History Film / ThePoughkeepsieTapes

* WouldHurtAChild: In a tape the killer shows he started his "career" by killing an 8 year old girl. In another [[spoiler:he attempted to kill two little girls scout only to be forced to let them out the house by Cheryl's screams.]]

--> "I'm a butcher."

* PoliceAreUseless: So much that they [[spoiler: get tricked into executing one of their own for the crimes of the Water Street Butcher]].
* RayOfHopeEnding:

* StockholmSyndrome: Poor, poor Cheryl.

* WouldHurtAChild: In a tape the killer shows he started his "career" by killing an 8 year old girl. In another [[spoiler: he attempted to kill two little girls scout only to be forced to let them out the house by Cheryl's screams.]]

It chronicles the (fortunately fictional) spree of killings in Poughkeepsie, New York, that are all videotaped by the killer, who comes to be known as the Water Street Butcher. [[HilarityEnsues Hilarity,]] {{Gorn}}, [[GambitIndex gambits]], terror, and [[LargeHam ham]] ensues.

* ChewingTheScenery: "Your name ... IS SLAAAAAVE!"

** "[[StockholmSyndromeYou're the master and it pleases me to serve you]]".

** "[[StockholmSyndrome Just take me home, just take me home...]]"
** "You're the master and it pleases me to serve you".

* LargeHam: The Water Street Butcher has a flair for the theatrical and tends to wear a beaked Carnival mask with a ruffed cape. There's also the [[MemeticMutation infamous]] manner in which he kills the English woman--he creeps up on her on all fours (actually using his feet as opposed to his knees for maximum effect) despite nobody being able to see but the camera, then slowly lances her through the neck. Justified because he uses it to dissociate himself from any guilt.

* MeaningfulName: The Butcher's real name, Edward Carver, for his love of ''carving'' women up in his TortureCellar with torture implements. His first name Edward may have been taken from notorious RealLife serial killer Ed Gein who was the inspiration for many fictional horror icons; [[Film/TheTexasChainsawMassacre "Leatherface"]] and [[Film/TheSilenceOfTheLambs "Buffalo Bill"]] to name a few.

* AmbiguousDisorder: It's never really made clear what exactly is wrong with the killer. He displays traits of sadism, antisocial personality disorder, and narcissism, but is implied to have the capacity for remorse, and as such, goes out of his way to distance himself from the reality of his murders by employing theatricality in his tapes. He also deliberately invokes this to confuse the public into thinking his killings are unrelated.

* MeaningfulName: The Butcher's real name, Edward Carver, for his love of ''carving'' women up in his TortureCellar with torture implements.

* StockholmSyndrome: UpToEleven. Poor, poor Cheryl.

* AdultFear: After this movie you'll likely never help out strangers on the road or let your kids play on the front lawn or fundraise door-to-door.

* TooDumbToLive: Foley was urged by his lawyer to take the plea bargain to avoid the death penalty. His response to threaten to fire his lawyer, [[SuicidalOverconfidence and that he'd defend himself if he had to]]. It doesn't end well for him.

It chronicles the (fortunately fictional) spree of killings in Poughkeepsie, New York, that are all videotaped by the killer, who comes to be known as the Water Street Butcher. [[HilarityEnsues Hilarity,]] {{Gorn}}, [[GambitIndex gambits]], terror and [[LargeHam ham]] ensues.

* RayOfHopeEnding: [[spoiler:Though Carver remains uncaught by the end, one of the FBI agents suggests that if the movie makes it to theaters, he would likely be unable to help himself from going to as many screenings as possible, and is bound to get caught by authorities laying in wait if he inevitably feeds into his ego.]]

* WouldHurtAChild: In a tape the killer shows he started his "career" by killing an 8 year old girl. In another [[spoiler: he attempted to kill two little girls scout only to be forced to let them out the house by Cheryl's screams.]]

* DisposableSexWorker: The killer starts targeting prostitutes to confuse the public.

* {{Gorn}}: Not as much as some horror movies, but definitely noticeable. There are a few crime scene photos of the Butcher's victims, and needless to say, they're not pretty.

* OvershadowedByControversy: InUniverse example with the headline that James Foley getting posthumously cleared from being the Water Street Butcher getting bumped down to page 6 of their newspaper after [[UsefulNotes/TheWarOnTerror 9/11]] happened.

* RayOfHopeEnding: [[spoiler:Though Carver remains uncaught by the end, one of the FBI agents suggests that if the movie makes it to theaters, he would likely be unable to help himself from going to as many screenings as possible.]]

* TortureCellar: A basement serves as the killer's lair, but it's noticeably corpse-free.

* WouldHurtAChild: In a tape the killer shows he started his "career" by killing an 8 year old girl. In another [[spoiler: he attempted to kill two little girls scout only to be stopped by Cheryl's screams.]]