The Poughkeepsie Tapes

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The Poughkeepsie Tapes

R

2007

1h 26m

Horror

Mystery & Thriller

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Popcornmeter

50%

Tomatometer

6 Reviews

50%

Popcornmeter

25,000+ Ratings

Hundreds of video tapes of torture, murder and dismemberment show a killer's decadelong reign of terror.

James Berardinelli

ReelViews

The Poughkeepsie Tapes would lodge in the memory but its impact is fleeting. That’s because, for all its skill, it has nothing to say and no real story to tell.

Rated: 1.5/4

Jul 12, 2024

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Tony Black

Cultural Conversation

A horrific gem. One of the great found footage pictures and indeed the faux documentary genre.

Rated: 4/5

Feb 16, 2021

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Gabriel Ricard

Cultured Vultures

The Poughkeepsie Tapes isn't a classic, but it's an engaging horror mockumentary nonetheless.

Rated: 6/10

Oct 23, 2019

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David Keyes

Cinemaphile.org

The movie thinks too diminutively of human intelligence, even by horror film standards.

Rated: 2/4

Oct 13, 2014

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Brian Orndorf

Blu-ray.com

With every revelation that could give the Dowdles something to play with, they head right back into the basement, convinced audiences would rather watch close-ups of throat-slittings and teary yelps of pain.

Rated: D+

Aug 7, 2014

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Jason Morgan

Filmcritic.com

it's the killer's bizarre motivations that truly terrify

Rated: 4/5

May 12, 2009

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Omar G

The Poughkeepsie Tapes (2007), 3.5/5 stars. Directed by John Erick Dowdle, starring Stacy Chbosky. It's a gothic love story, about the sadist and his masochistic victim who commits suicide, so that he returns for her corpse and desecrates it even if she is no longer conscious, she knows that he is a necrophiliac. This useless man rejoices of his unpunished murders, of his trusting victims and incompetent authorities, what did he achieve and celebrate? In the film the murderer is praised by the inept authorities, they did not deserve their salaries from taxes. A culture that celebrates serial killers. A fantastic ode to how this guy who mocks the system is admired, that's what the film is about.

Rated 3 out of 5 stars

11/24/24

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Alexis A

In this review I will be expressing my subjective and professional opinion as well as commenting about it from an objective POV. Warning: personal opinion incoming. Ngl movie is hella mid. So in conclusion this movie is showing us the cruel state that our world is in. It's really ahead of it's time.

Rated 2 out of 5 stars

10/31/24

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Jesús N

¡Qué película tan bien hecha!

Rated 5 out of 5 stars

10/14/24

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Dawn B

Felt like I was watching it through two sets of eyes : mockup/film, which was unsettling. So found it difficult to judge. My interest waned. So ended up reading my book b.utt. 11.10.24 5.6/0. D.B.

Rated 2.5 out of 5 stars

10/11/24

Full Review

Teddy B

Disturbing even if you can't make out several scenes through the obnoxious filters that constantly seem to chop and change.

Rated 3 out of 5 stars

09/29/24

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Tim A

Very well put together mock-umantery. Very intense scenes which I was not expecting. Pleasantly surprised by this movie.

Rated 3 out of 5 stars

09/28/24

Full Review

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John Erick Dowdle

Director

Stacy Chbosky

Cheryl Dempsey

Ben Messmer

Ed

Samantha Robson

Samantha

Ivar Brogger

Leonard Schway

Lou George

Felton Lewis

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Synopsis

Hundreds of video tapes of torture, murder and dismemberment show a killer's decadelong reign of terror.

Director: John Erick Dowdle
Screenwriter: Drew Dowdle, John Erick Dowdle
Production Co: Brothers Dowdle Productions, Poughkeepsie Films
Rating: R (Graphic Descriptions|Terror|Sadistic Violence and Torture)
Genre: Horror, Mystery & Thriller
Original Language: English
Release Date (Streaming): Jan 2, 2020
Runtime: 1h 26m