A ‘terrifying’ horror that many dubbed the ‘most disturbing found footage film’ has arrived on Prime Video.
The Poughkeepsie Tapes, released in 2007, is a mockumentary that tells the story of a mysterious and brutal serial killer operating in Poughkeepsie, New York.
The story of his crimes is told through a series of faux interviews with law enforcement and people connected to the case as well as the haunting titular tapes captured by the murderer.
Following its Tribeca premiere in 2007, The Poughkeepsie Tapes was slated for a theatrical release which never happened, leading to it becoming unavailable for several years until 2014 when it had a brief video-on-demand release.
The film, directed by John Erick Dowdle, quickly garnered word-of-mouth hyper, however, thanks to the disturbing nature of the ‘snuff films’ captured at the hands of the serial killer.
The content and style of The Poughkeepsie Tapes proved so realistic that some viewers were convinced the horror film was, in fact, real.
Livinglikeaj wrote on X: ‘OK, I’m ignoring the caption because let’s really talk about how the Poughkeepsie tapes were so terrifying because we all thought that s**t was real. At least I did.’
Coralbluenmbr5 shared their own anecdote on the social media platform: ‘I told my hair stylist that my coworker thought The Poughkeepsie Tapes was based on true events for several years til I told him otherwise, & my stylist said his dad thought the movie was REAL SNUFF FOOTAGE & would not believe that he was wrong.’
Despite being presented as a documentary, complete with a scene saying the tapes in the film were used to train FBI profilers, The Poughkeepsie Tapes are, of course, fictional.
On Reddit, TraverseTown wrote: ‘I’m from Poughkeepsie, I was in like 11th grade when that movie came out and everyone was convinced it was real. It’s not. We’ve only had one high-profile serial killer in the area and he’s nothing like what the movie depicts.’
The controversy surrounding the film is second only to how much it terrified viewers, with many branding it the most ‘terrifying’ and ‘disturbing’ horror film they’ve watched.
Minotauries wrote on X: ‘I watched The Poughkeepsie Tapes a couple nights ago and can’t stop thinking about.
‘For found footage it’s one of the best in the genre, but also equally so disturbing that it’s been weighing heavy on my mind. Been a while since a movie has made me feel this uncomfortable.’
HorrorAddictX added: ‘Rewatched The Poughkeepsie Tapes and it remains one of the most disturbing films I’ve ever seen.’
NoMercyKS warned: ‘If you’re into murder documentaries, mysteries, and crime, I promise you… the Poughkeepsie Tapes documentary is absolutely insane. I’m talking crazier than any serial killer documentary.’
Prince Jackson said: ‘If The Poughkeepsie Tapes had been released in theaters, it would have had the same cultural effect as Paranormal Activity.
‘The feeling of having people wonder if the killer could possibly be sitting right next to them while watching this in theaters is absolutely chilling!’
The Poughkeepsie Tapes is available to stream now on Prime Video.
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