Under the lens takes a deep look at films by focusing in on one or two particular areas of the picture that helped to define it for better or for worse. Spoilers will be included in this review.
The Mothman Prophecies is a horror/thriller directed by Mark Pellington and stars Richard Gere, Laura Linney, Will Patton, and Debra Messing. The picture follows a reporter who is drawn to the small West Virginia town of Point Pleasant where he is drawn into an investigation involving a series of strange events, including visions and the appearance of bizarre entities including the terrifying Mothman. The picture is based on the book of the same name by author John Keel and tells the true story of the collapse of the Silver Bridge.
Under The Lens: Ambiance and Mothman
Ambiance: With this type of picture it would have been easy to rely on cheap jump scares or gore, especially as the subject of the picture is the prediction of terrible accidents by an entity known as the Mothman. However, The Mothman Prophecies build its horror from atmosphere and ambiance, with only one or two jump scares near the start of the narrative. The story could be considered slow, as it builds the case of the Mothman in an editorial way, and slowly ratchets up the dread scene by scene, by the final third of the picture one is on the edge of their seat, unsure what is going to happen and what the next revelation will bring.
Mothman: This picture and its director made a rather bold choice in that the titular Mothman entity is rarely seen, in fact, the only time we see the entity as a moth is in the first few minutes. After that, we see a winged humanoid figure, but mostly we hear its voice over the telephone. This was, in the end, a good decision, as it put the focus on the human characters and impending dread of the tragedy that the Mothman had warned of. In the end, the Mothman is scarier as a scribbled drawing, an out of focus figure, a face in the mirror, and a disembodied voice then a CGI moth creature.
Highlights
The pictures climatic bridge collapse was well shot and its mix of CGI and practical effects hold up well even today.
The performances by the lead actors and actresses are good for this type of picture and we feel the emotion between them.
The picture flickers between showcasing the Mothman as malevolent, benevolent or just an observer, in the end, the viewer is left to decide.
Something to think about
The picture gives us a few theories about who the Mothmen are, but no solid answers. Do you believe that entities like the Mothman could exist?
Conclusion
Overall The Mothman Prophecies is a good horror thriller that is more conserved with asking questions than giving answers. The picture showcases the conflict between fate and free will, The Mothmen are shown as herald’s of disaster, but it is strongly alluded to that the Mothman known as “Indrid Cold” wants to help save lives but is unable to interfere, and can only give the character of John Klein choices and hope he responds in the right way. In the end, Klein makes the right choice in choosing life over death and thus saves hundreds of people from dying. The Mothman Prophecies is less about the Mothman creature and more about how we as humans react to forces that seem beyond our control, and its the undercurrent of philosophical questions that set The Mothman Prophecies apart from other horror movies.