Photos: Movie director Bill Rebane and his horror films
The Merrill Historical Society has opened an exhibit that chronicles the life of Rebane, who made movies in Central Wisconsin.
Bill Rebane and his movies
Bill Rebane looks over a poster from his 1980 film “Rana, the Legend of Shadow Lake,” which was shot at Allen Lake, west of Gleason.
Bill Rebane and his movies
Brandon Johnson, curator of the Rebane exhibit, looks over a vintage movie projector on loan from the Cosmo Theatre in downtown Merrill. This projector likely showed "The Giant Spider Invasion," which was also partially shot outside the theater in 1974.
Bill Rebane and his movies
Movie posters in different languages from the 1975 film “The Giant Spider Invasion” are on display in "Bill Rebane's Hollywood Midwest: A Retrospective on Wisconsin's First Feature Film Studio," an exhibit at the Merrill Historical Society.
Bill Rebane and his movies
One of the spiders used in "The Giant Spider Invasion," a movie produced in central Wisconsin, is the centerpiece of a new exhibit at the Merrill Historical Society. Bill Rebane, right, directed the movie, and Brandon Johnson, left, is curator of the exhibit that opened Saturday and is scheduled to run for the next year.
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“Bill Rebane’s Hollywood Midwest” exhibit at the Merrill Historical Society in Merrill, Wis., Thursday, Oct. 20, 2022. AMBER ARNOLD, STATE JOURNAL
Bill Rebane and his movies
Brandon Johnson gives a tour of the Merrill Historical Society, which includes a room dedicated to the city's timber industry.
Bill Rebane and his movies
Bill Rebane looks at a photo of the General Stuart Heintzelmann, a former U.S. Navy transport ship that he took from Germany to New York when he was 15 in 1952. The photo is part of an exhibit on Rebane's life.
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Bill Rebane, front, with Brandon Johnson, curator of the exhibit “Bill Rebane’s Hollywood Midwest,” gets a first look at the exhibit at the Merrill Historical Society in Merrill, Wis., Thursday, Oct. 20, 2022. AMBER ARNOLD, STATE JOURNAL
Bill Rebane and his movies
There were two large spiders built with metal tubing for "The Giant Spider Invasion.” The spider on top could be hoisted by a crane and set on top of buildings, cars and other objects. The other spider, seen under construction, was made using the chassis of a Volkswagen Beetle and could be driven across the Wisconsin countryside.
Bill Rebane and his movies
Bill Rebane gets a first look last week at the re-creation of how one of his spiders was used in his 1975 film "The Giant Spider Invasion.” Up to six people would be inside the spider, seen here without its fur coat, to control its legs and to help pull victims through the mouth and into the spider.
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Bill Rebane visits the exhibit “Bill Rebane’s Hollywood Midwest” at the Merrill Historical Society in Merrill, Wis., Thursday, Oct. 20, 2022. AMBER ARNOLD, STATE JOURNAL
A year-long exhibit at the Merrill Historical Society Museum tells the story of Central Wisconsin filmmaker Bill Rebane and his B movie horror flicks.
