The makers of Cropsey don't seem to know what kind of film they wanted to make and as a result the finished product is a mishmash of story bits that never come together. The first few minutes make it look like this film is going to be an exploration of an urban legend about 'Cropsey,' Staten Island's version of the bogyman. The film makers talk to Staten Islanders about the various forms of the legend and an urban history/legend expert at a university. They discard this storyline and move on, never to return to it.
Then the film moves on to talk about the history of a cruel and inhumane facility in the borough where the city hid its unwanted developmentally disabled. However, the film relies on Geraldo Rivera's gripping expose and moves on with the throwaway line that it still took the city 10 years to close down the asylum. Except for the fact that the asylum is on Staten Island, its real relationship to the Cropsey legend (the origin of that name is never discussed)is not answered.
They jump into a convoluted story of some real child murders on the island and the police's hunt for the killer. A former employee of the asylum is arrested and the documentary gives a brief nod to the possibility that he was convicted because the islanders were looking for a scapegoat. The remainder of the film is devoted to a trial of the man two decades later for a second child disappearance.
Here again the movie falls short. Despite interviews with police and the defense they can't decide whether to advocate that perhaps the man is innocent of the second murder. A brief exploration of the possibility of satanic rituals rounds out the film, but aside from a remark from one of the directors on camera that there is no devil worship here (in the remains of the asylum), they leave that aspect unexplored. Overall they ended up with very little in terms of exploration of 'Cropsey'. The film makers end up with even less in terms of expose.
Then the film moves on to talk about the history of a cruel and inhumane facility in the borough where the city hid its unwanted developmentally disabled. However, the film relies on Geraldo Rivera's gripping expose and moves on with the throwaway line that it still took the city 10 years to close down the asylum. Except for the fact that the asylum is on Staten Island, its real relationship to the Cropsey legend (the origin of that name is never discussed)is not answered.
They jump into a convoluted story of some real child murders on the island and the police's hunt for the killer. A former employee of the asylum is arrested and the documentary gives a brief nod to the possibility that he was convicted because the islanders were looking for a scapegoat. The remainder of the film is devoted to a trial of the man two decades later for a second child disappearance.
Here again the movie falls short. Despite interviews with police and the defense they can't decide whether to advocate that perhaps the man is innocent of the second murder. A brief exploration of the possibility of satanic rituals rounds out the film, but aside from a remark from one of the directors on camera that there is no devil worship here (in the remains of the asylum), they leave that aspect unexplored. Overall they ended up with very little in terms of exploration of 'Cropsey'. The film makers end up with even less in terms of expose.