MovieChat Forums > The Beast of Bray Road (2005) Discussion > I saw this thing, am not a hick and this...

I saw this thing, am not a hick and this movie blows

posted 18 years ago by andmanac
15 replies | jump to latest

I am a college student at the University of Wisconsin-Whitewater. I am not a drunk, redneck or hick. One night my friends and I were going out to eat and were between Whitewater and Jefferson (right on the border of walworth and jefferson county). This thing crossed the road in front of us and then ran off into a field. It was the size of a large buck but looked like a dog. I was interviewed for a book and filmed for a documentary on this.

Also, how the film portrays the Walworth County Sheriff's department is a joke. I worked at a Walworth County Police Station for two years and it was perfectly modern and quite professional (with no part time, non-officer answering phones). This movie is a joke.

The people that see this thing are not all crazy or stupid. This is an area rich with Native American folklore. I am not claiming this is a werewolf, but it is something. The fact that the sightings correlate with major Indian mounds in the state should not be ignored. The city of Lake Mills is host to underwater pyramids and the township of Aztalan was host to a thriving tribe prior to the year 1000 that apparently vanished. I don't claim to know what all of this means but I don't think it should be immediately discounted as the 'imagination of drunken wisconsinites'

[–] 18 years ago

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[–] FonzFan1985 17 years ago

a relative of mine, Mark Schakelman, saw it too. It was digging in a burial ground behind St. Colleta in Jefferson. I'm into the whole Haunted Wisconsin legend and live only 10 miles from Lake Mills, and have gone diving to try and see the pyramids of Rock Lake. I did a study on the hauntings of Wisconsin back in high school, taveling around to the different haunted places and areas of Wisconsin. But yes this movie was a joke. And I know exactly where you are talking about when you encountered the beast. I've traveled that road many of times, living in Jefferson in all and having friends and family in Whitewater.

[–] ets_jebus 17 years ago

What road exactly did you see it on?

I've been camping several times, right by rice lake on Hi-Lo road. We saw something like you described, but I'm not sure what road it was on, as I'm really from Milwaukee, but I do know it lead to the only 24 hour place in town, where we were allowed to stay for several hours due to our camping equipment getting completely flooded by non-stop 5 hour rain.

I'd like to investigate as well. Ive done several "ghost hunting" things around the Milwaukee area, like in Whitnal park, where a woman is supposed to cry out for her baby that she drown in the lake (didn't see a woman, but rather a white floating orb that disappeared after I turned the headlights of my car off, then back on again.) and Bell Middle School is supposed to have a man walking outside of it, but didn't see anything for that one.

[–] nailhead 16 years ago

Andmanac, I believe you as I have no reason not to. I live in southern California, on what were once sacred Chumash Indian grounds and have seen my share of strange, unexplainable phenomenon.

[–] 16 years ago

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[–] MinusMikey 16 years ago

I, too, have seen strange things in my area. After college, I came to a very rural area of the Sierra Nevada Mountains to work and the area is populated with the Tubatulabal Indian Tribe. The area is thick with forest, a forked river and a swampy area created by the southfork drainage of the Kern river and Lake Isabella, and is densely forested. Near the eastern burial grounds of the swampy area, there are two seperate occurances seen many times here. First, there are peculiar lights (not swmap gas, either) that float around in the woods. And secondly, there are tall, very dark creatures (or one creature) that come up out the ditches near Sierra Highway on the back side of the lake (near the south fork drainage). Now given, in this area, you might think of a bigfoot creature, but this is not the case. The many sightings here have invariably reported a more. . . canine-like description that walks on two legs. Very creepy. Always seen near the much older native indian sites. I did see this thing a number of years ago, coming home from a Masonic Lodge meeting in Kernville. It came up behind the car. My friend and I were petrified in our places, and could not speak. It was hard to see (at night), but it was coming towards the back of the car. Finally, my friend hit the gas pedal and we took off. From my particular view... the thing looked . . . very dirty, covered in muck. I will never get that image out of my head.

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[–] mista_bone2004 16 years ago

I had never known about this movie having been made before, and I just happened to stumble upon it as I was playing Russian Roulette with the remote last night as it was beginning. Had I known it was going to make a total mockery of the good people of Wisconsin, I would've turned it off and gone right to sleep instead. Although the beast itself and the lore behind it are based on one of the many hauntings and legends of my beautiful state, this director chose to portray Wisconsin and its native residents as unintelligent, backwoods hicks. While it may be true that there are certain parts of this state that may have its share of eccentric peoples, we are NOT stupid, and frankly I'm getting pretty sick and tired of movie directors who have never set foot on our soil or spent any time here attempting to portray our residents as such. It's as though the moment someone mentions the word "Wisconsin", the first thought to most folks who have never been here is not that of an incredibly proud population in a state steeped in many rich traditions, along with a large portion of some of the most breathtaking scenery to be found anywhere in the United States, with beautiful coulees to awe-inspiring valley views, gorgeous northwoods drives and everything in between. It isn't one of being the proud Dairy State (California, take note...you have NOTHING on us! Quit while you're ahead!). It's not the thought of the state with the greatest, albiet many times overlooked and/or forgotten about, team to ever play in the National Football League...a team that comes from the smallest city in the NFL, but still has the largest fanbase of any other franchise, along with a (now retired) quarterback who holds virtually ALL the records! You will never find another NFL team with as much merchandising, including songs, not to mention the team is owned by the residents of the state, not a private individual. The immediate image that comes to mind to someone who has abolutely no clue is that our state is just one big cow-pie, and we aren't even given a second thought. This infuriates me.

The next time a director decides to make a movie about events or locations here in Wisconsin, perhaps it might be appropriate for them to spend some time here first before passing judgement that we're just a "bass-ackward" state. I highly doubt they'd be intelligent enough themselves to consider hiring Willem Dafoe (an Appleton native, who is also a two-time Academy Award-nominee of American film and stage, as well as a founder of the experimental theater company known as The Wooster Group) as an actor. I also doubt they'd hire Les Paul (a Waukesha native, inventor of the solid-body electric guitar and inventor of multi-track recording) to do any of the music for said film. In fact, I'd have a hard time believing they'd hire ANY of the many famous people that hails from our great state to do any work for them, because I would be willing to bet that they'd have no more clue about those people than they do about our state.

I apologize for my ramblings that really didn't have a whole lot to do with this Bray Road film. I just had to vent a bit.

[–] DirectorLeigh 16 years ago

I made this movie. I am from Wisconsin. I lived in Milwaukee until I was 18. My family still lives there. I graduated from Rufus King High School in 1990. I still go back once a year, eat Kopp's cheeseburgers and frozen custard, hang out at Mayfair Mall, and visit George Webb's when I am drunk at 3 A.M.

What I love about our state is the fact that we don't take ourselves too seriously. I can't stand the pretentiousness of California. I currently live and work in Louisiana, a great place, but still can't hold a candle to Wisconsin.

I was at the game where Favre played his first down. I cried when the Brewers lost game seven of the 1982 World Series. Everyday on set, I am mocked for wearing one of two Brewers hats that I proudly wear: the current one and the classic 82 cap.

My point is simple. I love our state. Once Wisconsin sorts out their tax credits and ditches their union support I will quickly and gladly move my multi million dollar film production operation there. But what I love is that Wisconsinites are proud people who don't view themselves as victims and wear their cheeseheads as a badge of honor. Few films are shot in Wisconsin. Fewer are set there. Take a joke and be happy that someone cares enough to share their love of all things Wisconsin with the world. The Beast of Bray Road was a local, urban legend, and this movie (which has been viewed on Sci-fi by over 3 million people) made the legend a household name. That's an accomplishment, not something worthy of scorn.

Oh, and if you don't think Wisconsin has as many fun loving, redneck style folks as depicted in the movie, come with me to visit relatives in Eagle River. Not a slight mind you, for I, a Hollywood movie director, enjoy sitting on their porch drinking Miller High Lifes and shooting off illegal fireworks more than anything in the world.

So, hey there guy, relax. Be in on the joke rather than assume you are the brunt of it.

Sincerely,

Leigh Scott
Wisconsin State Driver's License Owner
"There is no peace without freedom, no freedom without a fight."

[–] mista_bone2004 15 years ago

You're still missing the point. A Wisconsinite watching this movie may understand the nature of humor you were intending to portray in certain characters, but any other person who is completely unfamiliar with our state would only think to further perpetrate the already incorrect stereotype as pertaining to how people are all over the state. You are correct, though, that few movies are made here, and even fewer are set here. Coming from a director's standpoint instead of a native standpoint, do you have any ideas as to why that may be? Of the movies that ARE made here (or set here), I find it very insulting to see our good people from this state portrayed as all being uneducated, inept, clueless hicks. In this movie, even the sheriff says he's from Chicago, as if they are so much more advanced than us mere Wisconsinites. We are a great people here, with a very good share of eccentricities, which makes us so diverse. I find it deplorable that so many directors (present company not necessarily included) as well as the public at large make assumptions about the people of our state based entirely on the possible chance meeting of one of our more "questionable" residents.

Even shows that AREN'T set in Wisconsin, but feature characters who are supposedly native Wisconsinites, make their characters out to be 'dorky' to a certain extent. Examples: Woody Hoyt, from "Crossing Jordan", virtually all of the characters from "Picket Fences" (to which, quite obviously, the people who produced that show have never been to Rome, as there really isn't any town there to speak of, and what they showed looks nothing like the place). There are others I could mention, but it would be redundant.

It's almost as though producers only consider the state of Wisconsin and its residents as worthy enough only of a passing, cursory thought, and that thought is based solely on what they THINK they know about life here.

There is an impressive list of actors and actresses that hail from this great state, but the public largely doesn't know it. Willem Dafoe, Don Ameche, Ellen Corby, Tyne Daly, Chris Farley, Thomas Hulce, Allen Ludden, Frederic March, Alfred Lunt, Jackie Mason, Pat O'Brien, Amy Pietz, Charlotte Ray, Gena Rowlands, Tom Snyder, Spencer Tracy, Orson Welles, and Thomas Winninger are only a small sample, and this does not include all the other authors, musicians, painters, architects, and other famous people. The list can continue with the likes of Harry Houdini, Lee Liberace, Les Paul, Jeanne Dixon, Seymour Cray, Woody Herman, "Pee Wee" King, Eric Heiden, the Ringling Brothers, Bob Uecker, Laura Ingalls Wilder, and on and on and on.

Ain't it weird how such a "bass-ackwards" state can produce so much rich talent?

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[–] riverroad84 11 years ago

That was the best imdb comment ever.

I love this movie.
Thank you for not showing the dog that was the "trap."

[–] kingarthurup 14 years ago

First of all, if you went to u of w whitewater and are not a drunk, redneck or hick, you must be a seriel killer hiding at home everynight.

Secondly, I worked at the "Walworth County Police Station" actually a sheriff's dept. for 18 months around 2002-2004. I only saw Dave Graves once or twice at civil functions...(do you even know who he is?)The only guy I can figure you could be is Andy, the guy who emptied the garbages. Is that you Andy?

Thirdly, I thought the Walworth County Sheriff's department got more than a fair shake in this movie... the guys I know were drinking in the squad cars.

And last, if you don't want people to think you are not drunk, eliminate the last paragraph of your opus.

[–] SKATRWREST 14 years ago

I like beast of bray road and I love Wisconsin even thou I never been to the state I have friends who live in Racine Wis I love Wisconsin cheese and buy Miller lite every movie I have seen that made always has stereotypical people put in it and it's like a giving in horror films if people don't realize this at all then don't watch horror films one thing I know is characters are not based always on actual people look at Friday the 13th you or any slasher films you always have a Blonde who hears a noise or something and always end up getting chopped or butcher sex kills you in horror so does that make every guy or woman sluts or man whores no I meet a lady who runs a site called the beast of bray road she lives there she has document upon document on the sightings of the beast the fact the movie is more of a what if film I could attack people but so far no reports of attacks on anybody the thing is a werewolf but it's not a man I can assure it not a man it a cross of wolf and some sort of hybrid every horror film has stereotypical character in it no matter what I don't think Wisconsin is full of stupid people or hicks or rednecks or anything like that I live Indiana that the way it goes in horror pick any other genre action non of the stereotypical people are in there some comedies have it I honest take no offense to watching a film that does not take it self serious it would be stupid and pointless to get offend from a movie I'm from the outside and I watched this movie and I don't judge others in a state or any where for that matter it's not my place to judge the only thing I judge is a movie do I like it or hate it that's the only thing I do when I watch a movie some movies take place in fictional town but the ones who are based on towns you got to remember something this was based on the real town but the events that took place were fictional and that's the way I look at it talk to you all later take care god bless respectful Josh.D