The Mothman Prophecies

Bizarre, well-made supernatural thriller is all the more chilling for the fact that it's rooted in actual events.

Washington reporter ends up in a small West Virginia town where a strange entity is foretelling of a disaster.

Although many critics harpooned this film for its seemingly aimless storyline, it's really a forgivable thing since Mothman is such an atmospheric and slickly-directed film. The direction is artistically stunning, with lots of colorful and frightening visuals. The atmosphere is solidly dark and mysterious, with a number of truly spooky sequences - particularly Gere's phone call from the Mothman. And despite the fact that everything is not explained to us up front, after all who could place logic to this strange true story, the film is a pretty decent gripper. The grand climax is especially dramatic!

The cast is fairly good, star Richard Gere probably being the best as our bewildered hero. The filming locations are good and the moody soundtrack is quite effective.

For those who like their thrillers a touch on the X-Files side, The Mothman Prophecies is a terrific choice.

*** 1/2 out of ****