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The Mothman Prophecies

PG-13 Released Jan 25, 2002 1h 59m Mystery & Thriller List
52% Tomatometer 142 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.
The Mothman Prophecies

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Critics Consensus

A creepy thriller that poses more questions than it answers.

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Critics Reviews

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Bill Stamets Chicago Reader 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... Rated: 3/4 Jun 23, 2022 Full Review Chris Stuckmann ChrisStuckmann.com One of the creepiest movies ever made. Rated: B+ Oct 9, 2020 Full Review Nell Minow Common Sense Media Psychological thriller may deeply upset some kids. Rated: 2/5 Dec 28, 2010 Full Review Trace Thurman Horror Queers Podcast More of a vibe than it is a narrative-driven thriller, but it's an extremely chilling vibe nonetheless. Rated: 3.5/5 Dec 4, 2023 Full Review Patrick Cavanaugh The Wolfman Cometh A handful of creepy sequences aside, it's ultimately a hokey and uninformed adaptation of a genuinely bizarre series of events. Rated: 2/5 Sep 20, 2023 Full Review Debbie Lynn Elias Behind The Lens Unfortunately, the actual event caused more fright than the film. Nov 13, 2019 Full Review Read all reviews

Audience Reviews

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Dan R 2002's 'The Mothman Prophecies' is an incredibly atmospheric thriller which is possibly my favourite Richard Gere movie. SYNOPSIS: 'A reporter is drawn to a small West Virginia town to investigate a series of strange events, including psychic visions and the appearance of bizarre entities.' 'The Mothman Prophecies' is a strong accomplished supernatural thriller that substitutes a dark and haunting atmosphere for monsters, and puts substance high on its list of priorities. It illustrates the beauty of a well made scary movie and the fact you don't have to believe it to feel your hair stand on end. In the style of the 'X Files', which was at its pomp on this film's release, this film draws on urban legend to fashion a spooky supernatural yarn. 8/10 Rated 4 out of 5 stars 10/03/24 Full Review Wayne K I’ve long been fascinated by the existence, or rather non-existence, of Cryptids, creatures from folklore that many claim actually exists. Bigfoot, Nessie, the Jersey Devil, Chupacabra and of course, Mothman. I didn’t know a lot about this last one, mostly just the key facts(?), and so The Mothman Prophecies was a film that piqued my interest. The fact that it was a horror film from the early noughties had me on the defensive, as flashbacks to the wealth of terrible CGI & jump scare laded horror movies from that time appeared before my eyes. Luckily, this film manages to avoid most of what made that era of horror cinema such a headache, and instead focuses on a creepy mystery, where the scares are borne out of a fear of the unknown and unexplained. It’s harrowing to image what it must be like to know that horrific events are going to happen, but also realise that you have little way of preventing them, and that’s a spot our lead finds himself in. The Mothman imagery is used sparingly and only when necessary, and while the story isn’t 100% true to life, it’s still based on events that anyone with a passing knowledge of the legend will be familiar with. Stylistically, it’s a very noughties film, with lots of flashy editing and camerawork, and the dodgy CGI does get snuck in there every now and then. Also the 3rd acts starts to drag as it moves towards it’s inevitable conclusion, but the overall mystery and the eerie atmosphere it has keeps you engaged. Not a perfect film, but considering when it was made, it’s a near miracle it ended being as good as it is. Rated 3.5 out of 5 stars 07/26/24 Full Review Michael M I had high hopes for this movie but it is slow and not scary at all. Rated 3 out of 5 stars 07/25/24 Full Review Audience Member Wasted potential. I just did not vibe with this film. Rated 0.5 out of 5 stars 06/20/24 Full Review Lennon B While not a good movie, I would not say it's bad. The movie tries way to hard to be cryptic (no pun intended) with the mystery. It insists on itself way to much at times where I feel like there are even pauses so the audience can be like, "Oh, my God, that's so scary." It's an enjoyable film over all, based on true events as well, although of course Hollywood always takes it's liberties. Give it a watch when you're bored one night. Nothing to write home about though. Rated 3 out of 5 stars 04/04/24 Full Review Why would Gere, Linney, et al get involved with an amateurish, unimaginative film like this? Rated 1 out of 5 stars 02/28/24 Full Review Read all reviews
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Movie Info

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
Lakeshore Entertainment, Screen Gems
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)