New documentary explores haunted spaces in Pabst, Riverside theaters

Michael Brown doesn't think of himself as a believer, but when he heard Wisconsin described as "the most haunted state," he decided to go hunting. 

His first mission turned into "Haunted State: Whispers From History Past," a documentary in which he followed paranormal investigators checking out the old Pabst Brewing offices and other locations. Its Milwaukee premiere was in 2015. 

"Haunted State: Theatre of Shadows," Brown's latest foray into the things-that-go-bump-in-the-dark department, has its world premiere Wednesday night at the Oriental Theatre, 2230 N. Farwell Ave. 

Brown and his crew tag along with investigators as they look for supernatural presences in four historic Wisconsin theaters: the Barrymore in Madison, the Grand Opera House in Oshkosh and the Pabst and Riverside in Milwaukee. 

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Brown described "Theatre of Shadows" as a "documentary popcorn movie," but not a movie where what they found is ginned up for dramatic effect. 

"It's not the 'Blair Witch,' where we pretend," he said. "This is real." 

The first "Haunted State" movie was added to the Amazon Prime streaming service in January. 

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Brown's second documentary, "Roller Life," about a year in the life of the Brewcity Bruisers roller-derby squad, had its debut at the Oriental a year ago, and screened at the 2017 Milwaukee Film Festival. "Roller Life" will be added to Amazon Prime Nov. 11. 

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In making "Theatre of Shadows," Brown included some of the "pseudoscience" of paranormal investigation to underscore that the people doing the seeking take it seriously. 

"We're not trying to get you to believe, we're not trying to get you to not believe," he said. "This is where we go; this is what we got to." 

That said, making the movie got pretty intense at times. Brown didn't want to give away the movie, but the longest segment in "Theatre of Shadows" takes place at the Pabst, 144 E. Wells St. — "it was amazing what happened there." 

And what they were confronted by at the Riverside, 116 W. Wisconsin Ave., was "intimidating." 

Whatever was there "wasn't ominous or malevolent, but they didn't want us there," Brown said. "They're basically guardians of the place." 

Still, Brown — who uses but doesn't like the term "ghost hunting" — doesn't completely count himself convinced.  

"I'm a filmmaker first, I'm not a ghost hunter," he said. "I'm a believer, but I'm a skeptical believer at that. … I jump around to both sides." 

IF YOU GO 

What: World premiere of "Haunted State: Theatre of Shadows" 

When: 7 p.m. Wednesday, with a Q&A following the movie 

Where: Oriental Theatre, 2230 N. Farwell Ave. 

How much: $15, available at hauntedstate.com and at the theater the day of the show