Way back in the dark times of 2020, Milwaukee author Tea Krulos unleashed the book American Madness: The Story Of The Phantom Patriot And How Conspiracy Theories Hijacked American Consciousness. The book, published by Feral House, tells the fascinating story of Richard McCaslin, a man whose evil-thwarting alter ego, The Phantom Patriot, is only one aspect of his conspiracy-addled life. The Bohemian Grove, Alex Jones, crisis actors, QAnon, Donald Trump, and much more figure into the bizarre and ultimately tragic tale.
“When I first started talking to Richard, I thought he was the fringe of the fringe,” Krulos says in 2026. “Nowadays, I think he was ahead of his time in a weird way. If he were alive today, maybe he would have gotten a high ranking government position.”
Speaking of 2026, American Madness has now been adapted into a feature-length documentary. The film, directed by Eric Hayden and produced by Krulos and Kim Hayden, will make its Milwaukee premiere on Thursday, July 30 at the Avalon Atmospheric Theater. Tickets for the Milwaukee Record-sponsored screening are on sale NOW.
American Madness first screened at the LA Film Fest in May, where it took top honors in the Best Documentary category, and was one of eight nominees for Best Picture.
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But there’s more! Prior to the 6:30 p.m. Avalon screening, Krulos will be at nearby Lion’s Tooth at 5 p.m. signing books and delivering some “author notes” on how the story has developed since 2020. A round of “conspiracy trivia” will go down at 5:30 p.m. The screening itself will be followed by a Q&A with Krulos and Eric and Kim Hayden.
Krulos, a prolific author and Milwaukee Record contributor, is no stranger to the strange. In 2013 he explored the world of real-life superheroes with his first book, Heroes In The Night. He followed it up with Monster Hunters: On The Trail With Ghost Hunters, Bigfooters, Ufologists, And Other Paranormal Investigators in 2015, and Apocalypse Any Day Now: Deep Underground With America’s Doomsday Preppers in 2019.
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