Title: The Mothman Prophecies
Theatrical MPAA Rating: PG-13
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Watch Movie
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Trailer
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From the director of Arlington Road comes a spine-tingling, super-natural thriller based on actual events that will rattle your nerves and shake your beliefs.
Distraught by the sudden, tragic death of his wife (Debra Messing), John Klein (Richard Gere), a journalist for The Washington Post, finds himself mysteriously drawn to a small West Virginia town when his car inexplicably strands him. Rescued by the sympathetic but skeptical local police sergeant (Laura Linney), he soon learns that many of the town's residents have been beset by bizarre events, including sightings of an eerie "moth-like" entity, similar to the one seen by his late wife.
Investigating further and having his own terrifying encounters with the creature, he becomes obsessed with the idea that this supernatural being can predict impending calamities and is trying to warn the town of one.
Is this a psychic delusion brought on by his grief or can he convince the police sergeant that there's a tragedy that must be averted? His life, and potentially others' lives, depend on his making the right choice before time runs out.
Detailed Synopsis
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Personal Thoughts
I thought it would be fitting to start things off with the film that was the inspiration for my alias "Mothman". I hadn't seen this movie in quite some time (three years or so) and was eagerly anticipating seeing it again. The mood was set ... gloomy skies, a chilly winter evening ... and my wife had just returned from getting us Starbucks coffee. We got all snuggled up and ready to kick back and relax.
The Mothman Prophecies is a 2002 supernatural thriller directed by Mark Pellington, based on the 1975 book of the same name by author John Keel.
The book combines Keel's account of his investigation into alleged sightings of a large, winged creature called Mothman in the vicinity of Point Pleasant, West Virginia, during 1966 and 1967.
I must say that I've always had a bit of a strange fascination with cryptozoology, and if you are unfamiliar with the term, it's defined as being the search for animals or creatures whose existence haven't been proven (Bigfoot, Loch Ness Monster, Chupacabra ... etc). So right off the bat, the stories and accounts of a winged bird-like creature called Mothman immediately grabbed my attention. In 2002, Unsolved Mysteries (one of my all-time favorite shows) also did a segment on The Mothman, and even made mention of the film that was set to come out that same year.
Moving along to my personal thoughts about the film; The Mothman Prophecies is a well-made supernatural thriller that automatically scores points in the eerie department for the fact that it's rooted in actual events (just how close the film's accounts are to the actual events is another story and may require a separate post). Something about this film captivated me -- the ambience, the music, the acting, the cinematography, maybe a combination of all of these things ... I found myself intrigued by this movie. The Mothman Prophecies, if I had to compare it to other movies, kind of reminds me of a cross between the movie White Noise and the video game series Silent Hill (at least the part of Silent Hill where you inexplicably find yourself connected to and/or drawn to a strange town).
I thought it would be fitting to start things off with the film that was the inspiration for my alias "Mothman". I hadn't seen this movie in quite some time (three years or so) and was eagerly anticipating seeing it again. The mood was set ... gloomy skies, a chilly winter evening ... and my wife had just returned from getting us Starbucks coffee. We got all snuggled up and ready to kick back and relax.
The Mothman Prophecies is a 2002 supernatural thriller directed by Mark Pellington, based on the 1975 book of the same name by author John Keel.
The book combines Keel's account of his investigation into alleged sightings of a large, winged creature called Mothman in the vicinity of Point Pleasant, West Virginia, during 1966 and 1967.
Sketch of the Mothman
Moving along to my personal thoughts about the film; The Mothman Prophecies is a well-made supernatural thriller that automatically scores points in the eerie department for the fact that it's rooted in actual events (just how close the film's accounts are to the actual events is another story and may require a separate post). Something about this film captivated me -- the ambience, the music, the acting, the cinematography, maybe a combination of all of these things ... I found myself intrigued by this movie. The Mothman Prophecies, if I had to compare it to other movies, kind of reminds me of a cross between the movie White Noise and the video game series Silent Hill (at least the part of Silent Hill where you inexplicably find yourself connected to and/or drawn to a strange town).
Though some may not consider the Mothman Prophecies to be a very scary movie, others will agree that it definitely does have its share of odd, eerie moments. I personally was a bit disturbed by it and I'm not really sure why. None of these types of movies typically scare me ... perhaps, being aware of the fact that the film claims to be based on actual events (an unsettling thought) is why it ended up affecting me -- the "true story" thing occasionally gets to me.
I'll never forget the first time I saw The Mothman Prophecies ... it was late, the roads were dark, I was alone in the car, returning home from a friends house where we'd just finished watching the movie ... I remember being all weirded out, saying to myself - "I hope I don't see the Mothman out here on this dark road". It even had me set on taking an alternative route should I find myself having to travel near or through Point Pleasant in the future (the town where the actual events are said to have occurred) - that last one's a joke!
In closing, this movie accomplished for me what I was hoping it would ... dark, eerie, creepy and suspenseful (exactly the way I like it), ... it starts off good, and finishes good, which is why I'm making it my very first recommendation. It's definitely a good movie to watch if you missed it, haven't seen it in a while, or if you're a fan of supernatural thrillers like I am!
Review (more insight into the Mothman)
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What I liked:- The Acting
- The Atmosphere and Ambience
- The Creepiness (moments where unexplained events occur)
- The movies eerie portrayal of the creature (they gave us subtle glimpses of the creature/entity, all the while concealing enough to leave us shrouded in mystery ... which left me wanting to dig up facts about the real story)
- The connection between John Klein (Richard Gere) and Mary Klein (Debra Messing)
- Their relationship felt authentic
What I didn't like:
- The movie does feel as though it can drag at times, my wife even started to doze here and there
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My Ratings
How good was it:
How scary was it:
How much did I enjoy it:
______________________________________________________________________ Mothman Extras:
Mothman Wikipedia
The Mothman Message Board
Mothman(Unsolved Mysteries Segment)
Eye's of the Mothman
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2 comments:
love love love Mothman...I remember the UM episode too..very eerie movie and Point Pleasant area very cozy I loved this movie...this post was great!
Thanks
I loved it too! I'm a huge fan of Unsolved Mysteries ... the Mothman segment happens to be one of my favorites!
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