The Mothman Prophecies (2002)
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A reporter investigating the legend of the Mothman becomes entangled in a web of supernatural occurrences and prophetic warnings.
The story
Following the death of his wife, reporter John Klein travels to Point Pleasant, West Virginia, to investigate the legend of the Mothman. While there, he finds himself caught in a series of inexplicable events and supernatural occurrences. As he becomes increasingly drawn into these mysterious forces, he hopes they might provide a connection to his late wife. Meanwhile, the local sheriff, Connie Mills, becomes concerned about his growing obsession with the local legends and the strange phenomena occurring in the area.
Full plot (contains spoilers)
After his wife Mary dies following a car accident involving a mysterious flying figure, reporter John Klein discovers her sketches of a moth-like creature. Two years later, while traveling to Richmond, his car breaks down in Point Pleasant, West Virginia. He meets local sheriff Connie Mills and a man named Gordon Smallwood, who claims to be haunted by a being named Indrid Cold. John begins receiving supernatural communications from Cold, predicting tragedies like an airplane crash in Denver and a disaster on the Ohio River. John becomes obsessed with the Mothman legend, seeking help from expert Alexander Leek. On Christmas Eve, despite warnings from Connie to stay away from a mysterious call from 'Mary', John returns to Point Pleasant. He arrives at the Silver Bridge just as it collapses into the Ohio River. He rescues Connie from the water, and they learn that 36 people were killed in the collapse.
- First release year
- 2002
- Runtime (minutes)
- 119
- Production countries
- United States
- Original languages
- English
- Directors
- Mark Pellington
- Writers
- Richard Hatem · screenplay
- Cast and characters
- Richard Gere · John Klein; Laura Linney · Connie Mills; Will Patton · Gordon Smallwood; Debra Messing · Mary Klein; Lucinda Jenney · Denise Smallwood; Alan Bates · Alexander Leek; David Eigenberg · Ed Fleischman; Bob Tracey · Cyrus Bills; Bill Laing · Indrid Cold; Mark Pellington · Bartender / Indrid Cold (voice)
- Genres
- supernatural horror; thriller
- Themes
- demonic forces; schizophrenic nature of reality
- Tone and mood
- creepy; dream-like
- Premise and plot tags
- supernatural; mystery; urban legend
- Source material / true-story basis
- 1975 book by parapsychologist and Fortean author John Keel
- Reception
- The film received mixed reviews from critics but was a box office success and has gained a cult following.
- Reported review scores
- Rotten Tomatoes · score: 52% · scale: percentage · review count: 140; CinemaScore · score: C+ · scale: A+ to F
- Awards and nominations
- Best Sound Editing: Music in a Feature Film · Sound Editing · 2003 · win
- Production trivia
- The film's claim that the bridge collapse was never fully determined is false.; The film was shot in locations including Pittsburgh and Kittanning, Pennsylvania.; A streaming series is currently in development.
Film metadata comes from the open sources listed in Credits & Contact. Catalogue details may be incomplete.
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