GrimPrecise I'll tell you why so serious

MoPoshy Absolutely brilliant

Catangro After playing with our expectations, this turns out to be a very different sort of film.

Portia Hilton Blistering performances.

Wuchak 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: 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-

Sean Jump 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.

wrlang 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?

pcquicksilver 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.