Wisconsin Movie Scary for Some (Not Us Though)

With Halloween just days away, the Drink Wisconsinbly Week in Review Editorial Board thought it would be fitting to embrace Spooky Season in this week’s newsletter. We came across a film called Wisconsin Death Trip and decided to provide a review for readers who may be looking for a fright, which wouldn’t be an issue for us, as we’re not the type of editorial board that scares easily.

The 1999 film is based on a 1972 book of the same name and is considered a bit of a cult classic. It documents a series of strange and tragic events that occurred in the Black River Falls area between 1890 and 1900, drawing on actual accounts from the local newspaper, which some may find troubling. But not us, you can be sure of that.

The reports, written by a local editor named Frank Cooper, are read by English actor Ian Holm, and archival images come from photographer Charles Van Schaik, who also worked in the area. In addition to the photos, filmmaker James Marsh recreated many of the incidents to produce the film’s chilling visuals. The black-and-white footage, slow pans across the vacant faces in the photographs, and ominous music combine to elevate the creepiness and could potentially send chills down the spines of viewers who aren’t as stoic as the Drink Wisconsinbly Week in Review Editorial Board.

The vignettes range from troubling to horrific, including vandalism, drowning, arson, suspected demonic possession, a possible ghost sighting, a manhunt for a boy who killed his neighbor, and more gunplay than your average John Wick film. There are a number of stories of jilted lovers acting out in unsavory ways after being rejected by the object of their affection. It’s truly a rich tapestry.

Perhaps not surprisingly, the devil takes the blame for several of the unsavory acts referenced. But for many of the actual perpetrators, their next stop was the Wisconsin State Hospital for the Insane. It is mentioned several times throughout. And we can imagine a scenario where merely thinking about the conditions in a mental hospital during the late 19th century could make some people — that we cannot relate to — go and check that basement door is bolted and then see if anybody is hiding in the closet.

If you’d like to watch the film for yourself, you can find it at archive.org. But be warned, you may end up sleeping with the lights on. Unlike us, who slept soundly in the dark without a baseball bat leaning against the nightstand.