IFC writes in to us that “the spine-tingling documentary Cropsey, which peels back the layers of fact and fiction behind one of New York’s most disturbing unsolved mysteries, will debut theatrically on Friday, June 4 at New York City’s IFC Center, before spreading to Los Angeles, Denver, Austin, Boston, and additional bookings through Cinema Purgatorio.” Read on for VOD information and a clip.
Gravitas Ventures has picked up North American VOD rights to the doc feature, which will be available nationwide on VOD beginning June 1, 2010. “We are thrilled to bring the visually arresting Cropsey to a nationwide Video On Demand audience. Just a few months ago, indieWIRE had called Cropsey one of the best undistributed films of 2009 and we are excited to collaborate on a such a comprehensive release strategy,” commented Nolan Gallagher, founder and CEO of Gravitas Ventures.

Cropsey will also screen as a “special presentation” at the Staten Island Film Festival. This late-night screening will take place on the grounds of the infamous Willowbrook State School (now the College of Staten Island). Willowbrook, a psychiatric ward, was shuttered after its abuses were profiled in a groundbreaking 1972 expose from Geraldo Rivera.

Growing up on Staten Island, NY, filmmakers Joshua Zeman and Barbara Brancaccio had often heard the legend of “Cropsey.” For the kids on the island, he was the escaped mental patient who lived in the tunnels of Willowbrook and came out late at night to snatch children off the streets. “Cropsey” remained just that, an urban legend, until the summer of 1987, when Jennifer Schweiger, a 13-year-old girl with Down syndrome, disappeared from her neighborhood. She was found buried in a shallow grave five weeks later on the grounds of Willowbrook. In Cropsey, Brancaccio and Zeman return to Staten Island to undertake their own investigation of Jennifer and four other missing children as well as the real-life boogeyman linked to their disappearances. Brancaccio and Zeman skillfully combine a riveting true-crime drama with a personal exploration of the Cropsey myth, uncovering a reality more terrifying than any urban legend.

Cropsey is unrated with a running time of 84 minutes. For screenings, trailer and more, visit www.cropseylegend.com