We have all heard them before. Urban legends of scary things that go bump in the night. Campfire tales of deviant insane people wielding machetes lopping off people’s heads. Stories about mysterious creatures lurking in the woods.
People recite urban legends often to scare unsuspecting friends. Others use urban legends as warnings to prevent people, especially teens and children, from doing potentially dangerous things.
Urban legends make for great horror movies. When I was little I saw the movie Amityville Horror. Afterwards I was afraid to look out of my window at night in fear that I would see glowing red pig eyes staring back at me.
Urban legends keep us on the edge of our seats. Sometimes seeing how people react to them is very funny and you can all get a great laugh out of it.
Think about this for a moment… what if an urban legend turned out to be REAL?
If you live in the Northeast, most especially in the Hudson Valley area of New York state, you might have heard of the urban legend of Cropsey. Cropsey, according to the legend, is an escaped mental patient from the Willowbrook Mental Institution on Staten Island, New York. He lives in the tunnels found beneath the institution. He comes out at night to kidnap children. Some say he carries a hook, others say he has an ax.
Is Cropsey REAL, or is he just an urban legend that the parents on Staten Island came up with to keep children from playing around in the now abandoned Willowbrook buildings?
Willowbrook Mental Institution was a state supported institution that cared for mentally retarded and developmentally disabled children and adults. They also had separate buildings to care for people with Hepatitis and other contagious diseases.
At one time Willowbrook was the largest state run institution of its kind in the United States. It was built to house 4,000 residents but some how managed to care for over 6,000+ residents.
People would often complain about the mistreatment of the patients and the squalor that they were forced to live in. Even Robert Kennedy declared in 1966 “Willowbrook State School was not fit for even animals to live in.” Yet somehow the institution remained open.
In 1972 a young reporter, Geraldo Rivera, got access to a stolen key and infiltrated a ward in Willowbrook. What he uncovered was the most horrific mistreatment of human beings ever seen. Young children, naked, sitting in their own feces. Children curled up into little balls on the floor rocking back and forth humming. A nurse with visible sores on his hand shoving food into a patient’s mouth by hand. Oh my goodness! It all left me feeling incredibly sick to my stomach. I love a good horror movie but NOT when its REAL LIFE! I’m not kidding when I say that images are now seared into my mind.
You can see a preview to the documentary, Willowbrook: The Last Disgrace, on YouTube at this link, http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=k_sYn8DnlH4. I WARN YOU… this is NOT for the faint at heart.
Thankfully in 1987 Willowbrook was shut down. All the residents were relocated to other institutions or let go to live on their own. Sadly some of the residents returned to live in the abandoned buildings and in the underground tunnels beneath the buildings. This was certainly NOT an ideal situation for children and teens to be exposed to. Its no wonder that the urban legend of Cropsy came to be. Parents warned children not to go near Willowbrook because Cropsey would get them.
Was Cropsey JUST an urban legend? Or was Cropsy real?
There is a documentary airing on the Discovery I.D. channel today, Friday, July 13, 2010 called “Cropsey”.The documentary is the brainchild of filmmakers Joshua Zeman and Barbara Brancaccio. Both Joshua and Barbara lived on Staten Island as children and knew all too well about the Cropsey legend.
In 1987 a young girl with Downs Syndrome name Jennifer Schweiger, then 13 years old, mysteriously disappeared. Suddenly the urban legend of Cropsey became real to the residents of Staten Island. Did Jennifer fall victim to the legendary Cropsey? Or was there another unidentified evil lurking in the woods surrounding the institution that was responsible for Jennifer’s disappearance?
Soon other children’s mysterious disappearances came to light, including a 21 year old boy. Most of the missing children had some form of a developmental disability.
Eventually a former employee of Willowbrook name Andre Rand was brought in for questioning about the disappearance of Jennifer Schweiger. Shortly after he was detained Jennifer’s body was found on the grounds of Willowbrook, not far from where Andre Reed resided in the woods.
Reed was eventually found guilty of kidnapping, but not the murder, of young Jennifer Schweiger and sent to prison.
In 2008 Reed was brought to trial again for the kidnapping and murder of another Staten Island girl name Holly Ann Hughes. This turn of events prompted Joshua and Barbara to try and discover the truth behind the Cropsey legend and to see if they can put together the pieces of the missing children and learn the truth once and for all. Is the Cropsey legend real or is Andre Reed the monster that parents feared their children would fall victim to?
In this very in depth documentary viewers will be drawn in and captivated by the eerie story of Cropsey and Andre Reed through interviews, photos, and in-depth research. Viewers will learn more about Andre Reed’s background and the scary connection between Andre Reed and Devil worshippers, including the Son of Sam (David Berkowitz).
Cropsey will make you re-evaluate urband legends. It will make you think twice about what is fact and what is fiction. The documentary will haunt you long after the end credits have finished rolling.
Cropsey airs on the Discovery I.D. (Investigation Discovery) channel on Friday, August 13, 2010. Please check your local TV guide for air times and channel.
Some of the photos used in this post I took myself. They were taken at Letchworth Village which is down the street from where I live. Like Willowbrook, Letchworth was also an institution that housed developmentally disabled children and adults. There are legends that the place is haunted. I have also heard stories about how residents were tortured and used in laboratory experiments. Many of the residents are buried in unmarked graves.
Letworth has the most beautiful buildings. When you walk around the campus you get a sense of sadness in the air. I have never been frightened there, just sad. My family is even convinced that one of the “residents” followed me home one day, in spirit.
For more information about the Discover I.D. (Investigation Discovery) channel visit http://Investigation.Discovery.com.
More information about Cropsey can be found at http://CropseyLegend.com.
If you are interested here is a trailer for the documentary.
Kimberly
*I received an advanced screener copy of the movie. There was no other compensation. The opinions expressed are my own.
Sherie says
Just wanted to let you know that I love the first picture, did you take that? K, now going to go read the rest of the post, lol!
trixx says
Wow, that’s some scary s* right there. I’m definitely seeing this tonight. Thanks for the headsup!
Auriette says
Most urban legends probably began in two ways: as a campfire story or a cautionary tale designed to protect the listener. I see parents sometimes asking each other how to impress upon children the dangers of the world. Kids today grow up to fast. They learn to laugh at stories like the Legend of Cropsey, to disdain fear and caution. They don’t want to be labeled a wimp or a loser. They dare each other to walk through the woods alone, to approach the spooky old house. Not to say that kids didn’t always do that sort of thing, but I think it’s even more prevalent now, and that puts the children in danger.
In a very early time, when mental and physical disorders were less understood, the people living with the conditions were treated as frightening monsters. Stay away from Cropsey. What if someone escaped? What if the causes of those conditions are catching? The monsters will get you.
However, anyone who knew the real horrors inside Cropsey, even those who hadn’t seen it first hand but heard rumors, walked too close and heard screams, could have put two and two together. The monsters were the ones working there. Cropsey employees cared nothing for others. They were cruel people, because otherwise, they couldn’t have stood working there. Could any sympathetic person ignore naked children sitting in their own filth? They probably used the children and other patients for all sorts of horrible things, and when their “toys” were taken away, they sought another outlet for their vicious desires.
Parents were right to warn their children to stay away from Cropsey. The monsters walked out the front gates after their shifts ended. The monsters lived nearby, maybe in the house that looks creepy or maybe the one that looks perfectly normal, with the manicured lawn, and the owner whose smile does not reach his eyes.
Doreen R says
Big wows. I am looking for it. Very interesting stuff. A very big thank you because..if you didn’t write this….I would have missed it.
Brittany says
Wow I am going to have to watch it. I got the chills from reading this.
Rachel -- Following In My Shoes says
This is HORRIBLE — it stayed open till ’87? Unbelievable — I’ve watched several movies/documentaries (as well as read various articles/books) regarding the treatment of disabled people and it never ceases to disgust me.
I don’t know if I get the Discovery I.D. channel — I hope so, because I want to watch Cropsy now. . . even though I know I’ll be upset the whole time.
Beeb Ashcroft says
What a tragedy. I don’t think I could bring myself to watch this because it would be too upsetting, but I’m sure it is a good documentary.
nicóle says
I’m afraid to watch that youtube video. I don’t think I get Investigation Discovery – If I don’t I’m going to be totally bummed. I really want to watch it.
Lorri Jeanne says
I’ve watched several documentaries about mental institutions and the mistreatment of patients. It’s sad. Thanks for the heads up!
Bobette Kyle says
Wow, Kimberly. I’m jealous you got to screen the first episode! I’ve got my DVR to record episodes 1 and 2 tonight.
BTW, now that I have ID, I found the Aphrodite Jones series you told me about. I LOVE it. Can’t wait until the new season starts. I’m going to read some of her books, too.
Michelle K says
Thanks for the information on this show. I saw it listed and I was unsure about what this was about. After reading your review, I am going to watch tonight. Thanks for all of your great posts!
Shop with Me Mama says
So sad! I am off to check this “urban legend” out!
Xmasdolly says
Wow! I mean all I can say about that is DAM! Did you ever think that something like that actually went on in the world? I tried to find it on my TV, but I couldn’t. Bummer, but I did see a lot of it on UTube. That is so very sad.
Anne says
Thanks so much for posting this – I read your post earlier and then watched both parts of the show. All I can say is “wow”. I do wish it had focused more on the story of the institution and the rumors about the devil worshipers. But I’m very glad I watched it, and I never would have seen it without this post – I had never even heard of Discovery ID! lol
Becca says
That is so scary! Did the movie give you nightmares?