Home :: DVD :: Mystery & Suspense :: Mystery  

Blackmail, Murder & Mayhem
British Mystery Theater
Classics
Crime
Detectives
Film Noir
General
Mystery

Mystery & Suspense Masters
Neo-Noir
Series & Sequels
Suspense
Thrillers
The Mothman Prophecies

The Mothman Prophecies

List Price: $14.94
Your Price: $11.95
Product Info Reviews

<< 1 .. 16 17 18 19 20 >>

Rating: 5 stars
Summary: The best movie ever!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Review: Oh my gosh - - I LOVE this movie. This is my favorite movie in the world!! There's all this hidden stuff & every time you watch it you figure out something new. It is SO confusing the first time you watch it, but you need to watch it at least three times to get it all the way. I love everything about this move & Mark Pellington did a GREAT(!) job directing it with all the hidden stuff. I'm afraid of Y's now. lol. Watch this movie and look for Y's... & then watch it again & look for 2 red dots next to each other... & then watch it again for fun!! This is the best movie ever!

Rating: 5 stars
Summary: Like a Moth to Flame
Review: Drawn like a moth to flame is my reaction to Mark Pellington's adaptation of John Keel's "The Mothman Prophecies," but with this gem, viewers will not be burned.
"The Mothman Prophecies" places the mysterious 1966-1967 events of Point Pleasant, West Virginia in present day; and though real-life events have been somewhat altered and woven to fit a well-written script, the movie retains much of the mood of Keel's sensational study of a mysterious winged manlike creature and its affects on the folks of an uassuming Ohio Valley town.
Richard Gere stars as John Klein, a Washinton Post reporter loosely based on Keel himself. Laura Linney co-stars as the local sheriff, bewildered by the townspeople's reports of the creature and other strange phenomena and by Klein's sudden appearance and seeming connection to events.
Psychic revelations, strange phone calls, and mysterious deaths all lead to a riveting conclusion on the Ohio River. This is a must-see/ must-own for all fans of true chillers.
The only disappointing aspect of the movie is that no attention is given to the numerous UFO sightings and encounters with Men in Black that also plagued Point Pleasant during the time of the Mothman. Having actually visited Point Pleasant, interviewed witnesses, and written a couple of columns on the events, I can testify that they were every bit as much a part of the terror as Mothman himself. Still, Pellington knows what makes a real horror story work. There are no blood and guts here; only genuine psychological scares.
Note: Mary Hyre, a Point Pleasant newspaper woman, had the same dreams in relation to real events as Laura Linney's character. Will Patton's character seems based on Woodrow Derenberger, a UFO contactee. The movie's climax is almost pure fact, with some minor statistical changes, concerning what happened over the Ohio River on December 15, 1967.
Pop the popcorn and enjoy!

Rating: 5 stars
Summary: An eerie, moody psychological "chiller"...
Review: If you loved the "X-Files" at its best, or films such as "The Sixth Sense" or "The Others" which placed a premium on creepiness and "playing with your mind", and a minimum on blood and gore, then I can virtually guarantee that you'll like "The Mothman Prophecies". This movie is an updated version of a classic 1975 book which told the supposedly true story about a series of bizarre and frightening events in the little river town of Point Pleasant, West Virginia in 1966 and 1967. Richard Gere (who I thought gave a good performance, unlike some of the other posters here) plays John Klein, a successful and happily-married political reporter for the Washington Post. One cold evening he and his gorgeous wife Mary (Debra Messing of TV's 'Will and Grace') go to view a house in the DC area that they're planning to buy. On the way back to their current home Mary is driving in a residential area on a deserted street when she is shocked to see a huge "man-monster" with wings and glowing red eyes flying straight at their car. John doesn't see the creature, but Mary loses control of the car, they wreck, and she is injured. At the hospital John receives more bad news - Mary has brain tumor and is going to die. After her death he finds a notebook in which Mary has written the word "RUIN" over and over, and has done dozens of chilling drawings of the creature she saw. A couple of years later Klein, still grieving over his wife's death, takes what appears to be a routine trip on the interstate to Richmond, Virginia to interview the state's governor. On the late-night trip he seems to "doze off" for a few seconds, and when he comes to he's no longer on the interstate but a backwoods country road near Point Pleasant, West Virginia - hundreds of miles from his previous location a few moments earlier. His car suddenly dies, and he is forced to walk for help. I won't give away anymore of the plot, but I will say that the characters he meets in Point Pleasant are all very well-played. Among them are Will Patton, who plays a troubled but basically decent man who is slowly being driven insane by the bizarre "Mothman" creature which keeps haunting him at night. Laura Linney is an attractive and down-to-earth deputy sherriff who helps John investigate the "Mothman" sightings in Point Pleasant. Over time she finds herself becoming attracted to him - and becoming increasingly frightened at the supernatural events in her hometown and John's growing obsession with them. Alan Bates gives a perfectly creepy performance as a reclusive college professor in Chicago who knows far more about the "Mothman's" real identity and motivations than he's willing to admit (at least at first). Those who watch the "Mothman Prophecies" expecting to see the creature are in for a disappointment, as he only appears VERY briefly in a few moments of the film - yet this is what gives the "Mothman Prophecies" its chills. By limiting the creature's screen time (at one point the "Mothman" tells Klein over the phone that it can appear to be whatever the individual person viewing it wants to see), it covers the entire movie with an awful sense of foreboding - a sense that something is not quite right in Point Pleasant - and that things are building towards a terrible climax. This "Special Edition" DVD set features the superb "Searching for the Mothman" documentary which aired on the FX cable channel just before the movie's release. It features commentary by paranormal researcher John Keel, who wrote the classic 1975 book upon which the movie was based. It also has interviews with Point Pleasant residents who claim they saw the "Mothman" back in 1966 and 1967. In many ways this movie plays like a high-budget, high-quality "X-Files" episode. If your idea of a "scary movie" is to see lots o' blood and gore, then you should NOT buy this movie! However, if you enjoy films which prove that what's not shown is sometimes far scarier than what is shown, then the "Mothman Prophecies" will have you looking over your shoulder for a very long time. Recommended!

Rating: 4 stars
Summary: Very well filmed and acted
Review: A surprisingly good horror film. You must see it several time to catch all the subtleties to the movies. Tons of stuff well hidden to freak you out. Seems so real it'll scare you to think about it after the movie.

Rating: 4 stars
Summary: More atmosphere than substance -- but plenty of atmosphere
Review: People who are more geared towards plot and pacing probably won't enjoy this movie, as it is a "mood piece" which does not, when you step back and take a hard look at it, have much to offer in the way of a plot. But if you're in the mood for some shivers, you'll enjoy it. The atmosphere is well set, lent extra creepiness by the soundtrack by Tomandandy (The end credits song, "Half Light," is especially haunting). I would never have thought that the sight of Debra Messing -- now of "Will and Grace" fame -- could send a chill down my spine, but in this movie they pull it off. If, like me, you love the questions more than the answers, this is a movie for you.

MINOR SPOILER:
I'm also very fond of "subtle business" in scary movies, and there's a beaut in this one. Keep an eye on Richard Gere's reflection in the door mirror; shortly after he burns his hand on the tea kettle, if I remember correctly. If you've already seen this movie, I bet you missed it -- look again.

Rating: 5 stars
Summary: The Mothman Prophecies
Review: THIS MOVIE WAS GREAT. I THOUGHT IT WAS SCARY I CAN'T WATCH BY MYSELF IT IS JUST CREEPY. I AM VERY HAPPY WITH THIS MOVIE. BUT I WAS SO UPSET OF THE LACK OF FEATURES OF THE DVD. THE DVD I HAVE IS THE COVER THAT IS BLACK AND THERE IS A WHITE THING IN THE MIDDLE. IT ONLY HAD TWO FEATURES ON THE DVD
BUT THE GOOD THING IS THAT IT IS WIDESCREEN AND FULLSCREEN

THE FEATURES ARE:

1.THEATRICAL TRAILER

2.MUSIC VIDEO

THERE IS ONLY OVER 6 MINUTES OF SPECIAL FEATURES ON THIS DVD!

Rating: 4 stars
Summary: A pleasing psychological\supernatural thriller
Review: Largly overlooked upon its theatrical release, "The Mothman Prophecies" is a hidden gem. A story of otherworldy menace, one man's reality being undone, and of choices, this is one intriguing and intellectual yarn. Featuring stylish and atmospheric direction by Mark Pellington that gives the film a compelling eerie and ethereal mood as well as an uncharacteristically subdued and excellent performance by Richard Gere as the grieving widower facing an overwhelming, otherworldy menace, this is a concise, enjoyable and deliciously unsettling piece of ambient filmmaking that also features a fine minimalist score by TomnandAndy. Unmissable. As for the dvd, although the two versions have the same gorgeous transfer that shows the film's cold color palette, the special edition is the way to go for the added features especially for director Mark Pellington's commentary.

Rating: 3 stars
Summary: Glad I finally caught up with this creepy little thriller
Review: It was great to enjoy a horror movie that for the most part didn't rely on typical horror movie scare tactics to deliver its thrills and chills. And when it occasionally employed such tactics, it did so stylishly and with some originality. I also liked how the movie skillfully used unanswered questions to bring about an increased sense of menace and mystery, rather than letting such questions simply annoy and confuse the viewer. However, if you're one for neat packages, this film may not be for you. Was the Mothman benevolent? Malevolent? A little of both? What were its true motives? And did Richard Gere's dead wife make some actual appearances, or was that the Mothman just toying with Gere's character? Or was it perhaps Gere's character employing some wishful thinking and making himself believe his wife was trying to contact him... after all, with the Mothman appearing to everyone and all this other weird stuff going on, why COULDN'T his dead wife be visiting him, too? Anyway, though there's ultimately enough closure to make for a satisfying movie, be warned that most of this stuff is left unanswered. But don't worry; if you just sit back and enjoy the acting, stylish direction, and overall creepiness, you'll have fun.

Rating: 4 stars
Summary: Mothman Delivers Chills
Review: This is an all around excellent film. The mothman prophecies excells at almost every level. Acting, first rate- especially by Richard Gere. Laura Linney (Truman's wife in the Truman Show) is excellent also as the town sherrif everyone turns to because they know her.
I'd give this movie thumbs up, way up because it actually requires you to think and not many horror movies do that.
I've seen this movie at least a dozen times and I still get creeped out by it.

Rating: 5 stars
Summary: A 100% PURE CREEPSHOW!
Review:
THIS MOVIE WAS THE CREEPIEST PSYCHOLOGICAL THRILLER I HAVE EVER SEEN IN MY ENTIRE LIFE! AFTER WATCHING IT FOR THE FIRST TIME ON VIDEO,(AT THE RECOMMENDATION OF MY PARANOID, POTHEADED NEIGHBOR)I HAD NIGHTMARES FOR ONE WEEK STRAIGHT!

RICHARD GERE IS EXCELLENT AS THE LONELY, INTELLECTUAL REPORTER WHO IS FORCED TO BATTLE A SUPERNATURAL FORCE BEYOND HIS UNDERSTANDING. THE OTHER SUPPORTING ROLES ARE OK, BUT ITS GERE'S ISOLATION THAT REALLY GIVES THIS MOVIE ITS ATMOSPHERE AND SUSPENSE. NOT SINCE "JACOBS LADDER" HAS A MOVIE LEFT ME WITH SUCH A "LOOK OVER YOUR SHOULDER" KIND OF FEAR.

WHAT MAKES THIS MOVIE EVEN MORE EFFECTIVE IS THE DIRECTORS REALIZATION THAT LESS CAN BE MORE, LEAVING THE MOTHMANS TRUE MOTIVES AND IDENTITY SHROUDED IN A CLOUD OF MYSTERY. THIS IS WHERE MR. PELLINGTON REALLY DESERVES SPECIAL PRAISE AS A DIRECTOR. INSTEAD OF WALKING INTO THE CLASSIC HORROR/SUSPENSE PITFALL OF TOO MUCH EXPLAINATION, PELLINGTON SHOWS US JUST ENOUGH OF THE MOTHMAN TO ALLOW OUR IMAGINATIONS TO RUN WILD. IT IS ALL THE MORE FRIGHTENING TO THINK THAT THIS MOVIE WAS BASED ON "ACTUAL EVENTS". I'LL NEVER SPEND THE NIGHT ALONE IN A MOTEL 6 AGAIN! THANKS ALOT, MR. GERE!


<< 1 .. 16 17 18 19 20 >>

© 2004, ReviewFocus or its affiliates