bring you the story of a living, breathing nightmare. Follow this link to get your ticket to Cropsey! Muh-wa-ha-ha!
Synopsis
Growing up on Staten Island, filmmakers Joshua Zeman and Barbara Brancaccio had often heard the legend of Cropsey. For the kids in their neighborhood, Cropsey was the escaped mental patient who lived in the old abandoned Willowbrook Mental Institution, who would come out late at night and snatch children off the streets. Sometimes Cropsey had a hook for a hand, other...
- 3/12/2012
- by Doctor Gash
- DreadCentral.com
You know we're always looking out for you…trying to find ways to make that horror dollar stretch just a little further. We all know how it is. So read on for your chance to see the creepy documentary Cropsey, hosted by the directors, on Constellation.tv this Sunday.
Okay, here are the deets: This Sunday, March 11th, at 8Pm Edt (I know, I know - just DVR "The Walking Dead") directors Joshua Zeman and Barbara Brancaccio will host a live online screening of their horrific documentary film Cropsey on Constellation.tv. And as promised, here's your chance to attend the show for Free! We've got 10 tickets to give away. Just send an E-mail Here with "Show Me Cropsey" in the body of the letter, and if you're among the first 10, you'll be checking out this show on the house!
About Cropsey
Growing up on Staten Island, filmmakers Joshua Zeman...
Okay, here are the deets: This Sunday, March 11th, at 8Pm Edt (I know, I know - just DVR "The Walking Dead") directors Joshua Zeman and Barbara Brancaccio will host a live online screening of their horrific documentary film Cropsey on Constellation.tv. And as promised, here's your chance to attend the show for Free! We've got 10 tickets to give away. Just send an E-mail Here with "Show Me Cropsey" in the body of the letter, and if you're among the first 10, you'll be checking out this show on the house!
About Cropsey
Growing up on Staten Island, filmmakers Joshua Zeman...
- 3/9/2012
- by Doctor Gash
- DreadCentral.com
Nothing is scarier than stuff that really happened, and in their creepy documentary Cropsey, Joshua Zeman and Barbara Brancaccio investigate this Long Island legend used to scare the bejesus out of children in hopes of making them listen to their parents. Now they have more to share.
The directorial duo will be hosting a screening of Cropsey on Constellation.tv next Sunday night, March 11, at 8pm Est. Zeman and Brancaccio will be giving an introduction to the film via webcam and will be available to chat during the film before giving a post-screening Q&A. For more on the award-winning 2009 film, check out the Cropsey website , follow Cropsey on Twitter (@cropseylegend) and check out the Cropsey Facebook page.
Synopsis
Growing up on Staten Island, filmmakers Joshua Zeman and Barbara Brancaccio had often heard the legend of Cropsey. For the kids in their neighborhood, Cropsey was the escaped mental patient who...
The directorial duo will be hosting a screening of Cropsey on Constellation.tv next Sunday night, March 11, at 8pm Est. Zeman and Brancaccio will be giving an introduction to the film via webcam and will be available to chat during the film before giving a post-screening Q&A. For more on the award-winning 2009 film, check out the Cropsey website , follow Cropsey on Twitter (@cropseylegend) and check out the Cropsey Facebook page.
Synopsis
Growing up on Staten Island, filmmakers Joshua Zeman and Barbara Brancaccio had often heard the legend of Cropsey. For the kids in their neighborhood, Cropsey was the escaped mental patient who...
- 3/5/2012
- by Doctor Gash
- DreadCentral.com
Each week within this column we strive to pair the latest in theatrical releases to worthwhile titles currently streaming on Netflix Instant Watch. This week we offer alternatives to Being Flynn, The Snowtown Murders, and Tim & Eric’s Billion Dollar Movie.
This Friday theaters will be filled with pairs of men, from a couple of kooky comedians, to an estranged father-son team, and a duo of deadly Aussies. But if these new releases aren’t enough to satisfy your craving for chills, laughs and heartwarming moments, we’ve got you covered with some of the best selections Now Streaming.
Based on Nick Flynn’s poignant memoir, this drama centers on his time volunteering at a homeless shelter, and how it led to an unexpected reunion with his estranged father. Paul Dano and Robert De Niro co-star; Paul Weitz directs.
Want more memoir-based dramas?
A Guide to Recognizing Your Saints (2006) Dito Montiel...
This Friday theaters will be filled with pairs of men, from a couple of kooky comedians, to an estranged father-son team, and a duo of deadly Aussies. But if these new releases aren’t enough to satisfy your craving for chills, laughs and heartwarming moments, we’ve got you covered with some of the best selections Now Streaming.
Based on Nick Flynn’s poignant memoir, this drama centers on his time volunteering at a homeless shelter, and how it led to an unexpected reunion with his estranged father. Paul Dano and Robert De Niro co-star; Paul Weitz directs.
Want more memoir-based dramas?
A Guide to Recognizing Your Saints (2006) Dito Montiel...
- 3/1/2012
- by jpraup@gmail.com (thefilmstage.com)
- The Film Stage
Each week within this column we strive to pair the latest in theatrical releases to the worthwhile titles now streaming on Netflix Instant Watch. This week we look at alternatives to Footloose, The Skin I Live In and Texas Killing Fields .
This weekend music , murder and madness collide in theaters, where small-town teens discover the joys of choreography, a devastated widower delves into madness, and Texan detectives track a sadistic killer. But if these features won’t sate your cravings for badass dance moves, Spanish flavored drama, and true to life crime tales, we got you covered with a list of hot titles that are currently available online.
A town where dancing is illegal is turned upside down by a teen-aged rebel (Kenny Wormald) with the deep desire to cut loose…footloose. Craig Brewer, the subversive director behind Hustle & Flow and Black Snake Moan, helms this sassy remake of the...
This weekend music , murder and madness collide in theaters, where small-town teens discover the joys of choreography, a devastated widower delves into madness, and Texan detectives track a sadistic killer. But if these features won’t sate your cravings for badass dance moves, Spanish flavored drama, and true to life crime tales, we got you covered with a list of hot titles that are currently available online.
A town where dancing is illegal is turned upside down by a teen-aged rebel (Kenny Wormald) with the deep desire to cut loose…footloose. Craig Brewer, the subversive director behind Hustle & Flow and Black Snake Moan, helms this sassy remake of the...
- 10/13/2011
- by jpraup@gmail.com (thefilmstage.com)
- The Film Stage
Directed by: Joshua Zeman, Barbara Brancaccio
Produced by: Joshua Zeman, Barbara Brancaccio, Zachary Mortensen
Written by: Joshua Zeman
Fear can do many things. It can turn the brave into weaklings, the pious into unbelievers. And, in the documentary Cropsey, we witness how fear turned a homeless man in to an urban legend.
In the 1960's Staton Island was a dumping ground for the rest of New York City, despite a growing community. Not just of garbage, but human refuse as well. The island was home to a TB ward and the infamous Willowbrook Mental State School, where the residents lived in horrid conditions (Geraldo broke the story, which kickstarted his career). After the "school" was closed, residents in the surrounding neighborhoods suspected some patients, unwilling to leave the only home they knew, lived within the web of tunnels under Willowbrook. From this, the tale of Cropsey was born.
Filmmakers Brancaccio...
Produced by: Joshua Zeman, Barbara Brancaccio, Zachary Mortensen
Written by: Joshua Zeman
Fear can do many things. It can turn the brave into weaklings, the pious into unbelievers. And, in the documentary Cropsey, we witness how fear turned a homeless man in to an urban legend.
In the 1960's Staton Island was a dumping ground for the rest of New York City, despite a growing community. Not just of garbage, but human refuse as well. The island was home to a TB ward and the infamous Willowbrook Mental State School, where the residents lived in horrid conditions (Geraldo broke the story, which kickstarted his career). After the "school" was closed, residents in the surrounding neighborhoods suspected some patients, unwilling to leave the only home they knew, lived within the web of tunnels under Willowbrook. From this, the tale of Cropsey was born.
Filmmakers Brancaccio...
- 8/14/2011
- by Chris McMillan
- Planet Fury
Fantaspoa 2011, billed as “the biggest fantastic film festival in Latin America”, is gearing up down in Brazil, with a whopping 150 films in its line-up, including 55 short films and 95 feature films. Director Rodrigo Aragao’s “The Night of the ChupaCabras” will open the festival, which will also feature the world premiere of Kapel Furman’s “Pólvora Negra (Black Gunpowder)”. And for you International horror fiends, Italian maestro of the horrific, Lamberto Bava will be honored with the festival’s Career Achievement Award. The Fest will run from July 2nd through July 17th, and you can get more details and ticketing info at the festival’s Official Site. The festival is separated into six different sections, including: Documentaries: 6 titles — Cropsey (Joshua Zeman, Barbara Brancaccio), Made in Serbia (Mladen Djordjevic) and The Man Who Saw Frankenstein Cry (Ángel Agudo). Action Films: 6 titles — Boy Wonder (Michael Morrissey), Mandrill (Ernesto Díaz Espinoza), Sinners & Saints (William Kaufman...
- 6/26/2011
- by Nix
- Beyond Hollywood
Cropsey is a Staten Island horror documentary from filmmakers Joshua Zeman and Barbara Brancaccio. The story is about an escaped patient from the Willowbrook State School mental institution who kidnapped children.
This documentary is as creepy as I’ve seen because most just really bore me. As locals are interviewed they share different stories and myths about the urban legend that has become Cropsey. As the two filmmakers investigate further they get deeper into the story which goes from the urban areas to rural parts all the way to the courtroom. Make no mistake, this is real!
The man himself doesn’t cooperate at all and when he finally does, it’s just a waste of time for our two filmmakers. But why would this guy do this to these two? Is he hiding something because he claims he’s innocent. Who knows for sure?
Even Geraldo Rivera got on the case way back!
This documentary is as creepy as I’ve seen because most just really bore me. As locals are interviewed they share different stories and myths about the urban legend that has become Cropsey. As the two filmmakers investigate further they get deeper into the story which goes from the urban areas to rural parts all the way to the courtroom. Make no mistake, this is real!
The man himself doesn’t cooperate at all and when he finally does, it’s just a waste of time for our two filmmakers. But why would this guy do this to these two? Is he hiding something because he claims he’s innocent. Who knows for sure?
Even Geraldo Rivera got on the case way back!
- 5/17/2011
- by brians
- GeekTyrant
2010 - 84 mins. - Not Rated
D: Barbara Brancaccio, Joshua Zemna
Documentary detailing Brancaccioa and Zemna relating how the urban legend of Cropsey, a serial killer with either a hook or an axe or a knife that murdered young children, and how that urban legend came to be a terrifying reality as children disappeared over the years on Staten Island and how Andre Rand figured as a modern day Boogeyman.
Arresting documentary filled with many powerful vignettes. Scenes showing the families of the disappeared are heartbreaking. Scenes showing the determination of the police force strike a chord. Scenes showing Andre Rang make you believe he could possibly be a real life Boogeyman. Whatever emotions this document tries to convey through it's use of archival footage or interviews, it manages to succeed at. Only problem, the filmmakers involve themselves in the beginning of this documentary in their relating of the Cropsey urban...
D: Barbara Brancaccio, Joshua Zemna
Documentary detailing Brancaccioa and Zemna relating how the urban legend of Cropsey, a serial killer with either a hook or an axe or a knife that murdered young children, and how that urban legend came to be a terrifying reality as children disappeared over the years on Staten Island and how Andre Rand figured as a modern day Boogeyman.
Arresting documentary filled with many powerful vignettes. Scenes showing the families of the disappeared are heartbreaking. Scenes showing the determination of the police force strike a chord. Scenes showing Andre Rang make you believe he could possibly be a real life Boogeyman. Whatever emotions this document tries to convey through it's use of archival footage or interviews, it manages to succeed at. Only problem, the filmmakers involve themselves in the beginning of this documentary in their relating of the Cropsey urban...
- 5/10/2011
- by Big Daddy aka Brandon Sites
- Big Daddy Horror Reviews - Interviews
*full disclosure: a screener of this film was provided by Breaking Glass Pictures.
Directors: Joshua Zeman, and Barbara Brancaccio.
Writer: Joshua Zeman.
A child killer is on the loose in Breaking Glass Picture's latest release, Cropsey. Two native Staten islanders return to their birth place, where tales of Cropsey, or the boogeyman haunted the local Willowbrook State School for the mentally challenged. A mythical figure, Cropsey soon became a real man, known as Andre Rand. Shot in documentary style, Cropsey paints a telling picture of devils living in our own backyards.
Several children would disappear from Staten Island between 1972 to 1987. Soon, the authorities needed a scapegoat and their attention would focus on ex-Willowbrook employee Andre Rand. Drooling and looking confused, Rand looks and acts the role of child killer throughout the film, but the evidence does not make his guilt so straight forward. However, Rand was always in the wrong place at the wrong time,...
Directors: Joshua Zeman, and Barbara Brancaccio.
Writer: Joshua Zeman.
A child killer is on the loose in Breaking Glass Picture's latest release, Cropsey. Two native Staten islanders return to their birth place, where tales of Cropsey, or the boogeyman haunted the local Willowbrook State School for the mentally challenged. A mythical figure, Cropsey soon became a real man, known as Andre Rand. Shot in documentary style, Cropsey paints a telling picture of devils living in our own backyards.
Several children would disappear from Staten Island between 1972 to 1987. Soon, the authorities needed a scapegoat and their attention would focus on ex-Willowbrook employee Andre Rand. Drooling and looking confused, Rand looks and acts the role of child killer throughout the film, but the evidence does not make his guilt so straight forward. However, Rand was always in the wrong place at the wrong time,...
- 5/8/2011
- by Remove28DaysLaterAnalysisThis@gmail.com (Michael Allen)
- 28 Days Later Analysis
My introduction to writer/director Ben Rock came when I interviewed him for his 2009 highly-underrated flick Alien Raiders, which took themes from Invasion of the Body Snatchers and The Thing and combined them with a little bit of “24” for good measure (hard not to when the film’s star is Carlos Bernard). Last year I had the opportunity to experience Rock’s work in the realm of live theatre with his twisted play Ba’al and quickly realized he’s someone who has an interesting perspective when it comes to genre-related projects.
I recently caught up with Rock, who's been busy working on content for a recent big-name video game release, to find out what his top five independent horror films are. Check out his favorites below!
1. Midnight Son
Scott Leberecht's debut feature about a young man turning into something he doesn't want to understand brings me back to...
I recently caught up with Rock, who's been busy working on content for a recent big-name video game release, to find out what his top five independent horror films are. Check out his favorites below!
1. Midnight Son
Scott Leberecht's debut feature about a young man turning into something he doesn't want to understand brings me back to...
- 3/18/2011
- by thehorrorchick
- DreadCentral.com
Critically-Acclaimed Horror Documentary ‘Cropsey’ Coming to DVD in May
From the Press Release:
February 24, 2011 – Philadelphia, Pa — Breaking Glass Pictures has announced the May 10 DVD release of Joshua Zeman and Barbara Brancaccio’s documentary “Cropsey,” which tells the real-life horror story of convicted child murderer Andre Rand. The critically-acclaimed film, which has played at major film festivals and is in the midst of a nationwide screening tour, will be released under Breaking Glass’ Vicious Circle Films label.
Growing up on Staten Island, filmmakers Joshua Zeman and Barbara Brancaccio had often heard the legend of Cropsey. For the kids in their neighborhood, Cropsey was the escaped mental patient who lived in the old, abandoned Willowbrook Mental Institution and would come out at night to snatch children off the streets. Later, as teenagers, the filmmakers assumed Cropsey was just an urban legend: a cautionary tale used to keep them out of those abandoned buildings.
From the Press Release:
February 24, 2011 – Philadelphia, Pa — Breaking Glass Pictures has announced the May 10 DVD release of Joshua Zeman and Barbara Brancaccio’s documentary “Cropsey,” which tells the real-life horror story of convicted child murderer Andre Rand. The critically-acclaimed film, which has played at major film festivals and is in the midst of a nationwide screening tour, will be released under Breaking Glass’ Vicious Circle Films label.
Growing up on Staten Island, filmmakers Joshua Zeman and Barbara Brancaccio had often heard the legend of Cropsey. For the kids in their neighborhood, Cropsey was the escaped mental patient who lived in the old, abandoned Willowbrook Mental Institution and would come out at night to snatch children off the streets. Later, as teenagers, the filmmakers assumed Cropsey was just an urban legend: a cautionary tale used to keep them out of those abandoned buildings.
- 3/4/2011
- by brians
- GeekTyrant
Though many would not necessarily expect a documentary to be as scary as a fictional film that has added sound effects, dramatic lighting, and blood and gore, many people would agree that Cropsey is not your typical documentary. Telling the story of two filmmakers investigating the real-life disappearance of five young children in Staten Island, Cropsey shows us that dark secrets can lie under the surface of a seemingly “normal” town. The film is not only a fascinating documentary, but it is one of my top ten favorite horror films of 2010. Breaking Glass Pictures has announced the May 10 DVD release of Joshua Zeman and Barbara Brancaccio’s documentary Cropsey. Read on for more details on the DVD release.
For those not wanting to wait till the May 10 DVD release, Cropsey can currently be seen instantly over Netflix and Amazon (look below this post to easily add it). Special features on...
For those not wanting to wait till the May 10 DVD release, Cropsey can currently be seen instantly over Netflix and Amazon (look below this post to easily add it). Special features on...
- 3/2/2011
- by Michael Haffner
- Destroy the Brain
There's a new horror documentary on its way called Cropsey and the good folks over at Breaking Glass Pictures have given us our first look. Readon below and watch the cool trailer at the bottom. From the Press Release: February 24, 2011 - Philadelphia, Pa - Breaking Glass Pictures has announced the May 10 DVD release of Joshua Zeman and Barbara Brancaccio's documentary "Cropsey," which tells the real-life horror story of convicted child murderer Andre Rand. The critically-acclaimed film, which has played at major film festivals and is in the midst of a nationwide screening tour, will be released under Breaking Glass' Vicious Circle Films label. Now as adults Joshua and Barbara 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...
- 2/26/2011
- by brians
- GeekTyrant
We haven't made an entry into our Underappreciated Gems series in quite some time, and we've had a lot of requests for more coverage of Netflix Instant, so I thought we'd combine the two and come up with a new round of Underappreciated Gems currently available on Netflix Instant.
The criteria for an Underappreciated Gem remains as it always does: A movie that didn't make at least $10 million at the box office. I doubt many of these films, from the last three years, even crossed the $2 million mark. But that doesn't make them any less worthy.
Links go to the Netflix page.
8: The Mormon Proposition: 8: The Mormon Proposition is a stirring, tragically depressing documentary about the Mormon Church's massive efforts to support and pass California's Proposition 8 ballot initiative (also called the California Marriage Protection Act), which in 2008 redefined marriage in the state of California as being only between a man and a woman,...
The criteria for an Underappreciated Gem remains as it always does: A movie that didn't make at least $10 million at the box office. I doubt many of these films, from the last three years, even crossed the $2 million mark. But that doesn't make them any less worthy.
Links go to the Netflix page.
8: The Mormon Proposition: 8: The Mormon Proposition is a stirring, tragically depressing documentary about the Mormon Church's massive efforts to support and pass California's Proposition 8 ballot initiative (also called the California Marriage Protection Act), which in 2008 redefined marriage in the state of California as being only between a man and a woman,...
- 1/10/2011
- by Dustin Rowles
It was a year where documentary blurred the line and smashed the U.S. government's policies on everything like a terrible toddler tempestuously trouncing a trainset. Most of these films are actually acts of fiction, and a few are Warholian examples of installation art. There were plenty of genuine marvels that didn't even make the list: Joan Rivers: A Piece of Work, which actually pulled off what Sofia Coppola thought she was doing in Somewhere; the madcapped mashup of Intervention and "So You Think You Can Dance" and Jerry Springer that was The Wild Wonderful Whites of West Virginia; the delighfully delusional serious mockumentary stylings of Blood Into Wine about Tool/Puscifer/A Perfect Circle frontman Maynard James Keenan's quest to bottle fine wines. Not to mention smaller and important efforts like Barbershop Punk, which takes on net neutrality, or the fantastic Lemmy, which will get a release in this coming year.
- 1/3/2011
- by Dustin Rowles
This Halloween, Investigation Discovery plans on scaring the bejesus out of you with creepy, chilling and scary real-life programming, anchored by the world premiere of American Occult, a three-part mini-series that explores some of the most haunting subcultures in America. "Occult" takes you inside the evil worlds of self-professed vampires, cannibals and Satanists, each episode reveals the truth behind these ritual killers. "American Occult" premieres on Saturday, October 30 from 8-11 Pm Et on Investigation Discovery. But first, kicking off ID.s theme weekend, is the return of "Cropsey" (Friday, October 29 from 8-10 Pm), a frightening documentary by filmmakers Joshua Zeman and Barbara Brancaccio that seeks to solve one of New Yorks. most disturbing unsolved mysteries of a...
- 10/12/2010
- by April MacIntyre
- Monsters and Critics
Directors: Barbara Brancaccio, Joshua Zeman Writer: Joshua Zeman Cropsey is the name given to all the evil that lurks in the dark on Staten Island. This urban legend, passed down to each generation, takes on many different guises: Cropsey is the crazed killer brandishing a hook for a hand, or maybe an ax, or the ever-popular butcher knife. But is Cropsey a manifestation of the fears of the young or a bona fide maniac run amok? In Cropsey, directors Barbara Brancaccio and Joshua Zeman attempt to weave the urban legend of Cropsey with the real-life disappearances of young children on Staten Island. Their subject is ultimately Andre Rand, a former employee at a Staten Island mental institution, who is eventually arrested for the kidnapping and murder of Jennifer Schweiger. Rand is convicted, but the story continues as Rand is suspected in the disappearances of more children. Rand’s conviction will bring solace to some,...
- 8/19/2010
- by Dirk Sonniksen
- SmellsLikeScreenSpirit
Cropsey Directed by: Barbara Brancaccio and Joshua Zeman Written by: Joshua Zeman Every neighbourhood has its secrets and every city has a dark underbelly. This seems to be one of the unsettling messages we are meant to take away from Cropsey, a documentary exploring the urban legend of a serial killer with a hook for a hand that has been passed down through the generations on Staten Island. When directors Barbara Brancaccio and Joshua Zeman decide to dig up the truth behind this tale that they had heard as kids, their investigation does not necessarily lead to any earth shattering revelations. It does, however, take us through some pretty creepy real-life locales and a horrifying true crime story, eventually leaving us to ponder the validity of our own ghost stories. Back in 1987, Jennifer Schweiger, a 12-year-old girl with Downe's syndrome went missing on Staten Island. Her dead body turned up...
- 8/13/2010
- by Sean
- FilmJunk
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 Joshua Zeman and Barbara 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 kidnap and murder of Jennifer Schweiger, a 13-year old girl with Down Syndrome. Zeman and Brancaccio teamed up to make the chilling documentary Cropsey,...
- 8/10/2010
- IONCINEMA.com
In the mood for something truly haunting? How about a real scary story? Barbara Brancaccio and Joshua Zeman’s documentary Cropsey is only in a limited number of theaters, but if it’s not playing in your town, you’re not out of luck; Cropsey is available On Demand, but only until August 12th. Back when I was a kid I was haunted by the sleep away camp legend of Cropsey, a guy who came out of the woods to snatch up little campers. Turns out Brancaccio, Zeman and a slew of other kids out there grew up frightened by a similar tale. However, for folks living on Staten Island, this legend became a [...]...
- 8/6/2010
- by Perri Nemiroff
- ShockYa
For me, one of the best surprises I came across at last year's Fantastic Fest was Cropsey, a documentary by Joshua Zeman and Barbara Brancaccio. Given that particular festival is mainly about absurdly unrealistic films, Cropsey ended up having this strange word of mouth around the theater lines. It was inevitable when talking about what someone had already seen at the fest or what they were planning to that you'd hear the phrase, "So Cropsey is good, eh? I thought it was just a mockumentary, not an actual documentary..."
The reason people were confused about what kind of movie Cropsey is had nothing to do with the style of filmmaking. It was entirely because the subject matter of Zeman and Brancaccio's documentary is so uniquely specific, so bothersome and unbelievable that it seems like it's the script for a horror movie. It's not a script, though. There's nothing staged or hoaxy about it at all.
The reason people were confused about what kind of movie Cropsey is had nothing to do with the style of filmmaking. It was entirely because the subject matter of Zeman and Brancaccio's documentary is so uniquely specific, so bothersome and unbelievable that it seems like it's the script for a horror movie. It's not a script, though. There's nothing staged or hoaxy about it at all.
- 7/28/2010
- by Peter Hall
- Cinematical
Cropsey
Directed by: Barbara Brancaccio, Joshua Zeman
Cast: Donna Cutugno, Karen Schweiger
Running Time: 1 hr 25 mins
Rating: Unrated
Release Date: July 16, 2010
Plot: A documentary about a Staten Island urban legend come to life. Filmmakers Brancaccio and Zeman examine their childhood boogeyman, Cropsey, and discover there is some truth to the legend when they examine the case of suspected child killer Andre Rand.
Who’S It For? People who have been watching the news and wondering where Kyron Horman could be. Anyone who wondered how Jaycee Dugard managed to remain hidden for 18 years.
Expectations: Billed as a “horror documentary”, I was expecting something along the lines of the Blair Witch Project. I was totally off.
Scorecard (0-10)
Actors:
Donna Cutugno as herself: One of the most memorable of the many faces in Cropsy, Cutungo leads a group called “Friends of Jennifer”. Jennifer Schweiger was a 12 year old with downs syndrome who...
Directed by: Barbara Brancaccio, Joshua Zeman
Cast: Donna Cutugno, Karen Schweiger
Running Time: 1 hr 25 mins
Rating: Unrated
Release Date: July 16, 2010
Plot: A documentary about a Staten Island urban legend come to life. Filmmakers Brancaccio and Zeman examine their childhood boogeyman, Cropsey, and discover there is some truth to the legend when they examine the case of suspected child killer Andre Rand.
Who’S It For? People who have been watching the news and wondering where Kyron Horman could be. Anyone who wondered how Jaycee Dugard managed to remain hidden for 18 years.
Expectations: Billed as a “horror documentary”, I was expecting something along the lines of the Blair Witch Project. I was totally off.
Scorecard (0-10)
Actors:
Donna Cutugno as herself: One of the most memorable of the many faces in Cropsy, Cutungo leads a group called “Friends of Jennifer”. Jennifer Schweiger was a 12 year old with downs syndrome who...
- 7/16/2010
- by Megan Lehar
- The Scorecard Review
We all have ghost stories we told each other when we were younger. Parents threatened their children's misbehaviors with vengeance by a hook-handed maniac or a blood-drenched witch who took bad kiddies off into the woods where they were never seen again. The same urban legend lurked in shadows up and down both coasts and in the hinterlands between. Countless horror films are based on the campfire tales and babysitter squeals we were taunted with as wee ones. Most of these stories are rooted in folklore or some fact; there really was an Ed Gein who cut up people and ate them. The Blair Witch Project and The Last Broadcast, which the Blair Witch filmmakers pirated their idea from, tried to do a fake documentary to scare up audiences. But filmmakers Barbara Brancaccio and Joshua Zeman took this a step further. They actually dug up the roots of their very own lurking madman Cropsey.
- 7/14/2010
- by Dustin Rowles
L.A. readers! We've got two pairs of tickets to see the documentary Cropsey this Thursday, July 15 at 7:30pm. The film is playing at the Laemmle's Sunset 5 (8000 Sunset Blvd. West Hollywood, 90046). Simply e-mail your Full Name and E-mail Address to ryanrot@gmail.com and put "Cropsey" in the subject header. We'll select one winner at random by end of day Wednesday, July 14 and notify you if you've won. In Cropsey , filmmakers Joshua Zeman and Barbara Brancaccio present a riveting true-crime drama with a personal investigation of the "Cropsey" myth, uncovering a reality more terrifying than any urban legend. Growing up on Staten Island, Zeman and Brancaccio had often heard the legend of "Cropsey" . the escaped mental patient who lived in...
- 7/13/2010
- shocktillyoudrop.com
Lock your doors and turn off the lights! After a critically acclaimed festival tour and run at New York's IFC Center, Josh Zeman and Barbara Brancaccio's horror-documentary Cropsey is now available nationwide on Video-On-Demand until August 12th for major operators including Comcast, Time Warner Cable, Cox, and Brighthouse.
Realizing the urban legend of their youth has actually come true, Cropsey follows two filmmakers as they delve into the mystery surrounding five missing children and the real-life Staten Island boogeyman linked to their disappearances.
Synopsis
Growing up on Staten Island, filmmakers Joshua Zeman and Barbara Brancaccio had often heard the legend of ‘Cropsey.’ For the kids in their neighborhood, Cropsey was the escaped mental patient who lived in the old abandoned Willowbrook Mental Institution, who would come out late at night and snatch children off the streets. Sometimes Cropsey had a hook for a hand, other times he wielded a bloody axe,...
Realizing the urban legend of their youth has actually come true, Cropsey follows two filmmakers as they delve into the mystery surrounding five missing children and the real-life Staten Island boogeyman linked to their disappearances.
Synopsis
Growing up on Staten Island, filmmakers Joshua Zeman and Barbara Brancaccio had often heard the legend of ‘Cropsey.’ For the kids in their neighborhood, Cropsey was the escaped mental patient who lived in the old abandoned Willowbrook Mental Institution, who would come out late at night and snatch children off the streets. Sometimes Cropsey had a hook for a hand, other times he wielded a bloody axe,...
- 7/12/2010
- by Uncle Creepy
- DreadCentral.com
Terror-filled childhood legends and boogeymen are not only explored in the documentary Cropsey, they're physically sought out by co-directors Joshua Zeman and Barbara Brancaccio. We had the chance to sit and chat with Cropsey (in theaters this Friday) co-director Joshua Zemen to chat about chasing after his childhood nightmares and what it's like when you actually find what it is you've been looking for. FEARnet: Can you talk a little about the story behind Cropsey? Joshua Zeman: The movie is about our attempt to find out if the boogeyman, the supposed boogeyman of our childhood, is real. We grew up in Staten Island and there was always this urban legend about Willowbrook Mental Institution that Geraldo...
- 7/8/2010
- FEARnet
Cropsey – Mon thru Wed at The Ritz!
Smash hit of Fantastic Fest 2009!
“On several levels, this film is a real-life horror story that puts most Hollywood movies to shame.” – Lou Lumenick, New York Post
“Perched at the intersection of psychological survey and serial-killer exposé, Cropsey loosens the girdle of the documentary form to accommodate much more than facts.” – Jeannette Catsoulis, New York Times
Cropsey is a creepy documentary that explores how fact and fiction intersect in a real-life murder case in Staten Island, New York. Like many kids that grew up in the area, directors Joshua Zeman and Barbara Brancaccio were told the story of Cropsey, a lunatic child-killer that escaped from the Willowbrook Mental Institution. Cropsey was treated as just another urban myth until Jennifer Schweiger, a young girl with Down’s syndrome, disappeared from her Staten Island home in 1987.
After Jennifer’s disappearance, three more kids — all of...
Smash hit of Fantastic Fest 2009!
“On several levels, this film is a real-life horror story that puts most Hollywood movies to shame.” – Lou Lumenick, New York Post
“Perched at the intersection of psychological survey and serial-killer exposé, Cropsey loosens the girdle of the documentary form to accommodate much more than facts.” – Jeannette Catsoulis, New York Times
Cropsey is a creepy documentary that explores how fact and fiction intersect in a real-life murder case in Staten Island, New York. Like many kids that grew up in the area, directors Joshua Zeman and Barbara Brancaccio were told the story of Cropsey, a lunatic child-killer that escaped from the Willowbrook Mental Institution. Cropsey was treated as just another urban myth until Jennifer Schweiger, a young girl with Down’s syndrome, disappeared from her Staten Island home in 1987.
After Jennifer’s disappearance, three more kids — all of...
- 7/5/2010
- by Zack Carlson
- OriginalAlamo.com
One of the most iconic devices in horror films is a maniac terrorizing a local town, the worst of which is one who preys on children. But what if the urban legend turns out to be real?
Filmmakers Joshua Zeman and Barbara Brancaccio explore a real-life horror story of a boogeyman legend come to life in Cropsey, a movie about a series of murders centering on an abandoned state institution on Staten Island, New York, the suspect, the victims, and perceived versus actual guilt.
The "Cropsey" urban legend is so pervasive in the Hudson River valley region of New York, even people in outlying areas are familiar with it. Details change, but the core is the same: there's a maniac, he's armed, and he hunts kids. From a time when it was still common for kids to spend hours on their own without adult supervision, such cautionary tales kept some...
Filmmakers Joshua Zeman and Barbara Brancaccio explore a real-life horror story of a boogeyman legend come to life in Cropsey, a movie about a series of murders centering on an abandoned state institution on Staten Island, New York, the suspect, the victims, and perceived versus actual guilt.
The "Cropsey" urban legend is so pervasive in the Hudson River valley region of New York, even people in outlying areas are familiar with it. Details change, but the core is the same: there's a maniac, he's armed, and he hunts kids. From a time when it was still common for kids to spend hours on their own without adult supervision, such cautionary tales kept some...
- 7/5/2010
- by Jenn Brown
- Slackerwood
Is it a revelation or a revolution? It’s both! The Revelation Perth International Film Festival is tackling the theme of “Revolution” when its 13th annual edition begins violating Australia on July 8-18. Get set for 11 days filled French zombies, Belgian cowboys, outer space outlaws, Beat poets, cat ladies, gospel musicians and other revolutionaries.
Actually, one of the main features of the festival this year is a slew of music documentaries, mostly spotlighting both American and Australian music. On the U.S. side of things there’s Wheedle’s Groove, a look at the history of Seattle funk; Rejoice and Shout, which examines gospel music’s impact on African-American culture — and vice versa; Tom Dicillo’s Doors documentary When You’re Strange; plus The Family Jams and 72 Musicians. And, from Australia, there’s Megan Simpson-Hubberman’s classic concert film The Night of the Triffids.
There’s lots more than music docs,...
Actually, one of the main features of the festival this year is a slew of music documentaries, mostly spotlighting both American and Australian music. On the U.S. side of things there’s Wheedle’s Groove, a look at the history of Seattle funk; Rejoice and Shout, which examines gospel music’s impact on African-American culture — and vice versa; Tom Dicillo’s Doors documentary When You’re Strange; plus The Family Jams and 72 Musicians. And, from Australia, there’s Megan Simpson-Hubberman’s classic concert film The Night of the Triffids.
There’s lots more than music docs,...
- 7/2/2010
- by Mike Everleth
- Underground Film Journal
Cropsey Joshua Zeman and Barbara Brancaccio | USA 2009 | 84min. Saturday July 3 – Doors 8:15pm / Film 9:00pm Admission $8 co-presented with Sound On Sight 3660 Boul. St-Laurent / 438-380-5869 http://www.blue-sunshine.com/blue-sunshine.html Cropsey is a creepy documentary that explores how fact and fiction intersect in a real-life murder case in Staten Island, New York. Like many kids that grew up [...]...
- 6/23/2010
- by Ricky
- SoundOnSight
When I was a kid, I was enamored by creepy urban legends. It didn't really have anything to do with believing in them. I don't think I ever did. Not seriously, anyway. It was always more about the pervasiveness of the stories. There's something in the way they continue to be regurgitated, the way it's insisted that the story really happened to someone who someone you know knows, and the varying details that branch from one version to the next. In one tale, the home-invading stranger is a recently escaped mental patient. In another, a sadistic killer. Who can say with certainty?
Although the chilling documentary Cropsey follows and assembles itself around the crimes of Andre Rand, a homeless man convicted of kidnapping and murdering children in the Staten Island area during the 70's and 80's, the true focus of the film is in urban legends: how they take shape...
Although the chilling documentary Cropsey follows and assembles itself around the crimes of Andre Rand, a homeless man convicted of kidnapping and murdering children in the Staten Island area during the 70's and 80's, the true focus of the film is in urban legends: how they take shape...
- 6/8/2010
- by Arya Ponto
- JustPressPlay.net
Rating: 4/5
Writer: Joshua Zeman
Directors: Joshua Zeman and Barbara Brancaccio
Studio: Antidote Films
Documentaries are an interesting breed of movie genre. Were I to ask my friends to sit down and watch a documentary with me, they’d hightail it outta there like my mother at a Slayer concert. And yet, most recent documentaries I’ve watched diverge from the mold and offer distinct characters and a well paced narrative.
Read more on Theatrical Review: Cropsey…...
Writer: Joshua Zeman
Directors: Joshua Zeman and Barbara Brancaccio
Studio: Antidote Films
Documentaries are an interesting breed of movie genre. Were I to ask my friends to sit down and watch a documentary with me, they’d hightail it outta there like my mother at a Slayer concert. And yet, most recent documentaries I’ve watched diverge from the mold and offer distinct characters and a well paced narrative.
Read more on Theatrical Review: Cropsey…...
- 6/5/2010
- by Will Schiffelbein
- GordonandtheWhale
The initial conceit of Cropsey, an investigation into what is essentially an urban legend come to life, is enough to scare you without even seeing it. A very personal story for its two directors, Barbara Brancaccio and Joshua Zeman, as they examine a tale closely tied into their adolescence, the movie becomes instantly relatable and universal when viewers realize they grew up hearing any number of similar tales—and captures the sheer terror that they may, even to the smallest degree, be based on truth.
- 6/4/2010
- by gingold@starloggroup.com (Samuel Zimmerman )
- Fangoria
Joshua Zeman and Barbara Brancaccio grew up in separate parts of Staten Island, but both heard the legend of “Cropsey,” a combination Boogeyman and Hook-Hand who allegedly lived in the woods by an old abandoned hospital and snuck out at night to kidnap and disembowel children. Then in 1987, when Zeman and Brancaccio were teenagers, a mentally handicapped girl was abducted from the Willowbrook area, and during the trial of chief suspect Andre Rand, it came out that children had been going missing from that part of Staten Island since the 1970s, when the old Willowbrook State School for the ...
- 6/3/2010
- avclub.com
Cropsey, directed by Barbara Brancaccio and Joshua Zeman, is has a scheduled release tour across the United States. You can finally see this serial killer documentary hailed as 'terrifying' by Roger Ebert in real theaters in real cities this summer.
If you head to the Cinema Purgatorio (the distributor) website, you can see the lineup of dates and cities, along with venues, listed here.
Growing up on Staten Island, filmmakers Joshua Zeman and Barbara Brancaccio had often heard the legend of ‘Cropsey.’ For the kids in their neighborhood, Cropsey was the escaped mental patient who lived in the old abandoned Willowbrook Mental Institution, who would come out late at night and snatch children off the streets...
Sometimes Cropsey had a hook for a hand, other times he wielded a bloody axe, but it didn’t matter, Cropsey was always out there, lurking in the shadows, waiting to get them.
Later as teenagers,...
If you head to the Cinema Purgatorio (the distributor) website, you can see the lineup of dates and cities, along with venues, listed here.
Growing up on Staten Island, filmmakers Joshua Zeman and Barbara Brancaccio had often heard the legend of ‘Cropsey.’ For the kids in their neighborhood, Cropsey was the escaped mental patient who lived in the old abandoned Willowbrook Mental Institution, who would come out late at night and snatch children off the streets...
Sometimes Cropsey had a hook for a hand, other times he wielded a bloody axe, but it didn’t matter, Cropsey was always out there, lurking in the shadows, waiting to get them.
Later as teenagers,...
- 6/2/2010
- by Superheidi
- Planet Fury
Part personal history remembrance, part time capsule of a place, part true crime thriller, Cropsey is an absorbing and terrifying piece of filmmaking. A rough hewn, nine years in the making feature directorial debut for narrative film producer turned documentarian Joshua Zeman and NYC Human Resources Administration’s Deputy Commissioner Barbara Brancaccio, it delves into the disappearances of several handicapped children in their native borough of Staten Island during the ’70s and ’80s. The filmmaker trace their distinctive childhood memories of the events as well as those of dozens of Staten Island residents who live on with this disturbing mystery, many unconvinced—even though someone has been brought to justice for these...
- 6/2/2010
- by Brandon Harris
- Filmmaker Magazine-Director Interviews
Freddy, Michael and Jason haunt the big screen and may even sneak into a nightmare now and then, but how would you feel if one of these iconic slashers was the real deal? Both Josh Zeman and Barbara Brancaccio got a taste of just that growing up on Staten Island where the legend of a sadistic mental patient on the loose and a murderous urban legend collided. In their documentary Cropsey, the duo combines the scary story of Cropsey with the reality of Andre Rand, a former employee at the Willowbrook State School who allegedly went on a kidnapping and killing spree targeting young victims. Zeman and Brancaccio intertwine their experience with the Cropsey myth and the actual details of Rand.s crimes, giving a face to the fictitious villain. Sit through one of Freddy, Michael or Jason.s films and the bloodshed is over within a couple of hours...
- 6/2/2010
- cinemablend.com
A year after his film's premiere at the 2009 Tribeca Film Festival, director Joshua Zeman updates us on the criminal investigations that inspired Cropsey, a horror documentary with a healthy side of urban legend. Audiences can check out the spooky flick starting Friday, June 4, at IFC Center in New York City, or on demand via major cable providers starting July 2. Cropsey, the documentary I co-directed with Barbara Brancaccio, took us nearly ten years to make, but the urban legend and the crimes we investigated span over three decades. The film profiles Cropsey, the well-known summer camp urban legend come true, surrounding five missing children in Staten Island and the real-life bogeyman linked to their disappearances. Having grown up on Staten Island, this story held particular interest for us as filmmakers. Given that Cropsey is about a series of crimes local to ...
- 5/31/2010
- TribecaFilm.com
Here's a slice of something devilish called Cropsey , a documentary hitting the theatrical circuity on June 4 in New York (at the IFC Center) and expands to Staten Island, Los Angeles, Denver, Austin and Boston. A VOD release is planned for July 2 with a broadcast premiere subsequently planned for Investigations Discovery on August 13. In Cropsey , filmmakers Joshua Zeman and Barbara Brancaccio present a riveting true-crime drama with a personal investigation of the "Cropsey" myth, uncovering a reality more terrifying than any urban legend. Growing up on Staten Island, Zeman and Brancaccio had often heard the legend of "Cropsey" . the escaped mental patient who lived in the abandoned tunnels of the Willowbrook mental hospital and came at night to snatch...
- 5/27/2010
- shocktillyoudrop.com
The fascinatingly creepy documentary Cropsey is hitting the road for series of theatrical dates after a successful festival run in 2009. The film's theatrical run kicks off on June 4th, 2010 with a screening on the grounds of Willowbrook Mental Institution, which figures prominently into the film's disturbing exploration of a real-life murder case in Staten Island, New York. A full list of current dates and a new teaser are featured near the end of this post.
Like many kids that grew up in Staten Island, directors Joshua Zeman and Barbara Brancaccio were told the story of Cropsey, a lunatic child-killer that escaped from Willowbrook. Cropsey was treated as an urban myth until four kids, all of whom suffered from a mental or physical disability, also turned up missing.
After the body of one the kids turned up, Andre Rand, a disturbed transient who worked at Willowbrook until it was shut down,...
Like many kids that grew up in Staten Island, directors Joshua Zeman and Barbara Brancaccio were told the story of Cropsey, a lunatic child-killer that escaped from Willowbrook. Cropsey was treated as an urban myth until four kids, all of whom suffered from a mental or physical disability, also turned up missing.
After the body of one the kids turned up, Andre Rand, a disturbed transient who worked at Willowbrook until it was shut down,...
- 5/17/2010
- Screen Anarchy
I've heard the name Cropsey a number of times over the past week or so, but I still wasn't really sure what it was or why I should care. All I knew is that it was some sort of horror project that people were comparing to The Blair Witch Project, and while normally that might pique my interest, the thought of another low budget knockoff didn't really appeal to me at this point in time. It turns out that Cropsey is a real documentary that premiered at Tribeca last month about the urban legend of an escaped mental patient who kidnapped and murdered children on Staten Island back in the 1980s. Okay... now you've got my attention. Directors Joshua Zeman and Barbara Brancaccio had heard the tale when they were younger, thinking that it was just a ghost story to keep kids away from the abandoned Willowbrook Mental Institution. However,...
- 5/13/2010
- by Sean
- FilmJunk
Inside you'll find a brand new look at Cropsey, a new doc by Joshua Zeman and Barbara Brancaccio that asks "What if your urban legend were true?" Urban legendswe either dismiss them or accept that they have some grain of truth. Directors Zeman and Brancaccio attempt to uncover one such urban myth as they investigate five missing children and the real-life boogeyman linked to their disappearance in Staten Island during their youth. Will this terrifying journey resolve what has haunted them since childhood? The film will be showing at the IFC Center in New York on June 4 while also hitting VOD on June 1, get the full details here.
- 5/5/2010
- bloody-disgusting.com
No, not the burned and scarred killer from the slasher classic The Burning (who incidentally looked way scarier than the new Freddy Krueger that is now haunting the nightmares of people who like good movies); we're talking about the really creepy documentary that debuted at last year's Tribeca.
Cinema Purgatorio announced today that "the spine-tingling documentary Cropsey, which peels back the layers of fact and fiction behind one of New York’s most disturbing unsolved mysteries, will debut theatrically on Friday, June 4, at New York City’s IFC Center before spreading to Los Angeles, Denver, Austin, Boston, and additional bookings through Cinema Purgatorio."
Gravitas Ventures has picked up North American VOD rights to the documentary feature, which became available nationwide on VOD beginning June 1, 2010.
Synopsis
Growing up on Staten Island, filmmakers Joshua Zeman and Barbara Brancaccio had often heard the legend of ‘Cropsey.’ For the kids in their neighborhood, Cropsey...
Cinema Purgatorio announced today that "the spine-tingling documentary Cropsey, which peels back the layers of fact and fiction behind one of New York’s most disturbing unsolved mysteries, will debut theatrically on Friday, June 4, at New York City’s IFC Center before spreading to Los Angeles, Denver, Austin, Boston, and additional bookings through Cinema Purgatorio."
Gravitas Ventures has picked up North American VOD rights to the documentary feature, which became available nationwide on VOD beginning June 1, 2010.
Synopsis
Growing up on Staten Island, filmmakers Joshua Zeman and Barbara Brancaccio had often heard the legend of ‘Cropsey.’ For the kids in their neighborhood, Cropsey...
- 5/3/2010
- by Uncle Creepy
- DreadCentral.com
After making a splash on the festival circuit, Gravitas Ventures has picked up North American rights to Cropsey , available on VOD June 1. Cropsey will also screen as a "special presentation" at the Staten Island Film Festival. This late-night screening will take place on the grounds of the infamous Willowbrook State School (now the College of Staten Island). Willowbrook, a psychiatric ward, was shuttered after its abuses were profiled in a groundbreaking 1972 expose from Geraldo Rivera. Growing up on Staten Island, NY, filmmakers Joshua Zeman and Barbara Brancaccio had often heard the legend of "Cropsey." For the kids on the island, he was the escaped mental patient who lived in the tunnels of Willowbrook and came out late at night to snatch children off...
- 5/3/2010
- shocktillyoudrop.com
Tina Mabry's "Mississippi Damned," an independent American production, won the Gold Hugo as the best film in the 2009 Chicago International Film Festival, and added Gold Plaques for best supporting actress (Jossie Thacker) and best screenplay (Mabry). It tells the harrowing story of three black children growing up in rural Mississippi in circumstances of violence and addiction. The film's trailer and an interview with Mabry are linked at the bottom.
Kylee Russell in "Mississippi Damned"
The win came over a crowed field of competitors from all over the world, many of them with much larger budgets. The other big winner at the Pump Room of the Ambassador East awards ceremony Saturday evening was by veteran master Marco Bellocchio of Italy, who won the Silver Hugo as best director for "Vincere," the story of Mussolini's younger brother. Giovanna Mezzogiorno and Filippo Timi won Silver Hugos as best actress and actor,...
Kylee Russell in "Mississippi Damned"
The win came over a crowed field of competitors from all over the world, many of them with much larger budgets. The other big winner at the Pump Room of the Ambassador East awards ceremony Saturday evening was by veteran master Marco Bellocchio of Italy, who won the Silver Hugo as best director for "Vincere," the story of Mussolini's younger brother. Giovanna Mezzogiorno and Filippo Timi won Silver Hugos as best actress and actor,...
- 10/23/2009
- by Roger Ebert
- blogs.suntimes.com/ebert
About five or so months ago, when the weather was a bit warmer in New York City and Halloween wasn’t happily breathing down our necks, I was satisfying my need for the macabre at the Tribeca Film Festival. At Tribeca I was treated to a damn good documentary entitled Cropsey (you can read my brief review here). The film centers on a classic urban legend which attached itself to a set of real and horrifying crimes on Staten Island in the 1980s at the height of Satanic Panic and explores the man at the center of it all.
A good film even gets better, however, when the filmmakers are rad people and great in conversation, as I soon found out over breakfast with Joshua Zeman and Barbara Brancaccio, the directors of Cropsey. Our bagel talk resulted in one of my favorite pieces I’ve thus far written for Fangoria...
A good film even gets better, however, when the filmmakers are rad people and great in conversation, as I soon found out over breakfast with Joshua Zeman and Barbara Brancaccio, the directors of Cropsey. Our bagel talk resulted in one of my favorite pieces I’ve thus far written for Fangoria...
- 10/22/2009
- by no-reply@fangoria.com (Sam Zimmerman)
- Fangoria
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