Answering the phone, looking in the mirror, applying Chapstick. These are just a few everyday occurrences that take on terrifying new meanings after a viewing of "The Mothman Prophecies."
Supposedly based on true events, "The Mothman Prophecies" follows Washington Post reporter John Klein (Richard Gere) in his increasingly frightening quest to discover the truth surrounding the death of his wife Mary (Debra Messing). And yet, while the true events are creepy and the psychological questions are probing, parts of "Mothman" still come up short.
The Kleins are involved in a devastating accident when Mary, claiming to have "seen something," loses control of their car. Routine medical tests are revealing - Mary has a fatal brain condition and has taken to obsessively sketching malevolent winged figures in her journal.
In the hands of a lesser movie, these sketches might be laughable or campy. Whoever is responsible for the drawings, however, deserves a bit of praise. The charcoal figures, gnarled and demonic, truly are horrifying creations.
The death of his wife devastates Klein and leaves him continuing to question the importance of the Mothman sketches.
Two years later, while on his way to interview the Virginia governor, Klein finds himself in Point Pleasant, W.Va. Eerily enough, the town has been overrun with sightings of a Mothman identical to his deceased wife's sketches, compelling Klein to stay in Point Pleasant. He bonds with the townsfolk, particularly Gordon Smallwood (Will Patton), who claims to have regular conversations with the mysterious entity, and the plucky Sgt. Connie Parker (Laura Linney). As Mothman's involvement with the townsfolk of Point Pleasant becomes increasingly hostile and frequent, Klein spirals downward into obsession and paranoia.
Director Mark Pellington's best-known film to date was the taut political thriller "Arlington Road," and "Mothman" certainly revisits the same themes of suspicion and paranoia. Pellington definitely knows how to set up a tense situation. There are some particularly clever shots - a few involving mirrors - and a striking dream sequence that portrays a seemingly absurd situation in a very realistic way.
The Mothman himself, however, disappoints. As distasteful as overblown, computerized villains are, part of the fun of a horror movie stems from the visual impact of the hyped up evil being. The few times the audience briefly beholds the Mothman are rather disappointing.
If the sketches of Mothman could have been transformed into a three-dimensional being, the effect would have been terrifying indeed. Instead, Mothman's presence is most often manifested by small blinking red lights, presumably symbolizing his eyes. It's a car tail-light! It's a warning light for planes! No, it's Mothman! After a few scenes too many, the audience begins to roll its eyes.
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Sometimes the production relies too heavily on overused sight gags. Bleeding ears, red eyes - such squirmy conditions seem to make near-weekly appearances on programs such as "The X-Files." Also, random "jump" scenes involving Klein's dead wife feel cliched and unnecessary.
The script succeeds in tying everything together at the end, yet it lacks the punch that accompanied "The Sixth Sense," another supernatural thriller. Decent performances are put in by all of the leads and Gere and Linney stand out in their scenes together.
The star of the movie, however, is the Mothman legend itself. With all the hype about the movie's factual basis, I decided to go to the official Web site (www.spe.sony.com/movies/mothman) and check things out myself. Historically, people have reported glimpsing this creature right before times of extreme destruction and tragedy. Basically, Mothman is a harbinger of death. Rather chilling sightings of this herald preceded ancient wars and the Chernobyl disaster, among other events. Also odd was a feature detailing recent "sightings." Blatant publicity seeking? Yes, but creepy at the same time, especially when one considers that quite a few recent sightings center around Pittsburgh (my home town!), which happens to be where the movie actually was filmed. Coincidence?
As a character in the movie says to Klein, "It goes after you because you pay it too much attention." Could Pittsburgh be in for some sort of disaster as punishment for angering Mothman? (Wait, the Steelers already lost).
In all seriousness, the film's basis is an incident that took place in Point Pleasant in 1967. The story has been updated, personalized, and dramatized into an unearthly thriller. While "The Mothman Prophecies" makes for a good night of entertainment, it is rather forgettable - unless, of course, you happen to glimpse a Mothman on the drive home.
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