Horror Films Based on True Stories: Mothman Prophecies

When strange events take place in a city, investigations usually follow, but what John A. Keel claimed to find when he explored the odd happenings that took place in Point Pleasant, West Virginia. In this article, you will learn about the real events of the Mothman Prophecies that sparked the storyline for a movie with the same title that starred Richard Gere.

The Real Details

A handful of locals claimed to have spotted a disturbing winged creature that was dubbed the ‘Mothman.’ Residents believed that it was a sign that something unfortunate was about to occur. John Keel traveled to the Point Pleasant to see what all of the fuss was about and to write about the events that plagued the locals.

Keel wrote professional piece from the age of 12, but he is most recognizable for his literary contributions which centered on UFOs and other paranormal topics. During the early 1970s, he was one of the most widely read ufologists that greatly influenced the way people viewed unidentified flying objects.

Interestingly, Keel is credited with coining the term, ‘men in black,’ that was used to describe the mysterious figures that some claimed would harass witnesses of UFOs. While people called him an ufologist, he preferred the title of ‘Fortean,’ which includes a variety of paranormal subjects.

The Movie Facts

Director Mark Pellington was in charge of bringing to life the real events that actually took place in the 1960s. With a present day prospective, the sightings of the Mothman were weaved in and out of the movie using a conventional narrative approach. Taking on the role of John Keel was a fictional character named John Klein, who was featured as a reporter for the Washington Post. This role was played by Richard Gere, whose character took on the same initials as John Keel. Another reference to the original figure at the center of the story was a fictional character named Leel (Keel spelled backwards), who was played by Alan Bates.

When the Mothman Prophecies was released in 2002, the plot also strayed from the many conspiracy theories and UFO sightings that were tied into the Mothman sightings. However, the movie was described as accurately depicting one of the essential facts surrounding the real case , the collapse of the Silver Bridge , located between Point Pleasant and Gallipolis, Ohio. When the bridge fell in 1967, it took the lives of 46 people.

Other facts concerning this topic include:

·    Books written by John Keel include UFOs: Operation Trojan Horse (1970), Strange Creatures From Time and Space (1970), Our Haunted Planet (1971), and The Flying Saucer Subculture (1973).

·    In the movie, the Mothman is hidden throughout the movie, but only for a few frames, such as in the scene that involves John Klein slamming a door. The reflection of the mirror on the door shows the Mothman.

·    The scene that shows Indrid Cold for the first time did not include the use of CG graphics. Blurry shooting was used to create the effect.