The Mothman of Point Pleasant

Well... If you've read the Keel book and seen the Gere film, you probably know everything this doc has to offer. Sure, you get a few more specific first hand stories, including audio and video from some deceased witnesses. Plus you get more than enough footage of the Mothman "Museum" and its curator (calling it a "museum" is a lonnnnng stretch, as it's a novelty shop full of tee shirts and goofy throw-away Mothman nick-nacks, etc) to help those in need of more help. (As if you needed any help, because there's a very amateur narrator butting in throughout).

There's absolutely zero dissection of what the Mothman phenomena possibly is, and this is a huge misstep. There surely are a lot of theories, but none of those get the slightest mention.

Oh! The animations here are actually REALLY good! I was surprised! Well done! But, it looks like they blew their budget on the animations and renting a drone for constant flyover footage (that utterly served no purpose). In the end, this felt like something that Hollywood would buy and tack on to a DVD release of the Gere film. Save your time and money and read Keel's book.

Plot

Learn the terrifying, true story about thirteen months that changed history! In November of 1966 a car full of kids encountered a creature unlike anything they'd ever seen before. In the weeks and months to follow, the monster (now known as The Mothman) was sighted again and again on country roads and around the state of West Virginia.

Cast

Made by Seth Breedlove, a man with a penchant for the absurd. From Mothman, to Aliens to Sasquatch he's done a documentary for each.

Verdict

The Mothman of Point Pleasant is the same as it's sequel The Mothman Prophecy (2020) as if one of these wasn't enough. Namely it's full of interviews with people who claim to have seen "Something", a lot of speculation, a history lesson and some credits.

You see the moment this "Documentary" began I was hit with an advert. No, I mean there's actually an advert as part of the documentary instantly after the credits. Bad start! Never seen something so absurdly unprofessional.

And then it begins and it's everything you'd expect from a documentary about something wholly fictional. Local yokels ranting about what they saw but never caught it on camera, local "Experts" who also can't provide anything but alleged background and references to Hollywood movies that feature this fictional creature.

Seriously, do you not have anything better to do?

Rants

The Mothman doesn't exist Ghosts aren't a thing Sasquatch is fictional Aliens aren't probing butts

Do I need to continue? Grow up and engage with reality.

Breakdown

Fascinating creature Boring Accomplishes nothing Fiction dressed as fact.

Mr.Breedlove and the Small Town Monsters crew are at the helm and charting some strange waters in this documentary. This really is a crypto creature masterpiece that explores the series of odd events occurring in 1960's West Virginia. The exceptional cinematography, soundtrack and direction captures the narratives mood and Appalachian landscape. The animated accounts of the witness's perspective add another creepy layer of authenticity to the Mothman lore. So lower the lights, turn up the audio and get lost in this mystery.

If you are the sort of person who believes that various cryptozoological creatures exist, such as Sasquatch or the Loch Ness Monster, then "The Mothman of Point Pleasant" will be a very different experience compared to that of a skeptic, like me. So, as you read my review, please keep this in mind...I already had a mindset that the whole thing is a hoax. I remember various stories in the Washington, DC area as I grew up in the 1960s of similar stories, such as the Bunnyman, UFOs and the Goatman. It was a popular period for cryptids.

The film is a historical documentary about the town of Point Pleasant, West Virginia and their Mothman story. Using a creepy-voiced narrator and equally creepy music and sound effects, the story interviews many locals as well as showing film clips and photos all related to the Mothman. Whether you believe all this or not, the quality of the production is quite good...better than I would have expected for such a topic. And, it didn't draw a lot of conclusions and just let folks talk...which was an excellent decision.



By the way, today the town of Point Pleasant embraces the whole Mothman story. In September, they have a Mothman Festival--complete with costumes, rides and a parade. They also erected a Mothman statue some time ago!

7 for the film, one for sound. The should have used another narrator too.