Wisconsin Death Trip

"A creepily enthralling document."
—New York Times

Inspired by Michael Lesy's 1973 book of the same name, British director James Marsh's Wisconsin Death Trip chronicles the string of tragedies that afflicted the small town of Black River Falls, Wisconsin, in the 1890s. James Marsh, documentary filmmaker for the BBC's forward-thinking arts series Arena, was inspired to make Wisconsin Death Trip after coming across Michael Lesy's shocking novel several years ago. Lesy discovered an archive of some 3000 black-and-white photographs in the town of Black River Falls dating from the 1890s. Spurred on by the images, he investigated issues of the town newspaper from the same era, only to find accounts of vandalism, murder, suicide, and even supernatural activity.

Following from the book, Marsh uses archival photos and actual newspaper accounts to chronicle these events, brought on by economic depression, harsh weather, and a diphtheria epidemic. Like the documents Lesy pieced together, Marsh's film tells a story of human struggle in the face of absurd and terrible circumstances. The film is Marsh's first feature. (76 mins.)

"The title immediately intrigued me. And it certainly lived up to its promise—the book is a catalogue of strange, disturbing and darkly humorous vignettes of real life tragedy, from a forgotten place and a forgotten time. As you read it, the photographs begin to resemble these weird apparitions from the past, staring right into your eyes."—James Marsh