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.

Paul Andrews The Beast of Bray Road is set in Walworth County, Wisconsin & starts late one night as Kelly (Sarah Lieving), the owner of the imaginatively named bar Kelly's, closes up for the night. Potential lovers Billy (Tom Nagel) & Gretchin (Heather Conforto) have an argument & Gretchin drives off on her own, however her car breaks down a short time later & while stuck in the middle of nowhere she is attacked by a Werewolf like creature & brutally killed... It's not long before soon to be the new Sheriff Phil Jenkins (Jeff Denton) has found Gretchins abandoned car & starts to investigate, as he tries to find the whereabouts of Gretchin he is told of the local legends about the supposed 'Beast of Bray Road' which has apparently stalked the area for years. At first Jenkins is understandably sceptical but as the bodies start to pile up & a flood of 'Beast' sightings are reported he might have to rethink his position & break out the silver bullets...Apparently 'Based on a True Story' (according to the opening credits), edited, written & directed by Leigh Slawner I thought The Beast of Bray Road was a pretty decent little horror film, it's nothing spectacular but it's certainly watchable in it's own right. The script moves along at a fair pace & it's not overly boring or talky. The film keeps the Werewolf's identity a secret until the end & the actual revelation as to whom it is comes across as a neat little twist that isn't as obvious as it might have been. There are pleasing amounts of violence & there's some nice nudity as well. I thought the character's were a bit poor, lots of small town small minded bigot's who hate the police & get drunk all the time. Still, nothings perfect right? The Beast of Bray Road isn't the best horror film ever made but it's a pretty decent time-waster all the same & there aren't too many Werewolf films out there, let alone good ones. I'm not sure what else I can say about it, it's a perfectly watchable film & that's about all that need to be said really.Director Slawner does a pretty good job, the film looks quite good & isn't as cheap looking as a lot of low budget horror films. There isn't many scares & there's not much atmosphere either but there's some nice gore, there are crushed heads, split open heads, decapitated heads, someone has their leg torn off, there are various unfortunate people who have their intestines pulled out & eaten, there's a gory blood splattered skeleton, bodies ripped in half & there's a lot of blood splashed around which helps. There's some nudity as well. The special effects are good as well & there isn't a rubbishy cartoon CGI effect in sight, the Werewolf creature looks decent although we never see any sort of transformation scene & unlike a lot of Werewolf films whether it appears or not seems to have nothing to do with there being a full moon or not.Technically The Beast of Bray Road is fine & considering it's low budget shot on a digital camcorder type origins it's pretty good. The acting was also fairly good.The Beast of Bray Road is one of those films which is watchable, it isn't going to top anyones 'best film' list but it's a good Werewolf horror film with a decent amount of gore. You could do better for sure but you could also do a hell of a lot worse, worth a watch if nothing else.

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.

slayrrr666 "The Beast of Bray Road" is a lot better than it should be.**SPOILERS**The new sheriff of Walworth County, Phil Jenkins, (Jeff Denton) is immediately assigned to a missing person case, and upon investigating it, he finds her friends Ray, (Joel Hebner) and Billy Loubes, (Tom Nagel) keeping her relationship secret. When a slew of reported sightings from the townspeople of a reported monster in the area, Quinn McKenzie, (Thomas Downey) a crypto-zoologist, comes in to offer his help with the investigation. He believes that the creature is a werewolf, which Phil isn't too keen to believe. When enough evidence is unearthed for Phil to finally accept that the killer may indeed be a werewolf, he takes a posse of the remaining towns-members into the woods and hunt down the creature.The Good News: I was actually surprised at how good this was. Like most good werewolf movies, the werewolf is incredibly vicious and angry, making it more terrifying. That makes the kills very, very graphic. We get a decapitation, a leg ripped off, slashed throat and far more. The werewolf has a preference for ripped people in half at the waist, so there's a large amount of scenes involving corpses that are cut in half with entrails falling out of the bottom or lying on the ground. This is certainly one of the most vicious werewolves ever, and is a real gore-hounds delight. The film is also pretty fast paced and never really slows down at all. The attacks come pretty rapidly and with their brutal nature, it's nice to watch. It was interesting to see the film attempt a little in the way of werewolf mythologies here and there. Mention is made of the attacks being done on a full moon, silver bullets is used quite often, and several other popular myths are used. Quite a nice touch. The opening attack is also the best of the lot, as it's quite creepily-filmed and actually has a jump or two in there. The biggest advantage is it's B-movie atmosphere. It has all the proper ingredients: a fun, fairly uncomplicated story, buckets of gore, cool characters and a vicious monster. It has that charm inherent in it as well, making it a fun movie.The Bad News: While it was nice to see a man-in-costume werewolf in a movie without it being CGI, the look isn't that good. It makes the creature look pretty laughable, as it looks incomplete as there's strings of hair falling of the body. The design of the face isn't vicious looking, and instead makes it look like an angry puppy. I'll give it points for going back to the costumed creature approach, but the look doesn't really inspire much terror.The Final Verdict: It wasn't as bad as it should've been, and instead is just a fun B-movie about a vicious werewolf. It's got a rather weird looking werewolf, but if that doesn't stop you from watching it, it will entertain. Definitely one for werewolf fans to look into, as well as gore-hounds and those looking for a fun B-movie for a Friday night.Rated R: Graphic Violence, Graphic Language, Nudity and a mild sex scene