The Mothman Prophecies

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The Mothman Prophecies

PG-13

2002

1h 59m

Mystery & Thriller

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Tomatometer

Popcornmeter

52%

Tomatometer

141 Reviews

56%

Popcornmeter

50,000+ Ratings

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.

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Critics Consensus

A creepy thriller that poses more questions than it answers.

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Bill Stamets

Chicago Reader

06/23/2022

3/4

Sights that might have been comforting before suddenly seem strange and menacing, and the technological landscape we depend on for our survival becomes the mise-en-scene of a horror film...

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Chris Stuckmann

ChrisStuckmann.com

10/09/2020

B+

One of the creepiest movies ever made.

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Nell Minow

Common Sense Media

12/28/2010

2/5

Psychological thriller may deeply upset some kids.

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Akos Peterbencze

The Screen

Nov 14

...as disappointing as my rewatch ended up being two decades later, I’ll always be indebted to Pellington’s vision and Hatem’s script for nourishing my fascination with atmospheric horrors and paranormal phenomena.

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Trace Thurman

Horror Queers Podcast

12/04/2023

3.5/5

More of a vibe than it is a narrative-driven thriller, but it's an extremely chilling vibe nonetheless.

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Patrick Cavanaugh

The Wolfman Cometh

09/20/2023

2/5

A handful of creepy sequences aside, it's ultimately a hokey and uninformed adaptation of a genuinely bizarre series of events.

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Paul M

5d

The pacing was too slow. They were going for a building of tension, but I got a little bored... so I'd call that ineffective. The relationship between the two main characters didn't really "blossom", I think I would have found Gere's character more annoying then endearing. Throw in another character or two who have odd sightings, a little more meat on the bone so to speak.

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sami p

Nov 21

The first horror movie I ever saw (like 10-13 years old?) And before re-watching all I could remember were a few scenes, and just a deep-rooted foreboding feeling. Now after re-watching it as an avid horror fan at 30, I gotta say maybe I was not ready at that age to see this :D Even though a lot of the effects and visuals haven't aged that well, the film still upholds a lingering sense of dread in the background at all times, and even by today's standards a couple of scenes were still completely and utterly terrifying. A completely underrated gem if you can look past the dated edits and effects.

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Alexander S

Oct 20

The Mothman Prophecies is a thought-provoking thriller that delves into the intriguing legend of the Mothman and Indrid Cold, providing a unique backdrop for Richard Gere's character to navigate his grief and desperation, resulting in a film that can be both haunting and mesmerizing. Grading: B-

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Jacob S.

@jacobsimons Oct 16

Just a beautifully filmed psychological horror film with one of the greatest horror soundtracks. The anomaly of the Mothman is fascinating in this and the connecting subplot of Gere’s late wife makes for a very interesting mind-screw. Also, one the best horror finales I have ever seen which an extraordinarily tense climax. Deserves far more credit as it’s under appreciated. Don’t let the PG-13 fool you, this is a dark movie with a mature concept.

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Shawna R

Oct 14

An underrated gem of a movie that more should be talking about and inspired by a true story too

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Review N

Sep 24

Not a scare fest but it does the legend good. The Sheriff was miscast.

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Mark Pellington

Director

Richard Gere

John Klein

Laura Linney

Connie Parker

Will Patton

Gordon Smallwood

Debra Messing

Mary Klein

Lucinda Jenney

Denise Smallwood

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Synopsis

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.

Director: Mark Pellington
Producer: Tom Rosenberg, Gary Lucchesi, Gary Goldstein
Screenwriter: Richard Hatem, John A. Keel
Distributor: Screen Gems
Production Co: Screen Gems, Lakeshore Entertainment
Rating: PG-13 (Some Sexuality|Language|Terror)
Genre: Mystery & Thriller
Original Language: English
Release Date (Theaters): Jan 25, 2002, Wide
Release Date (Streaming): Apr 16, 2012
Box Office (Gross USA): $35.2M
Runtime: 1h 59m
Sound Mix: Dolby SR, DTS, Dolby Stereo, Surround, SDDS, Dolby A, Dolby Digital
Aspect Ratio: Scope (2.35:1)

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