Investigation Discovery Acquires Chilling Documentary, CROPSEY - Premieres Friday, August 13 from 9-11 PM (ET)

Every town has urban legends - mostly scary stories made up by parents to protect their children from wandering into dark alleys or unmarked streets. But what happens when urban legends become reality?  This August, Investigation Discovery presents CROPSEY, the spine-tingling documentary which peels back the layers of fact and fiction behind one of New York's most disturbing unsolved mysteries. 

When five children go missing on Staten Island, filmmakers Joshua Zeman and Barbara Brancaccio realize the cautionary tales of their youth may have come true.  In the documentary, Zeman and Brancaccio delve into the mystery surrounding the missing children and the real-life boogeyman linked to their disappearances.  Following its successful film festival and theatrical run, CROPSEY will have its television premiere on Friday, August 13 from 9-11 PM (ET) on Investigation Discovery.

"As a compelling documentary shedding light on these still-unsolved missing children cases, CROPSEY combines the real-life mystery and intrigue that Investigation Discovery's audience craves," said Henry Schleiff, president and general manager, Investigation Discovery.  "Zeman and Brancaccio offer an intense personal investigation into the truth behind the myths and we're proud to feature this chilling retrospective on ID."
 
As one of the top undistributed films to bow on the festival circuit in 2009 (as recognized by "Variety" and "Filmmaker Magazine")  CROPSEY  opens theatrically at the IFC Center in New York City on June 4 and expands to Staten Island, Los Angeles, Denver, Austin, and Boston with additional bookings through Cinema Purgatorio.

In CROPSEY, filmmakers Joshua Zeman and Barbara Brancaccio present a riveting true-crime drama with a personal investigation of the "Cropsey" myth, uncovering a reality more terrifying than any urban legend.  Growing up on Staten Island, Zeman and Brancaccio had often heard the legend of "Cropsey" - the escaped mental patient who lived in the abandoned tunnels of the Willowbrook mental hospital and came at night to snatch children off the streets.  "Cropsey" remained just that, an urban legend, until the summer of 1987 when a 13-year-old girl with Down syndrome disappeared from her neighborhood.  Five weeks later, she was found buried in a shallow grave on the grounds of Willowbrook.

Investigators soon link this case to four other missing children cases in the area - none of whom had been found.  In CROPSEY, the filmmakers return to Staten Island to undertake their own investigation of the missing children, as well as the real-life boogeyman linked to their disappearances - convicted kidnapper, Andre Rand.

The deal for the film's English language broadcast rights was negotiated by Josh Braun of Submarine Entertainment and Evan Krauss of Gray, Krauss & Des Rochers on behalf of filmmakers Joshua Zeman and Barbara Brancaccio