Review of The Mothman Prophecies (2002) by Matthew W — 04 Aug 2010

While I feel like I should hate The Mothman prophecies for being a horror film starring Richard Gere, I in fact love it. It's like an extra exquisite episode of The X-Files. The film is technically based on a true story--the odd accounts of Indrid Cole aka the Mothman in Point Pleasant, WV in the months leading up to collapse of the Silver Bridge that stretched over the Ohio River.

The film expands the story in a variety of ways, most significantly by building the story of Richard Gere's reporter character whose wife develops a rare form of cancer after a strange encounter in their car one evening.

After she dies, the reporter is driving south from D.C. to Richmond and somehow inexplicably ends up in the small town of Point Pleasant on the border between West Virginia and Ohio. Once there, he becomes obsessed with the local supernatural experiences that have been occurring in the past months.

The Mothman Prophecies tries to be more stylish than it is, but it still creates an eerie atmosphere and builds upon real world facts in a way that becomes truly unnerving. Despite what you might initially think, The Mothman Prophecies is surprisingly good horror film, particularly if you enjoy exploring unexplained phenomena.