cropsey | Camera Viscera

This entry may be a bit controversial since it’s a documentary, but since it deals with urban legends and the boogeyman, I thought I’d include it. Plus, for a documentary, it’s utterly terrifying — I mean, what if an urban legends were real?

The filmmakers start out by detailing a myth of their youth: “Cropsey”, a boogeyman type who hunted and killed the children of Staten Island. This eventually turns into the filmmakers exploring several missing children cases from their neighborhood when they were younger. What they discover is that the urban legends of Cropsey turn out to be completely true.

I forget how I stumbled across this, but it came out in 2009 and I watched it just last year. Bottom line is it’s incredible, I’m so glad I watched it. I love documentaries and true crime as it is, but it plays to my horror fanatic side as well. In fact, I don’t think I’ve seen a documentary like this: it plays out just like a horror movie. Like a real life Candyman.

After you watch a scary film, when the lights come up and the credits start to roll, you can take a breath and say it was just a movie. But if you want to watch something that you cannot dispute and won’t be able to shake, watch Cropsey.

The Burning was released shortly after Friday the 13th and has often been called a ‘rip-off’, but that isn’t the case — despite several glaring similarities.

Yes, both are set at a summer camp (Burning in New York, Friday in New Jersey); the antagonist in both films is a lumbering, disfigured unstoppable monster; and, oddly enough, Tom Savini did the make-up for both films (to GREAT effect, I might add). But despite the similarities, The Burning is actually quite a refreshing watch after seeing the Friday canon about a hundred times over.

The film sees a hapless janitor (named Cropsy) fall victim to a prank gone awry, wherein he is severely burned and disfigured. However, he survives — and after laying low for awhile — decides to exact his revenge on some kids at the same camp. The weapon he chooses to maim the kiddies — pruning shears — is particularly brutal.

This film is notable in the fact that it stars future names like Holly Hunter, Jason Alexander, and Fisher Stevens. Not only that, but it was written by Harvey Weinstein (yes, that Weinstein) and produced by his brother Bob. In fact, it was the first movie produced by their company, Miramax. It was also produced by a very young, pre-Paramount CEO Brad Grey.

If you like it when slashers attack kids at camp, but need a break from ol’ Jason, give Cropsy a try.