Spooky thriller
The Mothman Prophecies

Stars Richard Gere and Debra Messing. Columbia TriStar. Rated M. 113 mins

Reviewer :: Ben Caddaye

Described as a “supernatural thriller”, The Mothman Prophecies lives up to its billing as one of the scarier movies of 2002.

Richard Gere stars as a reporter who is drawn to a small town in West Virginia to investigate a series of strange events linked to a mystical being known as the “Mothman” – events he believes are linked to the death of his wife years earlier.

Director Mark Pellington, the creative force behind the very excellent Arlington Road, has done another superb job with The Mothman Prophecies.

It’s not easy to keep audiences on the edge of their seats for the best part of two hours, but Pellington does through cleverly crafted suspense, tight direction and spooky sound effects.

Most importantly, he keeps his cards close to his chest, dishing out little bits of information at a time – a technique some of those “subtle-as-a-brick” directors should take note of.

The Mothman Prophecies is spine-tingling. Don’t watch it alone.