The Bray Road Beast (film)

Last updated
The Bray Road Beast
The Bray Road Beast (2018) poster.jpg
Promotional release poster by Adrienne Breedlove [1]
Directed by Seth Breedlove
Written by
  • Seth Breedlove
  • Mark Matzke
Produced by
  • Adrienne Breedlove
  • Seth Breedlove
Narrated by Lyle Blackburn
CinematographyZac Palmisano
Edited bySeth Breedlove
Music by
Production
company
Small Town Monsters
Release date
  • October 5, 2018 (2018-10-05)
Running time
66 minutes
CountryUnited States
LanguageEnglish

The Bray Road Beast is a 2018 American documentary film about the Beast of Bray Road, a purported humanoid wolf-life creature allegedly sighted in Elkhorn, Walworth County, Wisconsin. Directed and co-produced by Seth Breedlove, the film is the seventh documentary by his production company Small Town Monsters. [2] [3] It is narrated by Lyle Blackburn and features both animated sequences and live-action reenactments of alleged sightings of the titular cryptid. [4] The music for the film was composed by Brandon Dalo and Underoath member Chris Dudley. [4]

Contents

The Bray Road Beast was released on DVD and streaming services on October 5, 2018. [4] [5]

Production

The Bray Road Beast was financed in part by a crowdfunding campaign on the website Kickstarter, which production company Small Town Monsters launched in February 2018 in order to raise funds for both The Bray Road Beast and two other documentaries, The Flatwoods Monster: A Legacy of Fear and On the Trail of Champ. [6]

Release and reception

The Bray Road Beast was released on DVD and streaming services on October 5, 2018. [4] [5] It later screened at the 14th annual Texas Frightmare Weekend in May 2019. [7] [8] [9]

A reviewer for Wisconsin Frights wrote positively of the documentary, comparing its visual style to that of Hammer Horror films and calling it "unnerving and completely fascinating." [10] Christine Burnham of PopHorror referred to the film as "overall interesting", though she criticized the special effects used to portray the titular creature as "crude and [...] a little silly". [11]

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Robert Englund</span> American actor

Robert Barton Englund is an American actor and director. He is best known for playing the supernatural serial killer Freddy Krueger in the Nightmare on Elm Street film series. Classically trained at the Royal Academy of Dramatic Art, Englund began his career as a stage actor in regional theatre, and made his film debut in Buster and Billie in 1974. After supporting roles in films in the 1970s such as Stay Hungry, A Star Is Born, and Big Wednesday, Englund had his breakthrough as the resistance fighter Willie in the miniseries V in 1983. Following his performance in the original A Nightmare on Elm Street in 1984, he became closely associated with the horror film genre, and is widely-regarded as one of its iconic actors.

The Beast of Bray Road, also known as the Bray Road Beast and the Wisconsin Werewolf, is a purported humanoid wolf-like creature allegedly witnessed in or near the rural community of Elkhorn, Walworth County, Wisconsin. It has since become a part of Wisconsin folklore and has been the subject of multiple books, documentaries and a 2005 horror film.

Texas Frightmare Weekend is a horror-oriented for-profit media event held annually in the Dallas, Texas, area. The weekend is a way for fans of the horror genre to connect with fellow horror lovers, meet guests that work in the genre, discover new films, and buy merchandise.

<i>Lake Mungo</i> (film) 2008 Australian horror film

Lake Mungo is a 2008 Australian psychological horror film written and directed by Joel Anderson and starring Talia Zucker and Martin Sharpe. It employs mockumentary-style storytelling with found footage and docufiction elements, using actor "interviewees" to present the narrative of a family trying to come to terms with the drowning death of their daughter, and the potentially supernatural events they experience after it.

<i>2001 Maniacs: Field of Screams</i> 2010 American film

2001 Maniacs: Field of Screams is a 2010 comedy horror film written and directed by Tim Sullivan. It is a sequel to his earlier film 2001 Maniacs. The story and characters are based on Herschell Gordon Lewis' original film Two Thousand Maniacs. The film stars Bill Moseley, Lin Shaye, Christa Campbell, Andrea Leon, and Nivek Ogre.

Lyle Blackburn is an American musician and author. Blackburn has authored four books and either narrated or produced several documentary films related to cryptids, and has been a speaker at multiple cryptozoology and Bigfoot-related conventions.

<i>The Babadook</i> 2014 horror film written and directed by Jennifer Kent

The Babadook is a 2014 Australian supernatural horror film written and directed by Jennifer Kent in her directorial debut, and produced by Kristina Ceyton and Kristian Moliere. The film stars Essie Davis, Noah Wiseman, Daniel Henshall, Hayley McElhinney, Barbara West, and Ben Winspear. It is based on Kent's 2005 short film Monster, which follows a single mother who must confront her son's fear of a monster in their home.

A horror icon is a person or fictional character that is considered to be significant to horror fiction within mediums such as film, literature, television, or video games.

<i>Last Girl Standing</i> American film

Last Girl Standing is a 2015 American psychological horror film written and directed by Benjamin R. Moody. It stars Akasha Villalobos, Danielle Evon Ploeger, and Brian Villalobos.

<i>In Search of Darkness</i> 2019 documentary film about horror films from the 1980s

In Search of Darkness is a 2019 documentary film written and directed by David A. Weiner and executive produced by Robin Block of CreatorVC Studios. An international co-production of the United Kingdom and the United States, the film explores the development and lasting impact of the horror film genre during the 1980s, and features interviews with numerous horror icons both from that decade and from the modern era, along with popular horror influencers.

<i>Horror Noire: A History of Black Horror</i> 2019 American documentary film

Horror Noire: A History of Black Horror is a 2019 American documentary film directed by Xavier Burgin and based on the 2011 non-fiction book Horror Noire: Blacks in American Horror Films from the 1890s to Present by Robin R. Means Coleman. The film examines the relationship between African-American history and the evolution of the horror film genre, and the roles that African-American people have played in the genre's development. It features interviews with Coleman, along with such figures as actors Keith David, Tony Todd, and Rachel True, director Jordan Peele, and author Tananarive Due.

<i>The Terror of Hallows Eve</i> 2017 American film

The Terror of Hallow's Eve is a 2017 American horror film directed by Todd Tucker and starring Caleb Thomas.

<i>The Beast of Bray Road</i> (film) 2005 American horror film

The Beast of Bray Road is a 2005 American horror film written, directed and edited by Leigh Scott, based on the purported wolf-like creature of the same moniker allegedly sighted in Elkhorn, Walworth County, Wisconsin. Produced by The Asylum, the film stars Jeff Denton, Tom Downey, Sarah Lieving, Joel Herner, and Tom Nagel. It was released direct-to-video.

Seth Breedlove is an American filmmaker and founder of the Wadsworth, Ohio-based production company Small Town Monsters. Under the Small Town Monsters banner, Breedlove has directed over a dozen documentary films and miniseries related to cryptids and cryptozoology, including Minerva Monster (2015), The Mothman of Point Pleasant (2017), and The Mothman Legacy (2020).

<i>Minerva Monster</i> 2015 American documentary film

Minerva Monster is a 2015 American documentary film written and directed by Seth Breedlove, about the purported sightings of an alleged Bigfoot-like creature around the town of Minerva, in Paris Township, Stark County, Ohio, in 1978. The first in a series of cryptid-related documentaries produced by Breedlove's production company Small Town Monsters, the film features interviews with law enforcement, media officials, and supposed witnesses of the titular creature.

<i>The Mothman of Point Pleasant</i> 2017 American documentary film

The Mothman of Point Pleasant is a 2017 American documentary film about the Mothman, a purported humanoid creature reportedly sighted in the area of Point Pleasant, West Virginia. Directed, produced, and edited by Seth Breedlove, the film is the fourth documentary by his production company Small Town Monsters.

<i>The Mothman Legacy</i> 2020 American documentary film

The Mothman Legacy is a 2020 American documentary film about the Mothman, a purported humanoid creature known for allegedly being sighted in Point Pleasant, West Virginia, in the 1960s. Directed and edited by Seth Breedlove, the film is a direct sequel to the 2017 documentary The Mothman of Point Pleasant and a follow-up to the 2019 documentary Terror in the Skies, both of which were also directed by Breedlove. All three films are produced by Breedlove's production company Small Town Monsters.

References

  1. Breedlove, Adrienne (November 19, 2018). "The Bray Road Beast One Sheet". Behance . Archived from the original on November 5, 2022. Retrieved November 5, 2022.
  2. Balint, Ed (June 24, 2018). "Folklore Hides in Shadows". The Akron Beacon Journal . Akron, Ohio. p. D5. Retrieved November 5, 2022 via Newspapers.com.
  3. Swope, Michelle (July 12, 2022). "On the Hunt for the Unexplained with "Small Town Monsters" Creator Seth Breedlove [Interview]". Bloody Disgusting . Retrieved November 3, 2022.
  4. 1 2 3 4 Miska, Brad (August 15, 2018). ""The Bray Road Beast" Documentary Recounts An American Werewolf in Wisconsin". Bloody Disgusting . Retrieved November 3, 2022.
  5. 1 2 Barkan, Jonathan (June 5, 2018). "Exclusive: The Bray Road Beast Teases a Werewolf in Rural Wisconsin". Dread Central . Retrieved November 3, 2022.
  6. Gelmini, David (February 3, 2018). "Small Town Monsters Launch Kickstarter Campaign for Three New Documentaries". Dread Central . Retrieved November 4, 2022.
  7. Thurman, Trace (April 8, 2019). "Texas Frightmare Weekend Announces 2019 Film Festival Lineup". Bloody Disgusting . Retrieved November 4, 2022.
  8. Hurtado, Josh (April 8, 2019). "Texas Frightmare 2019: 14th Annual Event Reveals Film Lineup With Classics and New Features". Screen Anarchy . Retrieved November 4, 2022.
  9. Gallagher, Danny (May 1, 2019). "The 5 Weirdest Films Screening at the Texas Frightmare Weekend". Dallas Observer . Retrieved November 4, 2022.
  10. "The Bray Road Beast is a Chilling Look at Wisconsin's Legendary Werewolf". Wisconsin Frights. October 4, 2018. Retrieved November 3, 2022.
  11. Burnham, Christine (September 2, 2018). "Documentary 'The Bray Road Beast' (2018) Is a Fascinating Tale – Movie Review". PopHorror.com. Retrieved November 3, 2022.