August 15, 2018 at 5:40 p.m.
Hollywood to the Northwoods: The story of 'Bog'
Comically bad horror movie celebrates its 40th anniversary with screening at Rouman Cinema
Hollywood to the Northwoods: The story of 'Bog'
By Abbey McEnroe-
"Bog" is an obscure, and comically bad, horror movie filmed in Oneida County in the summer of 1978. The film features fading Hollywood stars Aldo Ray, Gloria DeHaven and Marshall Thompson, as well as a variety of local "actors."
The plot revolves around a prehistoric sea creature awakened when a local person is dynamite fishing in a rural swamp. The monster, of course, feeds off of human blood.
With the tagline alone, "'Bog' ... a creature from the glacial age awakens to kill ... kill ... and kill again!" it is not surprising the movie did not receive critical praise.
While not critically acclaimed, the film does have a cult following.
Ohio native Todd Brown originally discovered the film as a high school student while browsing his local video store. Little did he know the film would have such a major impact on his life.
"Back in high school - this would've been around 1997 - some friends and I frequented this little video store in my hometown of Wapakoneta, Ohio," Brown recalled. "On weekend nights we'd search for horror movies to watch, and one night we discovered 'Bog' in one of those giant old VHS clamshell cases, and we just fell in love with it right away. It was just incredibly, hilariously bad, and we watched it over and over. It made me fall in love with bad movies."
Brown's discovery of "Bog" inspired his move to Hollywood and the creation of his own "horrible" movies.
"Bog" also introduced Brown to northern Wisconsin.
"From the very first time I saw the movie," Brown expressed, "when I saw the words 'Filmed in Harshaw, Wisconsin' in the end credits, I had this thought that I just needed to go to this place someday. Even though the film is photographed poorly, you can still appreciate the scenic beauty of the place. The movie, often in spite of itself, does a great job of establishing the location as a character."
Now, for the film's 40th anniversary, Brown is hosting a special screening at Rouman Cinema in Rhinelander.
The film was theatrically released, but only in the southern states, so this will be the Northwoods' first chance to see it on the big screen.
"Bog" will bring viewers a sense of nostalgia as they view Oneida County as it was in the '70s, even if it is in a grainy, poor light.
"There are a lot of great shots of downtown Minocqua at the beginning of the movie, and in one aerial shot you can clearly see The Boathouse," Brown said. "You can also see The Lakeland Savings & Loan, which dissolved in 1980, an old Spur Gas Station, a Ben Franklin department store, a place called Vic's Photo and Record Center, the Belle Isle Bar, among others."
The "seemingly endless" laboratory scenes were filmed at Lakeland Union High School, there's a quick shot of the old Idlewild Resort and most of the exterior shots were thought to be filmed on Birch Lake and Lake Tomahawk.
"George Rouman (owner of Rouman Cinema) was very receptive and excited about my idea to screen the movie there to commemorate the 40th anniversary of the film's production," Brown expressed.
The film will be screened at 5 p.m. Aug. 18 and tickets are available at bogmovie.com for $8 apiece.
The screening is set to have "Bog"-themed giveaways and prizes and Brown encourages attendees to come dressed as their favorite "Bog" character.
"Bog" fans will not be the only people in attendance as Thomas Schwaab, who played the monster, will also be at the screening.
"I'm trying to make contact with as many people as I can that were associated with the production," Brown said. "I think it's important that they come to the screening, so they know that what they took part in hasn't been forgotten, and that it actually made a difference in people's lives."
Hollywood to Northwoods
The idea for "Bog" was born out of a conversation at a Hollywood cocktail party, Brown said. And, for some reason, Oneida County was chosen for a movie that could have been filmed just about anywhere a lake was present.
"It's beautiful country up in the Northwoods, and someone in Hollywood - likely some suit with a boatload of cash - recognized this and wanted to capture that beauty on film for everyone to enjoy," Brown explained. "It's a wonderful little time capsule of a very specific time and place."
While the movie turned out to be comically bad, Brown said it was not in on the joke.
"They set out to make a small, but effective, horror movie here, but just failed miserably in a lot of ways," Brown conveyed. "You can tell, everybody is playing it as straight as they can, which makes the final result even funnier. I spoke with one of the cast members a few years back, Glen Voros, who has sadly since passed away. He said they would go out, shoot some footage, bring it back and review it, and everyone would agree that it looked horrible. So sometimes they'd go out the next day to try and shoot the same thing again. But somehow, he said, it wound up looking even worse!"
The happenings "behind the scenes" of "Bog" appear to have been even more chaotic than the movie itself.
Brown said a surviving cast member alleged mistreatment and abuse of the actors by one of the heads of the production, that is until one of the film's leading actresses, Gloria DeHaven, confronted the perpetrator to demand working conditions improve.
After filming ended, Brown said a lot of the actors and even the director, Don Keeslar, did not know the movie was ever completed.
"When confronted with a DVD of the film at a film convention, Gloria DeHaven expressed shock that the film was ever completed, because she claimed she was never paid in full for her work on it," Brown revealed. "The director told me the same thing, having no clue the movie was ever finished. That sort of amazed me, that the director hasn't even seen this movie, that's how obscure it is. And everybody I talked to agreed that the booze just never stopped flowing, and that pretty much everyone was under the influence of something at one time or another."
According to a Lakeland Times article from 1978, filming began in June of 1978 and concluded in August. At the time, Chris Harris, who ran public relations for the film, stated the film was expected to be released in late October 1978. However, as a testament to the chaos, the film was not released until early 1984.
Even if "Bog" is universally considered bad, from the acting to editing, those familiar with Oneida County can still appreciate seeing the places they love captured in a cheesy, horror-esque style.
See 'Bog' on the big screen
Where: Rouman Cinema in Rhinelander
When: 5 p.m. Aug. 18
Price: Tickets are available at bogmovie.com for $8 apiece.
What else to expect: "Bog"-themed giveaways and prizes. Come dressed as your favorite "Bog" character. Thomas Schwaab, who played the monster, will also attend the screening.
Abbey McEnroe may be reached via email at [email protected].
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