This Wisconsin werewolf movie is supposedly based on a local legend, however, it appears to take massive liberties with the original fable. Unflattering stereotype hicks abound, and at some point, almost every character has a beer in their hand. Now some of this is actually amusing, as almost every monster on the loose film out there has been "borrowed" from. There is some gratuitous nudity involving a couple parking for some "business" and perhaps capturing a werewolf cell phone picture, that borders on the ridiculous, but does add to the fun. The ending is a real rubber band job (stretch). Not bad of it's type, and marginally recommended. - MERK
44 Reviews
Worthwhile killer beast flick
Wuchakk12 March 2014
Leigh Scott's "The Beast of Bray Road," released in 2005, is a very loose telling of the legendary "dogman" of SE Wisconsin. In reality, the beast has only been sighted and has never killed anyone. In the film, however, numerous people bite the dust in extremely gory scenes, heads getting torn off, the beast eating their innards, etc.
In the beginning it's unclear what type of beast the "dogman" is, is it a bigfoot? A werewolf? A cryptozoologist appears and helps the police pinpoint the probable nature of the creature.
POSITIVES:
NEGATIVES:
BOTTOM LINE: "The Beast of Bray Road" is a worthwhile killer beast flick but contains enough negative elements to prevent it from being truly good. The non-CGI monster looks great, however, and is worth the price of admission, not to mention this is a must if you're a gorehound (I'm not; I can take gore or leave it; all I care about is that the story & cast be interesting and entertaining).
The film runs 80 minutes.
GRADE: Borderline C+ or B-
In the beginning it's unclear what type of beast the "dogman" is, is it a bigfoot? A werewolf? A cryptozoologist appears and helps the police pinpoint the probable nature of the creature.
POSITIVES:
- I liked the main protagonists, the police chief (Jeff Denton), the cryptozoologist, the beautiful bartender Kelly (Sarah Lieving) and the other police personnel.
- The story is generally compelling and moves right along.
- The killer creature looks excellent and you get quite a few good looks at it; no CGI.
- The story turns out to be a mystery. The beast may be a human being that transforms into the bloodthirsty creature. If so, who is it? If you've seen films like "The Howling V: The Rebirth" you know what to look for.
NEGATIVES:
- Although the story takes place near Elkhorn & Lake Geneva, Wisconsin, the film was shot in friggin' California, near Los Angeles, likely to keep expenses down; they did fine, however, making sure the scenery didn't look too much like typical Southern California. It sorta passes for SE Wisconsin, I guess.
- The film is filled with gorgeous women from beginning to end but Mr. Scott fumbles the ball and doesn't truly take advantage (and I'm not talking about top nudity or sex scenes at all; the film has some of both). Scott does much better in this area in 2008's "Flu Birds" and 2009's "The Dunwich Horror."
- Until the last act the film has a we're-not-taking-this-too-seriously vibe. It wasn't so bad to ruin the horror experience, but it was there. This is a minor cavil, however; all-in-all the filmmakers did a decent job balancing camp with serious horror.
- Every Wisconsin yokel, male or female, is portrayed as a hip, dour, alcohol-guzzling sex-fiend.
BOTTOM LINE: "The Beast of Bray Road" is a worthwhile killer beast flick but contains enough negative elements to prevent it from being truly good. The non-CGI monster looks great, however, and is worth the price of admission, not to mention this is a must if you're a gorehound (I'm not; I can take gore or leave it; all I care about is that the story & cast be interesting and entertaining).
The film runs 80 minutes.
GRADE: Borderline C+ or B-
Plot Holes And Other Problems Galore!
sddavis6328 February 2009
Fact 1: over the years, there have been a number of reported sightings of a strange creature seen along Bray Road near Elkhorn, Wisconsin. Fact 2: in spite of the claim that this movie is "based on actual events" nothing in this movie (except that it's set on Bray Road near Elkhorn, Wisconsin) is even remotely similar to any of the sightings. Based on the reports of those sightings (which are intriguing in a fun sort of way) the most this creature is reported to have done is chase a couple of cars and maybe killed some cattle. The producers of this movie used those reported sightings as the opportunity to produce a gore-fest with a smattering of topless women thrown in for good measure. If you like heads being ripped off, and bodies being torn open (and topless women!) then you'll like this. If you prefer the sort of horror movie that leaves that stuff to the imagination then you probably won't. I like horror movies - but more for the atmosphere than the violence. This one failed on that count, and on several other counts as well. Let's point a few failings out.
(1) I figured out about halfway through the movie who they were going to identify as the werewolf, even though it made absolutely no sense because the person (who shall remain nameless in this review for fear of spoiling the "suspense" for others) did seem otherwise occupied during several of the attacks. (2) Where did the grizzly bear that was shot and killed come from? There ain't no grizzlies anywhere near Wisconsin! (OK, yes, even the characters in the movie were confused about that.) (3) The cryptozoologist becomes convinced that this is a werewolf (and that it would take silver bullets to kill the thing) on the evidence of one piece of video? True, the video was pretty clear, but surely a real scientist (even a cryptozoologist) would have been more skeptical than to use the old Sherlock Holmes line "when you have eliminated the impossible, whatever's left ... etc. etc." Surely they hadn't reached a point where a supposed scientist would conclude that a werewolf was the only possibility. (4) Why didn't the werewolf attack the woman in the house after finishing off her husband? That was never explained. (5) At the end of the movie, as we're set up for the sequel (say it ain't so!) the cryptozoologist says that there's another full moon in 15 days. OK. The werewolf is linked to the full moon, as often is the case. Well, the werewolf has been out and about up to this point, so there must have been a full moon. And now there's going to be another full moon in 15 days? Has the moon's rotation around the earth become faster? (6) Finally - I mean, there are more, but I'll stop with this one - the folks of rural Wisconsin aren't portrayed in a very positive light - thus the closing "dedicated to the great state of Wisconsin" seems a bit ironic.
Did I like anything here? Actually, I thought the werewolf makeup and overall film quality was not bad, and the acting from a little known group of actors was overall pretty decent with a couple of exceptions. Still - 3/10
(1) I figured out about halfway through the movie who they were going to identify as the werewolf, even though it made absolutely no sense because the person (who shall remain nameless in this review for fear of spoiling the "suspense" for others) did seem otherwise occupied during several of the attacks. (2) Where did the grizzly bear that was shot and killed come from? There ain't no grizzlies anywhere near Wisconsin! (OK, yes, even the characters in the movie were confused about that.) (3) The cryptozoologist becomes convinced that this is a werewolf (and that it would take silver bullets to kill the thing) on the evidence of one piece of video? True, the video was pretty clear, but surely a real scientist (even a cryptozoologist) would have been more skeptical than to use the old Sherlock Holmes line "when you have eliminated the impossible, whatever's left ... etc. etc." Surely they hadn't reached a point where a supposed scientist would conclude that a werewolf was the only possibility. (4) Why didn't the werewolf attack the woman in the house after finishing off her husband? That was never explained. (5) At the end of the movie, as we're set up for the sequel (say it ain't so!) the cryptozoologist says that there's another full moon in 15 days. OK. The werewolf is linked to the full moon, as often is the case. Well, the werewolf has been out and about up to this point, so there must have been a full moon. And now there's going to be another full moon in 15 days? Has the moon's rotation around the earth become faster? (6) Finally - I mean, there are more, but I'll stop with this one - the folks of rural Wisconsin aren't portrayed in a very positive light - thus the closing "dedicated to the great state of Wisconsin" seems a bit ironic.
Did I like anything here? Actually, I thought the werewolf makeup and overall film quality was not bad, and the acting from a little known group of actors was overall pretty decent with a couple of exceptions. Still - 3/10
finally a good Asylum flick
tdeladeriere27 October 2009
So what happens when The Asylum veers away from their Hollywood cheap send-ups and puts their heart into something original ? Well, a damn good b-movie, that's what ! "The Beast of Bray Road" is apparently based on local Wisconsin lore, but do not think this "based on true events" tag line means your next Lindsay Wagner & Robert Urich TV movie of the week. It's probably based on a true story told around a campfire. What this is is a fun, fast werewolf movie like you haven't seen in a while, better than recent submissions like "War Wolves" or "Never Cry Werewolf", shot efficiently on a tight budget. It has blood, beasts and boobs (well, just one quick pair) and makes for the perfect midnight movie.
The frequent and very clear views of the beast is a nice surprise for monster fans, and for the budget, I'll say it looks really good. The deaths are gruesome and plenty, sticking to a slasher template. All the actors make a good job and actually are given some basic development and dialogue to play with. I was completely taken aback when I burst out laughing at a one-liner delivered by a drunk bimbo just before her demise in a car. This is definitely not a comedy, but the joke was good and unexpected.
All in all, very recommended for B-movie fans.
The frequent and very clear views of the beast is a nice surprise for monster fans, and for the budget, I'll say it looks really good. The deaths are gruesome and plenty, sticking to a slasher template. All the actors make a good job and actually are given some basic development and dialogue to play with. I was completely taken aback when I burst out laughing at a one-liner delivered by a drunk bimbo just before her demise in a car. This is definitely not a comedy, but the joke was good and unexpected.
All in all, very recommended for B-movie fans.
Horrible
kenkb-388984 October 2021
Warning: Spoilers
The Good: The lead male actor wasn't terrible and some of the special effects were decent, though over used.
The Bad: Everything else in-between. The only thing "Wisconsin" about it was the use of the words "Bray Road" and "Walworth County" and the state flag.
Outside of the lead male role all of the other actors characters were better representative of some non-urban Texas town or backwoods Styx of Mississippi or Alabama. Simply God Awful performances.
I know there are creative licenses taken for entertainment value but the disclaimer "based on a true story" at the beginning of the movie should read "this road actually exists in Wisconsin, the rest is pure fantasy".
The Bad: Everything else in-between. The only thing "Wisconsin" about it was the use of the words "Bray Road" and "Walworth County" and the state flag.
Outside of the lead male role all of the other actors characters were better representative of some non-urban Texas town or backwoods Styx of Mississippi or Alabama. Simply God Awful performances.
I know there are creative licenses taken for entertainment value but the disclaimer "based on a true story" at the beginning of the movie should read "this road actually exists in Wisconsin, the rest is pure fantasy".
The Werewolf steps in a steaming pile...
TerminalMadness16 July 2006
Warning: Spoilers
At the start of "Beast", a young bar patron drifts away from her friends after closing hours and is stalked and mauled to death by a werewolf. The beast grabs her, tears her apart, and howls into the sky. I enjoyed that. But, for no reason, director Scott feels that even though we had that good opening signaling grand things, we could have done without it for another thirty or forty minutes, which in common sense land is a large portion of a film that doesn't even hit the two hour mark, and that makes zero sense.
There's also mainly vapid characterization, plenty of padding including sex scenes, particular focus on sister journalists who have a web log, and a comedic barroom brawl included for no other reason but to pad the movie. Meanwhile, you'll be wondering if the monster is still lurking about, or just fell asleep waiting for victims to get out of that bar that's featured quite prominently.
Does anyone have a shop in that town, or is the main economic base that one small bar? You know that when a horror film is turned into "Roadhouse" for an instance just to keep the story going, it becomes painfully clear that you're not watching anything resembling entertainment. Also featured are a funeral that looks like it was held in a backyard, a town filled with an endless supply of women who look like they came off an open audition for "Hustler", the most inept inactive sheriff, and characters that constantly re-appear due to an obviously menial cast.
So, it's been confirmed to me. Even when The Asylum isn't ripping off another movie, they still suck. "Beast of Bray Road" could have been a fun movie had they actually had creature action and not so much utter stupidity and poor storytelling. Otherwise, this isn't even a fun monster movie.
There's also mainly vapid characterization, plenty of padding including sex scenes, particular focus on sister journalists who have a web log, and a comedic barroom brawl included for no other reason but to pad the movie. Meanwhile, you'll be wondering if the monster is still lurking about, or just fell asleep waiting for victims to get out of that bar that's featured quite prominently.
Does anyone have a shop in that town, or is the main economic base that one small bar? You know that when a horror film is turned into "Roadhouse" for an instance just to keep the story going, it becomes painfully clear that you're not watching anything resembling entertainment. Also featured are a funeral that looks like it was held in a backyard, a town filled with an endless supply of women who look like they came off an open audition for "Hustler", the most inept inactive sheriff, and characters that constantly re-appear due to an obviously menial cast.
So, it's been confirmed to me. Even when The Asylum isn't ripping off another movie, they still suck. "Beast of Bray Road" could have been a fun movie had they actually had creature action and not so much utter stupidity and poor storytelling. Otherwise, this isn't even a fun monster movie.
This movie is junk
Jessicarabbit131317 October 2005
I lived and worked in WI in Delavan, the town around where many of the sightings took place. No one was ever killed in WI. Dogs went missing and some people thought they saw a wolfish creature with some roadkill. This movie does not even begin to touch on anything realistic about living in WI and calling it based on a true story just ticks me off. The beast in the movie looks cheesy and the story is just junk. I was disappointed and border line offended. If your going to make a movie about WI maybe spend a few minutes there first. First off all the sightings have always been late summer, early fall. There has never been property damage or cattle mutilations like they discuss in this movie. The could of touched on some of the funny real things that happened like the local pet shelter selling werewolf hunting permits, or the fact that a man was arrested with a gun and tools to break into peoples homes on Bray road and tried to use the defense that he was werewolf hunting to get off with no charges. It would of made for better padding of the movie then the junk they used.
Beastly
ghoulieguru23 November 2005
Warning: Spoilers
The ridiculous looking creature from the NIGHT OF THE DEMON makes his return as a shaggy sheepdog thing in the Asylum's pseudo-werewolf story, The Beast of Bray Road.
The ruination of the horror genre continues in this latest offering from the Asylum. Everything that you've come to expect from the Asylum is here. Poor acting, tired and pathetic storyline, a complete lack of talent in everyone involved. I wish I could say I was surprised by the shoddy production of the movie, but I knew I was in trouble as soon as I saw the Asylum logo.
In fact, I couldn't even get this stupid movie to play all the way through on my DVD player. Around chapter 11, the whole thing degenerated into a bunch of green pixels. I felt like I was watching THE MATRIX with a really bad audio track. I took the disc out and cleaned it, but whoever the Asylum is getting to author their DVDs is obviously doing it on their home computer. I should probably be thanking them for almost saving me from another dismal flop from this horrible production company.
After chapter skipping and searching several times, I did finally get to see the whole movie. Let me break it down for you, so you won't have to go through this excruciating experience. This is basically the story of a local Sheriff who's trying to save his small town from a werewolf. He teams up with a Cryptozoology professor and a local hunter to go find the thing. It's really just a cruddy remake of that old movie with Corey Haim, SILVER BULLET. They even stole some shots, doing a montage of the hunters as they melt down silver and make bullets for their machine guns. The only difference is that the final reveal in this one is that the werewolf is the local bartender that our Sheriff has fallen in love with.
If you are a fan of werewolf movies, you should stay as far away from this piece of dung as possible. It might sully your love of lycanthropy. It really is a beastly movie.
The ruination of the horror genre continues in this latest offering from the Asylum. Everything that you've come to expect from the Asylum is here. Poor acting, tired and pathetic storyline, a complete lack of talent in everyone involved. I wish I could say I was surprised by the shoddy production of the movie, but I knew I was in trouble as soon as I saw the Asylum logo.
In fact, I couldn't even get this stupid movie to play all the way through on my DVD player. Around chapter 11, the whole thing degenerated into a bunch of green pixels. I felt like I was watching THE MATRIX with a really bad audio track. I took the disc out and cleaned it, but whoever the Asylum is getting to author their DVDs is obviously doing it on their home computer. I should probably be thanking them for almost saving me from another dismal flop from this horrible production company.
After chapter skipping and searching several times, I did finally get to see the whole movie. Let me break it down for you, so you won't have to go through this excruciating experience. This is basically the story of a local Sheriff who's trying to save his small town from a werewolf. He teams up with a Cryptozoology professor and a local hunter to go find the thing. It's really just a cruddy remake of that old movie with Corey Haim, SILVER BULLET. They even stole some shots, doing a montage of the hunters as they melt down silver and make bullets for their machine guns. The only difference is that the final reveal in this one is that the werewolf is the local bartender that our Sheriff has fallen in love with.
If you are a fan of werewolf movies, you should stay as far away from this piece of dung as possible. It might sully your love of lycanthropy. It really is a beastly movie.
Wisconsin urban legend.
michaelRokeefe15 July 2006
Warning: Spoilers
How many times have you heard "based on true events"? Clichéd, a few scares, attractive young women, blood and a bit of gore...and yes a creature on a killing spree. In a wooded area in Wisconsin people are missing, getting ripped in half and some having their guts devoured. A local sheriff finds himself looking for a creature leaving DNA of both man and wolf. What you get to see of the beast is not all that bad and like a lot of cheesy horror fare...the finale is the best sequence of the movie.
Among the cast members: Jeff Denton, Sarah Lieving, Tom Nagel, Tom Downey, Christina Rosenberg, Marija Polsley and with Joel Hebner playing the beast of Bray Road.
Among the cast members: Jeff Denton, Sarah Lieving, Tom Nagel, Tom Downey, Christina Rosenberg, Marija Polsley and with Joel Hebner playing the beast of Bray Road.
By-the-numbers werewolf flick
mvario2 October 2005
Okay, I just watched Beast of Bray Road. It was the new werewolf flick from Asylum.
The film didn't really cover any new ground, it was a pretty much by the numbers werewolf flick. The story was similar to the Jaws story line. The acting for the most part was pretty decent. The beast looked like a cross between a werewolf and bigfoot. No cgi, which I liked, this was a good old school guy in a costume. We don't get any full transformation scenes, but considering the budget I would say that was for the best.
Nothing new here, but it didn't bore me either, moving along at a decent pace. We had a good amount of gore and a little bit of boobs. Don't go out of your way looking for this unless you need to see every werewolf movie, but there are worse ways to spend 90 minutes.
The film didn't really cover any new ground, it was a pretty much by the numbers werewolf flick. The story was similar to the Jaws story line. The acting for the most part was pretty decent. The beast looked like a cross between a werewolf and bigfoot. No cgi, which I liked, this was a good old school guy in a costume. We don't get any full transformation scenes, but considering the budget I would say that was for the best.
Nothing new here, but it didn't bore me either, moving along at a decent pace. We had a good amount of gore and a little bit of boobs. Don't go out of your way looking for this unless you need to see every werewolf movie, but there are worse ways to spend 90 minutes.
insulting and STOOPID
dargaard6715 July 2006
Just watched it on the sci fi channel and being a former resident of the area it was depicting I am insulted at the portrayal of the men being redneck illiterate drunks and the women being oversexed bimbos. recalling a previous comment on this film by someone from Chicago saying thats what he recalls thats what women are like there, well that area is mostly resort area and it is the Chicago women who are like that not the locals.
enough of that the film gore was overnessesary and the story was predictable and stupid, and the only thing based on the legend was the title. I have family that live across a cornfield from the actual bray road. it is a back road that leads to back roads. there is nothing there but farms.
this movie is a waste of time unless you enjoy unessesary gore no story and bad acting
enough of that the film gore was overnessesary and the story was predictable and stupid, and the only thing based on the legend was the title. I have family that live across a cornfield from the actual bray road. it is a back road that leads to back roads. there is nothing there but farms.
this movie is a waste of time unless you enjoy unessesary gore no story and bad acting
a decent film
redhead98985 October 2007
Warning: Spoilers
I actually thought that it was a decent film. I mean it had a couple of good actors, it had good dialog, some gore (a lot of it!) Like the beast climbs on a woman's car, when she gets out, here head is ripped in two. (Very violent) the beginning was good and gory, too. A woman gets out of the car, wanders over two a tree, and is torn in half. (don't know why she got out) Their has a mystery like the plot. (one person is the beast, a main character. Someone you wouldn't expect) The film wasn't boring and wasn't stupid either, so i gave it a ten. I watched it on TV, so I don't know if any of the violence was blocked out. But it did show violence. I recommend this film to a person who like to watch a cheesy b-movie late at night. The film does have suspense, so if you are wandering around at Hollywood video or blockbuster and you go to the horror section and see it on the shelf, you might want to rent it. I think you will think it is a decent asylum film. So i recommend it if you don't see any other movies you want to rent, i recommend you get it.
I'm moving to Wisconsin...
vachioc20 February 2006
After seeing this movie, if I were single, I'd be moving to Wisconsin. A small town full of smokin' hot women where all the men are drunken derelicts sounds perfect for a decent guy to move into.
But on to the movie. I thought it was a decent low-budget werewolf flick. Certainly worth the rental and far better than a lot of junk out there (Carnosaur, Alien Apocalypse, War of the Planets). Really, the acting was much better than I expected. The romance scenes were light-years ahead of Star Wars, Episode III (although that's not a huge endorsement).
The special effects were also pretty good considering the obvious low budget. The werewolf certainly didn't compare to anything from Underworld, but it wasn't nearly as cheesy as I was worried it might be.
I thought the plot moved along at a decent clip and even had a couple of unexpected twists.
All in all, I enjoyed the movie as a good, check-your-brain-at-the-door type flick. It was fun. What more do you expect from a low-budget monster movie?
But on to the movie. I thought it was a decent low-budget werewolf flick. Certainly worth the rental and far better than a lot of junk out there (Carnosaur, Alien Apocalypse, War of the Planets). Really, the acting was much better than I expected. The romance scenes were light-years ahead of Star Wars, Episode III (although that's not a huge endorsement).
The special effects were also pretty good considering the obvious low budget. The werewolf certainly didn't compare to anything from Underworld, but it wasn't nearly as cheesy as I was worried it might be.
I thought the plot moved along at a decent clip and even had a couple of unexpected twists.
All in all, I enjoyed the movie as a good, check-your-brain-at-the-door type flick. It was fun. What more do you expect from a low-budget monster movie?
I live near there
wrlang6 August 2006
I love horror movies and when this came out I was determined to watch it because I live only 40 minutes down the I system from Bray Road. As far as movie quality, it was definitely in the same league as the original Friday the Thirteenth. Is that good? The plot was manufactured, the acting was watch-able but not memorable, the camera work was OK, a moderate amount of gore. After watching it I still couldn't convince my teenage kids to take a midnight drive with me down Bray road on Halloween 2005. I thought that would have been fun. Instead, we just put in another video. Where's the sense of adventure in teenagers these days? To live so close to a place of possible frightening fun and not want to go there?
It's a fun indie horror flick
toddjones-11 March 2006
OK I felt the need to stick up for this movie a little bit. You have to take it for what it is, it's a low budget independent werewolf movie. With that in mind this movie really wasn't as bad as another reviewer has claimed. I purposely rent low budget indie horror flicks to see what people can do with a low budget, and sure there were things that could have been better, but there were a lot of good things about it too. For one, the fact that it didn't look like a kid grabbed his mom's video camera and started recording is a big plus, considering the picture quality on many indie horror flicks out right now is absolute CRAP. Most of the effects weren't bad. If you are like myself and can enjoy a mindless horror movie than you might like this one.
Hoo hum
wntuc15 July 2006
Warning: Spoilers
I suppose if you have nothing good to watch and you want a "scary movie" to get you mind off things, this will fit. Pretty good scary moments and the expected gore. It also has the moments that make no sense--was the gun locked in the refrig? Why? Victims would noticeably place themselves in positions where you know the beast could grab hold of them. The shed scene is obvious when the guy with the ax backs away from his female companion (why didn't he stay with her??) and of course,the beast reaches through the wall and pulls him through--kinda telegraphed. Pretty much through the movie there was a lot of "why's and how come's". It also has the usual unnecessary sex scene and conflict between saving the beast or killing it.
Of course its a typical 90's--00's horror movie portraying the men as weak or idiots and the macho women having to take control because the men--are idiots. That is unless the woman is blond--two were the stupid ones in this movie. Interesting the bar fight scene where the cop is protected by the woman with a gun--yeah, never saw that on COPS before.
I guess we will have these types poorly written horror flicks for awhile until the next generation of writers are of age.
Of course its a typical 90's--00's horror movie portraying the men as weak or idiots and the macho women having to take control because the men--are idiots. That is unless the woman is blond--two were the stupid ones in this movie. Interesting the bar fight scene where the cop is protected by the woman with a gun--yeah, never saw that on COPS before.
I guess we will have these types poorly written horror flicks for awhile until the next generation of writers are of age.
The best Bad movie ever
james-i-hales13 May 2007
This film is special. It's everything you could expect from a film shown on the SciFi CHannel, and more. This includes: Bad plot, bad acting, bad writing, and tons of nonsense. I'm talking REALLY stupid stuff. The aspect of this film that appeals to me is this: Every single stupid thing characters have done in bad horror flicks for the past fifty years is compressed into this film in this film. I'm talking a butt-load of clichés. I however like the fact that they don't wait till the end of the movie to show you the monster. It was cool when Spielberg did it in Jaws, but now every talentless director thinks it'll give his film suspense, but it's just irritating. This is a great film to watch with your friends and heckle the $#!+ out of. Worse than anything Uwe Boll could have created. Enjoy!
A waste of rental money
eelvingarcia24 October 2005
I saw this movie two days ago,In hope to show an investor, examples of independent films thank god I had Napeleon Dynamite on hand,a true sample of what an ultra low budget should look like.I can be a forgiving viewer when it comes to independent films.I've watched my share of garbage-amateur-horrible-z-grade horror, but Leigh Slawner's: The Beast of Bray Road Flats must be the worst ever! If there ever was a movie, which deserved to be shelve this must be it.I was very well surprised by the extremely low quality of the movie,considering the fact that this movie cost more to make than Napeleon Dynamite.
I was curious to hear the commentary of the filmmakers,to see what minds were involve in this project and all I can hear were fourth graders making fun of their home movie.
I am wondering why this piece of garbage was ever made. The characters are so lame you have no motivation to cheer for anyone.To any one who suffers from insomnia, I recommend this film as a great sleeping aid and if you want to punish your kids for doing wrong, this would make a great tool for punishing them or make a criminal talk.
Most bad movies have a certain good in them (usually comedy), but alas, this movie beats out anything else thrown at it. Instead of causing laughter, it caused pain.
It seems as though the director duct-taped a broken mic to the top of his camera and hoped it would capture anything, all I can hear were cars during intimate moments, Because of this, One can barely understand the dialog. The camera guy was terrible because he doesn't know what a polarizer filter is for,and the lighting was bad at the bar scene that I had to increase the brightness on my TV.
The only positive thing about this movie was the ending credits and when I tab open on my DVD player.
I was curious to hear the commentary of the filmmakers,to see what minds were involve in this project and all I can hear were fourth graders making fun of their home movie.
I am wondering why this piece of garbage was ever made. The characters are so lame you have no motivation to cheer for anyone.To any one who suffers from insomnia, I recommend this film as a great sleeping aid and if you want to punish your kids for doing wrong, this would make a great tool for punishing them or make a criminal talk.
Most bad movies have a certain good in them (usually comedy), but alas, this movie beats out anything else thrown at it. Instead of causing laughter, it caused pain.
It seems as though the director duct-taped a broken mic to the top of his camera and hoped it would capture anything, all I can hear were cars during intimate moments, Because of this, One can barely understand the dialog. The camera guy was terrible because he doesn't know what a polarizer filter is for,and the lighting was bad at the bar scene that I had to increase the brightness on my TV.
The only positive thing about this movie was the ending credits and when I tab open on my DVD player.
The family pet that's too lame to walk the walk.
Cinema_Fan28 October 2006
A nice little and a little too easy going indie' B-movie, The Beast of Bray Road, is, allegedly, based on factual reports of sightings, circa 1989, of the legendary sasquatch and werewolf myth, or cryptozoology as the scholars would pronounce, and wild as the beast itself, the over active imaginations of the peoples' of Wisconsin, U.S.A.
Directed and written by Leigh Scott (b.1972), aka Scott Slawner, brings his extended family together for another outing, this time to do battle with modern folklore and superstition. Released by Asylum Home Entertainment, whose category embarks on the wonderful B-movie drive-in genre as Snakes on a Train (2006), Vampires vs. Zombies (2004) and The Fanglys (2004), all straight to video, and all for sale at the bargain basement bin at your local video rental shop. Most here, at least, have worked together in other projects, Jeff Denton (as Sheriff Phil Jenkins), working in Leigh Scott's Art House (1998), Sarah Lieving (here as Kelly), and Andrew Lauer had played against said director in the T.V. movie H.G. Wells' War of the Worlds (2005). Ms. Noel Thurman (playing Sheriff Pamela Fitske) in Mr. Scott's The 9/11 Commission Report (2006).
Mr. Scott's movie is very light comedy; too many weak points to be taken seriously, The Beast of Bray Road could be taken for a Saturday morning T.V. matinée parody at best. If it were not for the gross out flesh eating scenes and, once, light nudity and some coarse language, but not often. We can forgive Mr. Scott for trying too hard, but try he has and he has, forgivingly, done reasonably well. The attention to detail can be somewhat lacking, sadly, and it is this that has The Beast looking a little too unprofessional and unfortunately this gives it its comical look, the desired effect perhaps or a bad dose of laziness and complacency.
The beasts makeup, on the other hand, is impressive, and done by Eva Lohse, regrettably, the only highlight of the movie, and not really seen enough, and Dizzworks Design too played their part. Ms. Lohse is credited as key makeup artist and having worked on Rent Control (2002), Employee of the Month (2004), plus many others as Dead Men Walking (2005) and Dracula's Curse (2006), which coincidently has five members of The Beast co-starring.
The poor attention to the editing, again by Leigh Scott, has given The Beast more plot holes than Emmental cheese, we are left scratching our heads and left feeling the efforts are rather curdled in the process and that this could, if at best, have been a half decent movie. This could, and to be fair, be down to a lack of proper funding, if so then the parodying of the major American beer companies and their logos that are seen in "KELLY'S Roadhouse" might be understandable.
The clichéd character development, too, is feeble and the lack of originality only separates its need to be taken seriously. All in all The Beast of Bray Road is a group of new family and old friends making movies, if it doesn't workout, then fine, lets make another. If one should hit the jackpot and stir up peoples imaginations then all the better for them, but in the meantime The Beast will remain an okay movie, but it will never walk down the road of being a good movie.
Directed and written by Leigh Scott (b.1972), aka Scott Slawner, brings his extended family together for another outing, this time to do battle with modern folklore and superstition. Released by Asylum Home Entertainment, whose category embarks on the wonderful B-movie drive-in genre as Snakes on a Train (2006), Vampires vs. Zombies (2004) and The Fanglys (2004), all straight to video, and all for sale at the bargain basement bin at your local video rental shop. Most here, at least, have worked together in other projects, Jeff Denton (as Sheriff Phil Jenkins), working in Leigh Scott's Art House (1998), Sarah Lieving (here as Kelly), and Andrew Lauer had played against said director in the T.V. movie H.G. Wells' War of the Worlds (2005). Ms. Noel Thurman (playing Sheriff Pamela Fitske) in Mr. Scott's The 9/11 Commission Report (2006).
Mr. Scott's movie is very light comedy; too many weak points to be taken seriously, The Beast of Bray Road could be taken for a Saturday morning T.V. matinée parody at best. If it were not for the gross out flesh eating scenes and, once, light nudity and some coarse language, but not often. We can forgive Mr. Scott for trying too hard, but try he has and he has, forgivingly, done reasonably well. The attention to detail can be somewhat lacking, sadly, and it is this that has The Beast looking a little too unprofessional and unfortunately this gives it its comical look, the desired effect perhaps or a bad dose of laziness and complacency.
The beasts makeup, on the other hand, is impressive, and done by Eva Lohse, regrettably, the only highlight of the movie, and not really seen enough, and Dizzworks Design too played their part. Ms. Lohse is credited as key makeup artist and having worked on Rent Control (2002), Employee of the Month (2004), plus many others as Dead Men Walking (2005) and Dracula's Curse (2006), which coincidently has five members of The Beast co-starring.
The poor attention to the editing, again by Leigh Scott, has given The Beast more plot holes than Emmental cheese, we are left scratching our heads and left feeling the efforts are rather curdled in the process and that this could, if at best, have been a half decent movie. This could, and to be fair, be down to a lack of proper funding, if so then the parodying of the major American beer companies and their logos that are seen in "KELLY'S Roadhouse" might be understandable.
The clichéd character development, too, is feeble and the lack of originality only separates its need to be taken seriously. All in all The Beast of Bray Road is a group of new family and old friends making movies, if it doesn't workout, then fine, lets make another. If one should hit the jackpot and stir up peoples imaginations then all the better for them, but in the meantime The Beast will remain an okay movie, but it will never walk down the road of being a good movie.
Sooooo bad!!!
pamaerts-3869713 March 2021
Being a native Wisconsinite, this movie is just bad! The Beast of Bray Road never killed anyone.🤣🤣🤣 Plus, if it wasn't so comical, it would almost be offensive to anyone from Wisconsin how they portrayed them in this movie. A bunch of back woods, rednecks and the women are all a bunch of ignorant, drunken hose bags 🤣🤣🤣
Not for historical accuracy
pcquicksilver22 July 2006
I am quite familiar with "The Beast", as I grew up in the location of this film. This is a case where fact is far more interesting than the fiction of this film. Yes, Walworth County did indeed issue "Werewolf Licenses". But that is where the similarities end. There is such a wealth of information the writers could have used which would have made this a fabulous film.
Breast shots are used to hold the viewer's interest and provide momentary relief from the scenes of endless drinking and poor costuming. It is not a bad film; I enjoyed several aspects of the plot and the acting was decent enough to hold my interest. I would hope that this effort does not prevent someone else from taking on this story at some future date and giving it a different, deserved artistic flair.
Breast shots are used to hold the viewer's interest and provide momentary relief from the scenes of endless drinking and poor costuming. It is not a bad film; I enjoyed several aspects of the plot and the acting was decent enough to hold my interest. I would hope that this effort does not prevent someone else from taking on this story at some future date and giving it a different, deserved artistic flair.
This dog won't hunt
calico_jack_racham31 October 2005
Bad writing, bad acting combine with high school cinematography to make this a waste of time and money. I rented this joke in a moment of insanity and regretted it ever since. Leigh Slawner grabs the credit for this drivel, and he's welcome to it. This little joke should have finished his career, but didn't, which is a real shame. The film is disjointed beyond belief and has no redeeming qualities. The only reason I gave it a three instead of the -10 it richly deserves is that there is a remote possibility that there may be a film out there somewhere that is actually worse than this. I'm not holding my breath.
Bottom line: Don't waste your bread renting this dog.
Bottom line: Don't waste your bread renting this dog.
I LOVE this movie! A great werewolf movie
tthomas-2628 April 2007
I first watched this movie on TV... I liked it, I would of given it a 7/10. Then I watched the real, uncut movie. It's wonderful!! It is actually believable, and the monster doesn't look like a huge pile of Hair and meat. It has a lot of gore compared to other movies like Friday the 13th and Nightmare on Elm Street. It actually shows him eating the people. This is by far tied with the best werewolf movie i've ever seen.(with Silver Bullet) This is an underrated movie, I've watched it over and over again and I never get sick of it. If you like gore, and getting scared out of your pants, you'd really like this movie. Also, what's so wrong with the acting? It's perfectly fine to me. I saw the Departed( everyone said the acting was fantastic) and it was just as good. Just because it doesn't have any stars like Leonardo Decaprio or someone famous doesn't meant that the acting is bad. The acting in Nightmare on Elm Street was even worse. It is really cool that it is partially based on real events, there actually WAS a massacre of the pilgrims around the Bray Road area in the 1800's and there have been sightings ranging from 1900-2000.
Entertaining Werewolf Story
ksj87016 October 2012
The Beast of Bray Road is certainly not an A-List picture, and to put it mildly it is very rough around the edges. The budget must have been extremely low, production values are negligible, and while there is a legend in Wisconsin concerning what may be a "real" beast of Bray Road, the film's claim to be based on a true story is plainly a gross exaggeration. On top of all that, the script populates the small town that is its setting with hardly anybody but unlikeable rednecks, the worst sort of white trash that you're often only too happy to see get torn limb from limb by the ravenous werewolf.
But despite it all, I had a lot of fun watching The Beast of Bray Road last night, so much so that it probably won't be too long before I watch it again. The story itself is built on a reliable formula, that of a small town beset by an unidentified monster which just might be something supernatural. Foruntately, our small cadre of heroes are more likable than most of the supporting characters. The protagonist is a local cop, but even so he's from the Big City and the locals mostly see him as an outsider not to be trusted. As our hero slowly puts the pieces together, he gradually comes to the realization that the predator he's looking for may spend most of its time hiding in plain sight as one of the townsfolk he's sworn to protect--even if they hate him for it. A cryptozoologist, drawn by the lure of fame and renown, shows up to lend the esoteric knowledge it takes to track down a werewolf, and aided by the deputy's beautiful almost-girlfriend and the rest of the rather clueless police squad, they put the truth together piece by piece, leading to a climactic hunt for the bloodthirsty monster in the dark of the forest.
Yes, this is a b-movie, but so what? It lacks polish and while its tough to ignore the obvious lack of funds, the picture still puts together a suitable atmosphere that, despite its official setting in Wisconsin, could be a small town almost anywhere in the USA. Direction is competent, with some creative shots worked in throughout the movie, and the acting is for the most part more than acceptable. The script does take some bold jumps in logic that require more than a little suspension of disbelief on the viewer's part, but that was okay with me. The werewolf itself is exceptionally well-done, and though we only see it a few times head-on, the eponymous Beast is very fearsome. Despite the low budget, the kills are pretty elaborate and gory, if you're impressed by that sort of thing. The big reveal near the end is quite a surprise, and the climax highly suspenseful.
This is a movie that would be pretty easy to pick apart, if you really wanted to. There's no denying its weaknesses, but it also has quite a few strengths. If the cast and crew don't have the tools to make a first-class blockbuster, they make up for it with a remarkable level of enthusiasm and dramatic flair. Together, everyone involved helps to create a story that is entertaining enough to overcome any inherent shortcomings. Thanks to an impressive werewolf, a simple but sound plot, surprisingly good acting, and a nice atmosphere, The Beast of Bray Road adds up to be more than the sum of its low-budget parts.
But despite it all, I had a lot of fun watching The Beast of Bray Road last night, so much so that it probably won't be too long before I watch it again. The story itself is built on a reliable formula, that of a small town beset by an unidentified monster which just might be something supernatural. Foruntately, our small cadre of heroes are more likable than most of the supporting characters. The protagonist is a local cop, but even so he's from the Big City and the locals mostly see him as an outsider not to be trusted. As our hero slowly puts the pieces together, he gradually comes to the realization that the predator he's looking for may spend most of its time hiding in plain sight as one of the townsfolk he's sworn to protect--even if they hate him for it. A cryptozoologist, drawn by the lure of fame and renown, shows up to lend the esoteric knowledge it takes to track down a werewolf, and aided by the deputy's beautiful almost-girlfriend and the rest of the rather clueless police squad, they put the truth together piece by piece, leading to a climactic hunt for the bloodthirsty monster in the dark of the forest.
Yes, this is a b-movie, but so what? It lacks polish and while its tough to ignore the obvious lack of funds, the picture still puts together a suitable atmosphere that, despite its official setting in Wisconsin, could be a small town almost anywhere in the USA. Direction is competent, with some creative shots worked in throughout the movie, and the acting is for the most part more than acceptable. The script does take some bold jumps in logic that require more than a little suspension of disbelief on the viewer's part, but that was okay with me. The werewolf itself is exceptionally well-done, and though we only see it a few times head-on, the eponymous Beast is very fearsome. Despite the low budget, the kills are pretty elaborate and gory, if you're impressed by that sort of thing. The big reveal near the end is quite a surprise, and the climax highly suspenseful.
This is a movie that would be pretty easy to pick apart, if you really wanted to. There's no denying its weaknesses, but it also has quite a few strengths. If the cast and crew don't have the tools to make a first-class blockbuster, they make up for it with a remarkable level of enthusiasm and dramatic flair. Together, everyone involved helps to create a story that is entertaining enough to overcome any inherent shortcomings. Thanks to an impressive werewolf, a simple but sound plot, surprisingly good acting, and a nice atmosphere, The Beast of Bray Road adds up to be more than the sum of its low-budget parts.
Another Choppy Horror flick
Starkravingkat14 October 2005
My view on it might be a little basis for the simple fact that I live in rural Wisconsin, about 15 minutes outside Walworth county.
First I was actually offended that they're showing the town it took place in as wide spot in the road where all the woman have to do is whore themselves out, the men beat the women and work of cars, that is when they're not at the bar. The writer/director said in the featurette that he was making it as white trashy as he possibly could. I understand the making of another world to create this film but it had such a bad ring to it.
The movie starts out strong but the pacing for the rest of the film wasn't great. The blatant stupidity of the police with blood evidence and dismissing getting a DNA test was frustrating and wholly unrealistic. The gore was good for the most part, even if a little over done. Some of the lead performances where great but the supporting roles really fell apart. The costume wasn't fantastic but was used effectively.
Over all it wasn't great, I feel like I wasted some time and money. If you're really into werewolf films, I'd recommend it. If you're looking for a scary film, try something else.
First I was actually offended that they're showing the town it took place in as wide spot in the road where all the woman have to do is whore themselves out, the men beat the women and work of cars, that is when they're not at the bar. The writer/director said in the featurette that he was making it as white trashy as he possibly could. I understand the making of another world to create this film but it had such a bad ring to it.
The movie starts out strong but the pacing for the rest of the film wasn't great. The blatant stupidity of the police with blood evidence and dismissing getting a DNA test was frustrating and wholly unrealistic. The gore was good for the most part, even if a little over done. Some of the lead performances where great but the supporting roles really fell apart. The costume wasn't fantastic but was used effectively.
Over all it wasn't great, I feel like I wasted some time and money. If you're really into werewolf films, I'd recommend it. If you're looking for a scary film, try something else.
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