You know what’s so great about the Seth Breedlove and Small Town Monsters documentaries? They’re really not afraid to tackle urban legends and cryptids that are massively overlooked by mainstream media. Sure, everyone’s heard of Bigfoot and the Kecksburg UFO crash and my favorite, The Mothman of Point Pleasant. However, I don’t think many people have heard of The Bray Road Beast, unless you remember the 2005 SyFy original movie that was…kind of good. So, when The Bray Road Beast hits DVD, VOD and Vidi Space on October 5th 2018 prepare yourself for a crash course in America’s most fabled, though incredibly slept on, werewolf. Told mostly through the perspective of author and historian Linda S. Godfrey and narrator Lyle Blackburn, The Bray Road Beast will have you howling at the moan as it dives into the history of a dog-like monster that frequents a long stretch of farm road in Elkhorn, Wisconsin. Mass hysteria, dark magic, lycanthrope, an ever expanding hoax, or something else – this is another television quality documentary you don’t want to miss!
Elkhorn, Wisconsin is a rural 8 mile wide town that’s home to 10,000 citizens, which sees significant tourism thanks to resorts on the border of its great lakes. Although its townies will tell you otherwise, Elkhorn wasn’t known for much outside of that until 1991 when multiple citizens started reporting encounters and near attacks from a werewolf with glowing red eyes that was capable of running at speeds of 55 miles per hour. Historically, however, sightings of The Bray Road Beast started way back in 1936 and have even continued up until 2013 and 2015. Bray Road itself was populated only by The Bray families, and it is/was unlikely that they spend all their time stopping cars in the middle of the night and frightening their occupants half to death. So, is something else going on in Elkhorn? Mutilated animals and other occult leftovers pop up around the outskirts, leading some to believe that The Bray Road Beast is a demon from Hell. Stories of Native Americans inhabiting the area centuries ago have others wagering the beast is a shapeshifting spirit. While others even believe the creature is from another planet, thanks to trail cam footage showing strange lights in the sky. Whatever the case may be, writer/director Seth Breedlove serves it all to you at once and leaves the mystery open for you to interpret.
In typical Small Town Monsters fashion, The Bray Road Beast takes its viewers directly to the town of Elkhorn Winsconsin, and the infamous Bray Road itself. As always, the camera work is so clear and the atmosphere is so palpable that you feel like you’re walking down the road with them. Impressive story-telling work, and for a supernatural documentary, it’s one of the most engrossing and sense-pleasing re-tellings that you’ll find on the market. I don’t know how Seth Breedlove churns these out so quickly and with such high quality, but I always say these documentaries could play on Destination America and SyFy and easily be watched by millions. And each time Small Town Monsters releases a new film, it’s apparent that the team has worked hard to step up their game and deliver a top-notch product that’s worthy of your money. Shout out to illustrators Matt Harris, Brian Serway & Brandon Scalf, animators Santino Vitale & Chris Scalf, cinematographer Zac Palmisano, producers Seth Breedlove & Adrienne Breedlove, and co-writer Mark Matzke for giving these creatures a semi-biographical film that pays them the right justice.
The legend of The Bray Road Beast didn’t kick into full gear until December 1991, which is perfect because this documentary was able to find all of the sightings – even someone’s original recorded testimony – and turn them into re-enactments. These re-enactments are always my favorite parts of Seth’s documentaries because it’s like seeing mini horror movies in every documentary. Smokey nights on the road, chase scenes, screams and thrills. They only go to show that Seth and his crew could easily turn to narrative films if they ever desired to. The Bray Road Beast also features tons of testimonies from locals who were around during the rash of sightings in the 1990s. My favorite sighting was the one during the day, because being able to see things clearly leaves no room for error. John Fredrickson, David Floyd, Larry Bray, Bob Bray, Jay Bachochini, Donna Fink, Ricky Sanchez and Lee Hempel all lent their expertise, stories, opinions and insights to this documentary, resulting in a full picture that represents all sides of the story and further highlights that Bray Road is home to one of the most encountered cryptids in America.
The Bray Road Beast is about to grow in popularity again, as this documentary is due for DVD and VOD release on October 5th 2018. It’s bound to rocket up the charts and expose the monster in a way that it hasn’t experienced in over a decade. A scary, hairy, true horror story that sticks its claws into you, The Bray Road Beast is a full fledged documentary that will have wondering what lurks in the underbrush at night the next time you drive down a deserted road. Hopefully, it’s not a werewolf. Final Score: 8.5 out of 10.
