by Josh Hadley
Los Angeles, New York, Chicago, and Atlanta are well-known filmmaking hubs, but Green Bay once had the potential to join that list.
Wisconsin has a long history of films being shot in the state. Green Bay, in particular, has been the site of numerous film productions, but much of that history risks being forgotten.
Many students at the University of Wisconsin-Green Bay and Northeast Wisconsin Technical College were unfamiliar with the state’s history of filmmaking. Few people recall that the region once saw a surge of film productions. Understanding this history requires a look at Wisconsin’s connection to the film industry first through.
In the early days of film, it was rare to have movies made outside of Hollywood, California, and that is how the term “Hollywood” became so cemented in culture as the catchall term for movies. This is not to say that movies did not get made outside of Hollywood, but it was rare.
Wisconsin’s diverse landscapes attracted early silent film productions at the start of film as a medium. A few scenes of the iconic 1903 film “The Great Train Robbery” were filmed in the state, showcasing its scenic potential that some filmmakers might not be able to achieve in California. While various films were shot in Wisconsin over the years, it was not until the 1970s that a more structured film industry began to take shape, largely due to the efforts of filmmaker Bill Rebane.
Bill Rebane is a Latvian immigrant who made his mark on film by basing himself in Wisconsin and creating the first Wisconsin-based studio here, The Shooting Ranch. At the Shooting Ranch, Rebane would indulge in many genres, like science fiction and horror films, for the drive-in market. Cult classics, like 1975’s “The Giant Spider Invasion” and 1987’s “Blood Harvest” (the only starring role for musician Tiny Tim), became late-night UHF staples, while other movies, such as “Monster a Go-Go,” “Invasion from Inner Earth” (also released as “THEY!”), “Rana: The Legend of Shadow Lake,” and “The Demons of Ludlow” achieved limited popularity.
Despite many of his films being relegated to the drive-in circuit and then eventually to late-night television, Rebane kept creating films until the late 1980s.
It was in that decade that another group of Wisconsin natives thrust Rebane into the cultural phenomenon when “Mystery Science Theater 3000” (MST3K) showcased two of Rebane’s films (“The Giant Spider Invasion” and “Monster a Go-Go”), that Rebane became a household name in the cult film circles.
Mystery Science Theater 3000 has ties to Wisconsin as the founding members of the scrappy “bad movie” show are all from the Green Bay area, although Mystery Science Theater 3000 was created and based out in Minnesota. The creators, all Wisconsin natives, ventured into the state’s film industry with the 1986 horror-comedy Blood Hook. Filmed in Hayward, Wisconsin, the movie is a historical sidenote into what would become the Mystery Science Theater 3000 dynasty just two years later.
There was even a full-fledged film production studio based in Wisconsin at one point in the late 1980s and early 1990s. Windsor Lake Studios, based in Eagle River, was opened by British transplant Christopher Webster in 1987. Webster had his start producing high-profile movies such as Heathers and Hellraiser. He aimed to establish a studio in Wisconsin’s Northwoods to produce horror films for nationwide distribution. Windsor Lake initially produced several low-budget horror films, including Trapped Alive, a cave-set monster thriller; The Chill Factor, a possession-based horror film; and The Inheritor, a supernatural thriller. However, the studio soon pursued larger productions.
In the late 1980s, one of the most influential movie magazines at that time was Fangoria. It mainly focused on horror movies, but it was widely regarded at the time, when horror films dominated the theatrical and video rental markets.
Fangoria expanded into film production, partnering with Windsor Lake Studios to develop its own projects. Windsor Lake would be the home base for the three Fangoria movies shot in Wisconsin: Mindwarp, Children of the Night, and Severed Ties. These movies brought major productions to Wisconsin, and with them came notable talent, Bruce Campbell, Peter DeLuise, Karen Black, Oliver Reed, Garret Morris, Elke Sommer, Ed Begley Jr., Stockard Channing, Dabney Coleman, and many others.
The leading names in the FX industry at the time were KNB FX Group, who did all the special effects makeup on these movies. The problem that Windsor Lake found itself in was that none of these movies made any money, leading Windsor Lake to shut down operations after Severed Ties was shot.
However, one Wisconsin native who interned at Windsor Lake would be hired by KNB FX and moved to Los Angeles to be part of their team. Hank Carlson contributed to all Windsor Lake productions before working on films such as Buffy the Vampire Slayer, Army of Darkness, and Super Mario Bros., among other credits during his time in Los Angeles.
The state of Wisconsin would be the host to film productions here and there until in the mid 2000s a Tax Credit incentive program was instituted and at that point the floodgates were meant to open wide… but that is a story for part II.