History Film / TheMothmanProphecies

The film starts with a reporter, John Klein ([[PrettyWoman Richard]] [[RunawayBride Gere]]), and his wife Mary ([[WillAndGrace Debra Messing]]) looking for a new house. They get into a car accident, during which Mary first witnesses the Mothman. She is later diagnosed with a brain tumor and dies soon after. Before she dies, she draws [[RoomFullOfCrazy some really creepy pictures of the Mothman]].

A couple years later, John gets lost on a road trip and ends up in Point Pleasant, West Virginia, a normally sleepy backwoods town; however the townsfolk have become wary of strangers because of the recent supernatural events. The townsfolk have had a series of encounters with the Mothman, and soon a mysterious being named Indrid Cold calls John in the middle of the night. With the help of the sheriff, Connie ([[TheExorcismOfEmilyRose Laura Linney]]), John tries to solve the meaning of the Mothman's presence.

!This film provides examples of:

* ArmorPiercingQuestions: "In the end it all came down to just one simple question. Which was more important - having proof, or being alive?"

* {{Motif}}: Repeatedly, the film emphasizes pairs of red lights so that they resemble eyes, indicating the ubiquitous hypothetical presence of the Mothman. As well, the letter 'y' shows up several times, usually in lowercase.

* NightmareFuelColoringBook: Mary's little drawings are full of Mothman pictures. The orderly mistakes him for pictures of angels.

The movie is based on a book written by journalist, parapsychologist, and ufologist John A. Keel which was first published in 1975, studying the events that occurred in the town in 1969. Despite the [[CoversAlwaysLie title, the original cover art, and later, the art of the movie poster]], the book focused mostly on the UFO sightings in Point Pleasant at the time along with some mention of shifty [[TheMenInBlack men in black]] snooping around, with only a few chapters dedicated to the sightings of the Mothman entity. Some anecdotes in the book were just too crazy to believe.

* TouchedByVorlons: John, Keel, the teen boy (who is later killed on the bridge.)

* NightmareFuelColoringBook: Mary's little drawings are full of Mothman pictures.

The film starts with a reporter, John Klein ([[PrettyWoman Richard]] [[RunawayBride Gere]]), and his wife Mary ([[WillAndGrace Debra Messing]]) looking for a new house. They get into a car accident, during which Mary first witnesses the Mothman. She is later diagnosed with a brain tumor and dies soon after. Before she dies, she draws [[NightmareFuel some really creepy pictures of the Mothman]].

The movie is based on a book written by well known journalist parapsychologist, and ufologist John A. Keel which was first published in 1975 studying the events that occurred in the town in 1969. Despite the [[CoversAlwaysLie title and first cover art and later the art of the movie poster]] The book focused mostly on the UFO sightings in Point Pleasant at the time along with some mention of shifty [[TheMenInBlack men in black]] snooping around, with only a few chapters dedicated to the sightings of the Mothman entity. Some anecdotes in the book were just crazy to believe.

--> '''Leek:''' You're more advanced than a cockroach, have you ever tried explaining yourself to one of them?

* DarkIsNotEvil: Although in this case it's not so much that dark is good so much as [[OrangeAndBlueMorality "who the heck knows"]].
-->'''Leek:''' You're asking for an explanation for something that can't be explained rationally. You know the buildup of energy before something happens? The way your hair stands up before lightning strikes?
-->'''John:''' "Before something happens." Do you mean they cause disasters?
-->'''Leek:''' Why would they need to?
-->'''John:''' All right, then, are they trying to warn me?
-->'''Leek:''' Their motivations aren't human.
-->'''John:''' All right, then what do they want?
-->'''Leek:''' I have no idea. What you really want is to know: why you?
-->'''John:''' Yes.
-->'''John:''' You noticed them, and they noticed that you noticed them. Most people aren't sensitive enough to see them, without some kind of... trauma?

* EvilPhone. Not quite evil, but thoroughly creepy, since his voice patterns were "outside of human vocal range". And then there's the phone that rings [[spoiler:after Klein ''yanks the cord out of the wall''.]]

* TheFilmOfTheBook

* TheMenInBlack: Book only and reported to have happened by townspeople.

* PhoneCallFromTheDead: John recieves a phone call from what appears to be his wife at one point.

* RealAfterAll.

* ShoutOut: Perhaps unintentional or intentional; Leeks story of knowing a [[ArlingtonRoad building was going to blow up]] and no one listened.

* VeryLooselyBasedOnATrueStory: [[spoiler:For one, the Silver Bridge disaster happened in the late-60s. Second, the Silver Bridge was a chain-link bridge, an unusual construction with no redundancy, that is, if one link fails, they all fail. So, unlike the movie's explanation that the cause of the collapse was never determined, in actuality it was discovered to be a micro-fracture that developed over time, exacerbated by heavy traffic, that caused a sequential bridge failure.]]

A couple years later, John gets lost on a road trip and ends up in Point Pleasant, West Virginia, a normally sleepy backwoods town; however the townsfolk have become wary of strangers because of the recent supernatural events. The townsfolk have had a series of encounters with the Mothman, and soon a mysterious being named Indrid Cold calls John in the middle of the night. With the help of the rather pretty sheriff Connie ([[TheExorcismOfEmilyRose Laura Linney]]), John tries to solve the meaning of the Mothman's presence.

The film starts with a reporter, John Klein ([[PrettyWoman Richard]] [[RunawayBride Gere]]), and his wife Mary ([[WillAndGrace Debra Messing]]) looking for a new house. They get into a car accident, supposedly caused by the Mothman, and Mary exclaims, "Didn't you see it?" She is later diagnosed with a brain tumor and dies soon after. Before she dies, she draws [[NightmareFuel some really creepy pictures of the Mothman]].

* BlueAndOrangeMorality: Discussed and clearly in effect, full force. The motives of the Mothman are unknown and unlikely to make sense to humans.

* EldritchAbomination

* YouCannotGraspTheTrueForm:
--> '''John:''' I think we can assume that these entities are more advanced than us. Why don't they just come right out and tell us what's on their minds?
--> '''Leek:''' You're more advanced than a cockroach, have you ever tried explaining yourself to one of them?

According to the Mothman expert Alexander Leek (Alan Bates), the Mothman appears whenever a big disaster is about to occur. John becomes convinced that the tragedy is going to occur on the Ohio River and warns everyone but [[CassandraTruth nobody believes him]], of course. It does -- [[DoubleSubverted but not in the way he was telling everyone]]. [[spoiler:the Silver Bridge collapses as John is returning to Point Pleasant to spend Christmas with Connie.]]

* ArcWords. "Wake up, number 37."

* BlueAndOrangeMorality: Oh yeah. Discussed and clearly in effect, full force.

* DreamingOfThingsToCome

** Gordon also has predictions from daymares.

* EvilPhone. Not quite evil, but thoroughly creepy, since his voice patterns were "outside of human vocal range".
** And then there's the phone that rings [[spoiler:after Klein ''yanks the cord out of the wall''.]]
* ExecutiveMeddling forced Director Mark Pellington to [[spoiler:reduce the final body count after the bridge collapse to 36 when in reality it was 46.]]

* TheMenInBlack: Book only and reported to have happened by towns people.

* NightmareFuelColoringBook, Mary's little drawings.

* RedHerring. [[spoiler: The disaster will be at the chemical plant. It won't be.]]
* SanitySlippage. Gordon, even if what's happening to him is real.
* SdrawkcabName. Leek is based on author Keel.

* TheUnreveal You ''never'' get to see Indrid Cold.

* VeryLooselyBasedOnATrueStory
** [[spoiler:For one, the Silver Bridge disaster happened in the late-60s. Second, the Silver Bridge was a chain-link bridge, an unusual construction with no redundancy, that is, if one link fails, they all fail. So, unlike the movie's explanation that the cause of the collapse was never determined, in actuality it was discovered to be a micro-fracture that developed over time, exacerbated by heavy traffic, that caused a sequential bridge failure.]]
* WhatCouldHaveBeen: [[spoiler: What if John decided to stay in Washington and answered the phone?]] ''([[FridgeHorror shudder]])''

InspiredBy real events occurring between November 1966 and December 1967 in the town of Point Pleasant, West Virginia. Produced by Lake Shore Entertainment released by Screen Gems and directed by [[ArlingtonRoad Mark]] [[ColdCase Pellington]].

The movie is based on a book written by well known journalist parapsychologist, and ufologist John A. Keel which was first published in 1975 studying the events that occurred in the town in 1969. Despite the [[CoversAlwaysLie title and first cover art and later the art of the movie poster]] The book focused mostly on the UFO sightings in Point Pleasant at the time along with some mention of shifty {{MIB}} people snooping around, with only a few chapters dedicated to the sightings of the Mothman entity. Some anecdotes in the book were just crazy to believe.

* {{MIB}}: Book only and reported to have happened by towns people.

* DiesWideShut. [[spoiler: Gordon Smallwood]]