I think this is a new genre that they're all sort of working their way through it and haven't got all the kinks worked out yet but it's a genre that works for me.

People are voting emotionally.

If you like to be scared, if you like to laugh, and if you like to learn a thing or two at the movies, this absolutely cannot be missed.

The film never slows down or bores, plunging from one harrowing sequence to the next.

'Nowhere in this great continent of ours can be found a more desirable residence.' This is a pitch for the small town of Black River Falls, Wisconsin. If by any chance you've already accepted this seemingly ordinarily little exaggeration as the truth, then its time you saw a melancholic little documentary called Wisconsin Death Trip.This is a film which details the events that occurred in Black River Falls during the 1890s and is the director James Marsh's take on the 1970s literary cult classic of the same name, written by Michael Lesy. It seems that the whole town was besieged by fits of suicide, murder, lunacy and several inexplicable and bizarre events that could have been plucked cleanly from an Edward Gory poem. The grim and dark character of this strange little town and its inhabitants are communicated through photographs taken at the time and newspaper reports. The photos are connected to starkly beautiful black and white recreations of the odd goings-on of Black River Falls. Ian Holm narrates the film in a haunting and sometimes blackly comic manner, and a few records from the local insane asylum are whispered disturbingly, telling us about the many inhabitants who were committed there. The recreations are shot with dazzling fluidity, all are stunning to watch and every single one shocks or horrifies to an enthralling degree.Like Aronofsky's Requiem for a Dream, this twisted tale takes place over several seasons and the other-worldly events just keep on happening; from a farmer who blew his own head off with dynamite to a 63 year old-14 year old paedophilliac marriage, they seem never-ending as the depressing Wisconsin Winter looms over the horizon. There are certain characters who keep reappearing throughout the film such as the 13 year old who shot an old man for fun and then participated in a western style chase and gun fight with a posse, and the has-been opera singer, Pauline L'Allemand, who moved to Black River Falls and slowly went mad, hearing voices from the spirit world and ended up in the Mendota Asylum for the Insane.It is the morbid fascination that resides in some of us which makes us want to watch this to the end, to see just how tantalizingly strange the events in this town can get. The macabre style is pulled off with perfection; it is often grisly and melancholic to watch and yet I was fascinated by it and soaked up every moment. Wisconsin Death Trip fails, however in trying to convince us that Black River Falls hasn't changed since the 1890s. Its attempts (in colour, rather than black and white like the rest of the film), are rather forced and unsatisfying. But the blank, placid faces of the old people of the modern day town are certainly reminiscent of the photos taken back at the end of the 19th century. Perhaps the sheer number of the events at the time makes the film a little unbelievable, but it is the photos which remind us that these events actually took place and aid in bringing home the Gothic and demented atmosphere of the whole tragic tale.The truth is: I was horrified and engrossed in the story of this freakish town and the maniacs who resided there. Then, after thinking about it, I realized that the crimes of passion, suicides and gun violence of our so-called 'modern society' were happening over a century ago. I believe that this is one of the most significant points James Marsh was trying to put across.However, there are still some out and out undeniably weird happenings that took place in Black River Falls which would leave us utterly aghast if we saw them in the present day. When viewing, be sure to look out for the Polish girl who set fire to numerous buildings because she was 'lonely and homesick and needed some excitement.' and especially Mary Sweeney, with her window smashing antics.

Wisconsin death trip is not really a film that can be accused of being "entertaining." entertainment implies that you will sit their gripped by the story and enthralled by the narrative, and this can be applied to most documentaries, such as Bowling for Columbine or Spellbound.However, Wisconsin death trip is not most documentaries. there is no narrative or story. instead, we are given a litany of deaths and events in the life of a small town in Wisconsin, USA. obviously, this is not going to be the happiest of films.filmed in a soft black and white, with the exception of some shots of the town in modern times, we are given an insight into the strange events and deaths in the - whose name I forget ^_^;; - over the course of four different seasons. for some reason, I found this film to be strangely compelling. whilst not having a huge running time, it gave me a morbid curiosity that kept me watching. strangely enough, you do start wanting to see what could possibly happen next in this small town. In conclusion, whilst it is a slow-paced film, it can be compelling if you let it, and by the end you're wondering how many strange deaths one area can actually suffer.7/10.

While I was excited at the prospect of a turn of the century documentary about Wisconsin history this disappoints. With all the skill of a boorish film school dropout, this film goes for 'shocking' gusto showing what is an entirely misleading portrait of a small town and state. First things first, the movie is not about exclusively Black River Falls as the film implies with its opening montage. The film purports to be about a sleepy Wisconsin town with little industry or population but ends up being more of a mix of Wisconsin crime history spanning ten years. This effort I'm sure looked wonderful on paper but James Marsh quite obviously does not have the talent to bring this idea to life. While I've no other experience with James Marsh's work, I got the feeling that this film was made for or by the cynical bohemian sitting in a film house sniggering at the 'pathetic' lives of average, normal Midwestern folk. Perched in their lofty lives, looking down on the simple folk blissfully toiling, unaware of the horror they exist in. The film's sense of humor is as joyless and tedious as anything in my recent memory.Personally speaking, the only humorous attributes of WISCONSIN DEATH TRIP were the tired methods used setting mood. Using songs not remotely of the era, grating cinematic technique, repetitive scenes, the cliché' whispering doctor and the disembodied 'scary' voice telling you of all the 'horrors' of the age. None of the items presented were particularly shocking, nor were they to be unexpected. Ten years ANYWHERE in the world will yield the same results regarding crime. A poor man shot his creditor? Wow, you don't say. A man shot his wife after he catches her cheating? No way! A farmer that lives alone hears voices? Nay I tell you nay! Crazy Norwegian customs!? Stop the press. Padded beyond belief this film presents what could have been discussed in 10-20 minutes into a grueling 76 minutes of schlock tripe. What you're left with is an extremely worthless wooden nickel attempting to make the ordinary seem extraordinary and the only thing amazing about this film is how badly it fails. Avoid this documentary.

A series of stories connected only due the violent nature, location and time. No context is given on if this time period was really more violent than others, or if this era was more violent in the nation at as a whole. Assuming this was abnormal there is no attempt to explain why this would take place. A very well done series of real life stories, sometimes a little graphic, with no context.