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The Poughkeepsie Tapes

Play trailer Poster for The Poughkeepsie Tapes R 2007 1h 26m Horror Mystery & Thriller Play Trailer Watchlist
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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.
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The Poughkeepsie Tapes

Critics Reviews

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James Berardinelli ReelViews 07/12/2024
1.5/4
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. Go to Full Review
Tony Black Cultural Conversation 02/16/2021
4/5
A horrific gem. One of the great found footage pictures and indeed the faux documentary genre. Go to Full Review
Gabriel Ricard Cultured Vultures 10/23/2019
6/10
The Poughkeepsie Tapes isn't a classic, but it's an engaging horror mockumentary nonetheless. Go to Full Review
David Keyes Cinemaphile.org 10/13/2014
2/4
The movie thinks too diminutively of human intelligence, even by horror film standards. Go to Full Review
Brian Orndorf Blu-ray.com 08/07/2014
D+
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. Go to Full Review
Jason Morgan Filmcritic.com 05/12/2009
4/5
it's the killer's bizarre motivations that truly terrify Go to Full Review
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Audience Reviews

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Brittani O Nov 10 I am baffled by this movie. The torture scenes and killer are definitely disturbing, and I like how many true crime stories they referenced however I dont know what the point was. This doesn't give me a conclusion, doesn't tell me who the killer was. Normally I like an ambiguous ending when it's well done, however this movie left me feeling like I just watched a bunch of snuff. This reminds me of the terrifier movies: a bunch of gore, but maybe to the point it's only making future serial killers happy. There's a line, and this movie spends so much time on the pain of the victims I feel like it's FOR people turned on by pain. I'm grossed out by it. I have to give it credit for being disturbing but it was too disturbing with no resolution. See more Gabriel T @GabrielFagundes Nov 1 The movie presents the serial killer in a kinda exaggerated way, like he is depicted as the most terrifying thing that has ever walked on Earth. However, it wasn't a bad movie. It was a horrific movie like it wants to be, so... This movie kinda works See more Sensachanel M Oct 25 Most reviewers, imo, are missing the over the top humor. I don't think this is supposed to be taken seriously. It's a comedy/horror/tragedy remarking on our love of true crime TV. See more Paul S Oct 4 This is probably the most disturbing movie I've ever seen. It felt way too real to be a movie written by somebody, and every second made my stomach curl. This is a masterclass in horror movies, and it has earned the title of the most horrifying film I have ever watched. I definitely recommend it for thriller and horror fans! See more Old S Aug 20 I found this pretty hair-raising actually. The found footage of the victims is what got me. It was almost as terrifying as Megan is Missing. However, the people acting as the police, family, friends, etc., in the "documentary" were not very believable at all. It was kind of overacted. There were also some lines that were probably meant to make the folx seem down-homey but, they just missed the mark and landed as bad jokes. At a couple points I wondered if that was on purpose. See more Jack K. @Jack_K_7654 Aug 9 I thought this was going to be an amazing movie because it was a found footage but boy was I wrong. I found it hard to follow along, the VHS filter thing just bugged me because of the constant change from green and black and staticky, and the ending was predictable and boring. See more Read all reviews
The Poughkeepsie Tapes

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Movie Info

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
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