Terror, intrigue in 'Mothman'

Forget about the "X-files," discard "Unsolved Mysteries" and don't even think to call the Ghostbusters — they won't help. No, nothing will prepare audiences for the roller coaster thriller that is "The Mothman Prophecies."

Amid a lot of bad studio films this January, it appears there is a light in the darkness. What usually is a month filled with the worst releases big studios have to offer, this film has come through with what may be the most thrilling, scary, edge-of-your-seat nail biter in all of movie history.

True, it's hard to believe that it comes complete with Richard Gere in the starring role, but hey, Keanu Reeves made "The Matrix," right?

"The Mothman Prophecies," from director Mark Pellington ("Arlington Road"), feeds off an ancient American folklore of a "mothman" that would appear before great disasters and then afterwards was never to be found again. The film, based on the 1975 book by John Keel, is an over-dramatized version of events that allegedly took place.

Gere plays a star Washington Post writer who, at the start of the film, is involved in a detrimental car accident with his wife, played by Debra Messing ("Will & Grace"), apparently caused by the sight of a very odd-looking creature. She ultimately dies of a rare form of cancer while in the hospital, and the film's time moves swiftly forward two years.

courtesy of SCREEN GEMS / MELISSA MOSELEY Richard Gere, who plays a journalist who stumbles into the mysteries of the "mothman," teams up with Laura Linney to uncover the truth in "The Mothman Prophecies."

Gere is on his way to Richmond on an assignment to interview the governor of Virginia. During the long drive, he mysteriously arrives in the small town of Point Pleasant, WVa. As soon as he arrives, strange (the word "strange" does not do them justice) things begin to happen. This is where the plot unfolds as lurking ominous figures appear to the townspeople.

Teaming up with a local police officer, played by Laura Linney, Gere decides he has been sent there for a reason, and that reason is to die. Figuring out what these "mothmen" are and why they are apparently contacting the locals becomes Gere's number one objective throughout the movie.

His quest ultimately leads him to a disturbing revelation that makes for a somewhat clichéd ending, but brings the movie and it's deeper, more truthful connotations together.

Combined with an amazing duo of lighting and camera angles, "The Mothman Prophecies" creates a world that draws the audience right in. The scenes become so intense that from the first five minutes to the last five seconds, the hairs on one's neck stand straight up from the anticipation and thrill. Although the acting is somewhat sub-par, the plotline and cinematography redeem any negative qualities this film has to offer.

No words can describe the experience one can have while watching a movie of this magnitude. The blood will rush, nails will be bitten, jumps will occur and eyes will close in terror. "The Mothman Prophecies" easily joins the ranks of the all-time most thrilling movies ever made.