The Poughkeepsie Tapes True Story: How Much Of The Movie Is Actually Real (2024)

The Poughkeepsie Tapes is one of the most infamous found footage movies of all time because it seems chillingly real. Urban myths and legends surround ThePoughkeepsie Tapes and the story of serial killer Edward Carver. Ever since its 2007 release, rumors have persisted that The Poughkeepsie Tapes are real, and director John Erick Dowdle somehow got a genuine snuff movie put into circulation. Dowdle stoked this reputation by marketing The Poughkeepsie Tapes as being based entirely on real events.

The Poughkeepsie Tapes aren't real, but they are based on true stories. The Poughkeepsie Tapes starts with a police raid on a house in Poughkeepsie, New York, where the disturbing discovery of over 800 videotapes filmed by serial killer Edward Carver. The horrifying mementos document everything from his abduction process to the post-mortem mutilation in excruciating detail. While the titular "Poughkeepsie Tapes" the movies focus on don't exist, they are incredibly brutal and disturbingly realistic — though they are nothing compared to the events that they draw inspiration from.

Why Some People Think The Poughkeepsie Tapes Are Real

The Viral Marketing For The Poughkeepsie Tapes Was A Little Too Effective

There are two main reasons many believe The Poughkeepsie Tapes are real. The first is that the crimes of Edward Carver, the Poughkeepsie serial killer, and the tapes he left behind, don't seem that implausible. The investigation in The Poughkeepsie Tapes uncovered 800 videotapes hidden in a basem*nt, each one depicting one of Edward Carver's twisted crimes. As evidenced by the existence of Monster: The Jeffrey Dahmer Story, society has a fascination with serial killers.

The crimes of Edward Carver in The Poughkeepsie Tapes may be on a larger scale, but they're comparable to Jeffrey Dahmer or Ted Bundy. Serial killers are also known to create mementos of their crimes, including videos like the titular Poughkeepsie Tapes in John Erick Dowdle's movie. For those unaware that The Poughkeepsie Tapes is entirely a work of fiction, there's little reason to write off the story of Edward Carver, the Poughkeepsie serial killer, as false.

What Inspired The Poughkeepsie Tapes

John Erick Dowdle Drew From The Crimes Of Multiple Serial Killers

The Poughkeepsie Tapes was not based on a real-life event. Instead, it was influenced entirely by past serial killers and their crimes, rather than a Poughkeepsie Tapes killer, as well as the exploitative contents of snuff films. Snuff films commonly depict obscene content, normally acts of real homicide. John Erick Dowdle's marketing of The Poughkeepsie Tapes leaned into this narrative, which further circulated the myth that the Poughkeepsie Tapes seen in the movie are real.

The legend surrounding The Poughkeepsie Tapes true story then resurfaced over a decade after the movie's 2007 release thanks to social media. In November 2020, Michael Goi's Megan Is Missing went viral on TikTok and, along with it, so did The Poughkeepsie Tapes. Both found footage horror movies offer disturbing depictions of kidnapping, assault on women and children, as well as murder.

Clips from The Poughkeepsie Tapes shown out of context fueled the legend that The Poughkeepsie Tapes is a snuff movie, and many circulated the platform without any mention that the footage was from a film at all. While this is a testament to the skill shown by John Erick Dowdle when creating The Poughkeepsie Tapes, none of the footage is real. Only a few shreds of truth are used to create, admittedly, what is one of horror's most terrifying found footage movies so far, but Edward Carver wasn't a real serial killer.

What Is Real In The Poughkeepsie Tapes

The Movie Includes Some Real Facts, But There's No Real Crime On-Screen

There is heavy debate in the film industry about which movies depict actual murders and acts of self-mutilation versus those that are staged. Filmed murders and executions do exist, but they weren't made with the intent of entertainment. The only real-life murders and criminal acts The Poughkeepsie Tapes can be tied to are Kendall Francois's 10 murders, which took place from 1996 to 1998. Francois killed ten sex workers. Despite the influence his crimes may have had, he never recorded them.

This adds another level of separation between the true story and what the film depicts. The notorious and heavily documented serial killer Ted Bundy (who is the subject of many movies) also influenced the found footage horror movies. In The Poughkeepsie Tapes, detectives interview Bundy in hopes of garnering some kind of insight or a pattern to help solve the crime.

Surprisingly, the serial killer is complicit and even attempts to help them find a motive by asking when he sexually assaults his victims. Bundy was executed in 1989 for the brutal murders of 30 known victims, but it's estimated he killed many more. He primarily targeted women, much like the killer in The Poughkeepsie Tapes. So, while The Poughkeepsie Tapes aren't real and the footage of Edward Carvers' murders is staged, some elements of the story of the serial killer and his tapes are taken from real life.

The Poughkeepsie Tapes Aren't Real, But The Movie Was Ahead Of Its Time

John Erick Dowdle Created A Niche Genre Masterpiece

The Poughkeepsie Tapes and the spine-chilling story of the Poughkeepsie serial killer is arguably ahead of its time. Unfortunately, thanks to every Paranormal Activity film and a found footage renaissance in the 2000s, audiences have become fatigued with the found footage horror genre. In addition, The Poughkeepsie Tapes' staggered release and the fact its premiere coincided with the first Paranormal Activity film meant that the movie's premiere went largely unnoticed.

It wasn't until The Poughkeepsie Tapes emerged again on social media over a decade later, mostly due to the myth that the movie showed real killings, that this chilling found-footage gem began to be taken seriously. A key reason many 2020s viewers accept the story that The Poughkeepsie Tapes is true is because of how well it inadvertently fits the formula of a modern true-crime documentary. The Poughkeepsie Tapes plays like a true-crime documentary chronicling the horrific reign of the Poughkeepsie serial killer.

One of the unique things the movie highlights is the sheer media circus that accompanies these kinds of crimes and is openly critical of the spectacle. Popular serial killer documentaries today, like Netflix's Dont F*** With Cats, lampoon the media and the public's fascination bordering on obsession with serial killers. The Poughkeepsie Tapes subtly underlines this fact, proving that the horror film might have done better if it were released in the 2020s, rather than 2007.

Ultimately, credit for The Poughkeepsie Tapes goes to director John Erick Dowdle. He is best known for horror movies, especially in the found footage subgenre. His best-known movie is 2014's As Above, So Below, but he also directed Devil (2010) and Quarantine (2018). While his filmography is not as lengthy as other directors, Dowdle's movies made a lasting impact in the realm of found-footage horror following The Blair Witch Project.

The Poughkeepsie Tapes: Where To Watch

The Controversial Movie Isn't Banned

For many years, The Poughkeepsie Tapes was extremely hard to find a legal copy of. That's due to The Poughkeepsie Tapes being pulled from release for almost a decade by MGM. The fact that The Poughkeepsie Tapes was shelved added to the urban legend about Edward Carver and the tapes of the Poughkeepsie killing being real. In truth, the movie was reportedly shelved by MGM because they believed it would never get past the censors.

Considering that, over a decade after the initial release of The Poughkeepsie Tapes, many viewers still believe the footage they're watching is genuine, MGM may have made a sensible choice. A Blu-ray was released in 2017, and The Poughkeepsie Tapes can also currently be streamed on several different services. Oddly though, it's not available to rent or buy at digital retailers. Despite that, it's a true victory for horror fans that The Poughkeepsie Tapes is now widely available after being sought after for so long.

Other Disturbing Movies Like The Poughkeepsie Tapes

There Are Many Movies That Censors Thought Were Real And Banned

The Poughkeepsie Tapes isn't the only horror movie so disturbing that it fell foul of the censors. Many horror flicks create uncertainty around whether audiences are taking in real horror or adept storytelling. That's if they didn't use the controversy to promote the movie. Several films banned in America wore their censored status proudly, especially when the bootleg and underground VHS market was strong. At one point in the 1980s, a VHS of The Texas Chainsaw Massacre (1976) was a collector's item.

Censors in many countries fell for the movie's "disclaimer" that the events it portrayed were true. Today, The Texas Chainsaw Massacre (2021) is streamable by anyone with a Netflix subscription. Texas Chainsaw Massacre (1976) enjoyed a theatrical release and yearly screenings. Some movies were too realistic to even make it to the big screen, although there used to be more independent movie theaters with the freedom to choose their billings.

The controversial Cannibal Holocaust (1980) is perhaps the most infamous banned movie that, like The Poughkeepsie Tapes, many believe is real. The scenes of impalement, sexual violence, and cannibalism fooled censors. The movie is still banned in several countries over four decades since its release. Faces of Death (1978) proudly boasted its banning in "over 46 countries" due to debate over its death scenes. Produced in the 1970s, Faces of Death needed heavy editing before its first unrestricted release in 2003.

The Poughkeepsie Tapes is one of the more recent examples of found-footage and horror controversy, despite its initial 2007 release being over a decade ago. The 70s and 80s were the golden age for this type of medium. Just as True-Crime shows captured the cultural fascination with the macabre for 2020s audiences, "banned" movies were a regular talking point and made news headlines frequently during the era that the original Texas Chainsaw Massacre, Cannibal Holocaust, and Faces of Death were released.

Making a movie so disturbing the censors banned it was almost a point of pride, and the creators used it as a subversive marketing tactic to drive sales. Fortunately, horror fans in the 21st century don't have to scour bootleg VHS stalls or have hushed back-room conversations at Blockbuster to get their hands on movies like The Poughkeepsie Tapes, and even though they remain controversial talking points, these movies have found a new, less restricted, lease of life thanks to modern streaming platforms.