Been done before, but still scary

The Mothman Prophecies - PG-13\nStarring: Richard Gere, Laura Linney\nDirected by: Mark Pellington\nShowing: Showplace West 12\nSometimes, the scariest movies don't let you see the thing you are afraid of. Typically, our own fear-inducing imaginations scare us a lot more than what's revealed explicitly. Who hasn't been home alone at night and associated every little noise they heard with an intruder in the house? Well, Mark Pellington, director of "Mothman Prophecies," understands this philosophy. Seeing is sometimes not nearly as scary as imagining. \n"The Mothman Prophecies" focuses on a man named John Klein (Richard Gere), a Washington newspaper reporter who leaves his job after his wife (Debra Messing) dies and he begins to investigate strange reports that become somehow connected to his wife's death. Well, he doesn't exactly leave his job -- he's mysteriously "brought" to a quaint town called Point Pleasant, West Virginia while driving one night outside of Washington, D.C. Once at Point Pleasant, his investigation brings him closer and closer to discovering that something is not right in this seemingly innocent place. Sightings of enormous winged creatures ("mothmen"), and prophetic phone calls with otherworldly hissing sounds and a creepy voice on the other end start to create a dark picture of the strange happenings in the town. It is through these signs (delivered at a nice pace and in skillful fashion) that we realize the possibility of supernatural or ghostly activity on Earth. \nIt's a fairly creepy piece of cinema, which only gets creepier when we realize it's a film actually based on real-life events. Of course, it's not really scary in the way most horror flicks are, with gory murders or pop-ups (with the loud bang on the piano key). The film gives you a sense of unease and tension whereby you get this tingly feeling on the back of your neck telling you there's something evil lurking behind you. It's just that feeling of unease throughout that makes "Mothman" effectively frightening. Granted, its slow pace is not really for the impatient filmgoer, but it has its own weird way of creating suspense. \nRichard Gere is surprisingly good in this film, as is supporting player Will Patton. Laura Linney as a police officer seems a little out of place, but it's a manageable performance. The story might not be incredibly original, but because it's based on true events, it checks out as legitimate. But we have indeed seen all this before (do nine seasons of "The X-Files" ring a bell?), and that takes a lot away from it. But the thing that turns anything negative in this film into a positive is Pellington's delivery. When something evil is revealed on screen materially like in most films, we can identify it and deal with it. But "Mothman" reserves its terror for our imagination where the possibilities of fright become relentless and infinite.\n

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