Half-assed documentary that begins as an exploration of a Staten Island, New York urban legend about Cropsey, killer of children who takes one of many shapes depending on who’s telling the story. In just a few minutes though, the film jump-cuts itself into a true crime piece about a series of missing mentally disabled young people in the 1980s and the creepy-eyed scarecrow, Andre Rand, whom everyone is sure kidnapped and murdered them.
There’s a weird lack of confidence to this movie. It has no point of view. Its voice is squeaky and its hands are shaky as it details a case against Rand that doesn’t include one piece of hard evidence. Most of the talking heads here are convinced that Rand did it. A few—and I do mean just a few—people even offer damning recollections, but what makes them so trustworthy? I don’t know. Neither do directors Barbara Brancaccio and Joshua Zeman, who seem to merely go in whatever direction the wind blows.
When the case can’t be closed and the questions have no answers, Brancaccio and Zeman fall back on the urban legend theme that we all thought they ditched an hour and ten minutes ago. It’s their crutch and it doesn’t do anything more than get them out of the room.