Why THE MOTHMAN PROPHECIES Broke Me

ABOUT THE SHOW:
This show celebrates Ryan's love for genre, film, games, art and entertainment through personal retrospective analysis that aims to explore what made them so good or even misunderstood.

SOURCES:
JOHN C SHERWOOD (2002). "Gray Barker's Book of Bunk". Skeptical Inquirer:

MUSIC:
Tragic Story by Myuu
Forest Lullabye by Asher Fulero
Lights by Patrick Patrikios
Melancholia by Godmode
Landing by Godmode
Future Rennaisance by Godmode
Future Glider by Brian Bolger
Medieval Astrology by Underbelly & Ty Mayer
Devil's Organ by Jimena Contreras

[RyanHollinger]

*Only 2 more videos left for 2024... Keep sending your requests in comments!*

[odolowa]

"You noticed them, and they noticed that you noticed them." Is still one of my favorite lines about dealing with an alien intelligence.

[WhaleManMan]

Goddamn, everything's breaking this man. Keep it together

[Astar]

I think "mothman shaped tumor" would break just about anyone

[lucretialiciniagaiaerikaju]

Mothman
There's no need to feel down
I said Mothman
Lift that man of the ground

[eliotmccann]

First "hoyevver" drops at 0:15. An early Yuletide treat.

[vanitarus]

My favourite scene in the movie is near the end when John is being tempted to answer the phone from "Mary" but refuses to do so. To me that is the actual climax of the movie because it essentially finishes his character arc. The bridge collapsing is more of an epilogue but still entertaining.

[MrBeardsley]

I remember seeing this with a couple friends when it came out, we were all about 20 years old. It became a years-long running gag with us to go “AHHHH, MOTHMAN!” any time we saw red lights.

[MasqueradeBreaker]

I don't know why, but I get this Silent Hill like atmosphere from this film, maybe because of the early 2000s aesthetic for thrillers, the mystery concerning a spouse etc.

[Jay-qhuv]

The Indrid Cold phone call with John is one of the scariest fucking scenes in all of cinema to me. That voice. And you can’t tell Indrid’s motivations—he’s scary but doesn’t seem outright hostile. The unknown makes it all the more terrifying.

[TrevorZero]

I rented this movie in high school expecting to see spooky moth man adventures but just got crippling existential dread instead lol

[Braxmegaman]

"What's in my hand?"

[DJtheBlack-RibbonedRose]

Ryan using the word "DILF" was a jump-scare in of itself. 😅

[Muin_moss]

"Played by everyone's favorite DILF Richard Gere" absolutely took me out, you're not allowed to be that funny in the first two mins of the video

[spookymcgee]

Was hoping you'd catch that a big chunk of the film is from the POV of something watching Klein. That's what all those big overhead swooping shots are. Same deal when he's running into the police station. At one point someone slams a cabinet door with a mirror on it, and in a frame by frame you get a glimpse of the creature watching from its 'higher' vantage point.

[JimsJimsJims]

I really like this movie. It's both very 90's and very ahead of its time. There's a quote from Annihilation that fits pretty well:

"I don't know what it wants, or if it wants."

[Boggsy.]

Mothman, on top of a generally oppressive oppressive atmosphere, had a creepy moment that stuck with me for years:
When the lady described spying the Mothman outside of her window, tall as the first branch of her tree, it got under my skin.
We had a giant willow tree in our yard where the branches hung like a canopy, reaching 7-8 feet off the ground at peak growth- and the idea of an unnaturally tall entity standing near the trunk of that tree, boring holes into my skull with glowing red eyes as I peek out my living room window, spooked me well into my late teens.

[philgood]

it may not EXACTLY be a modern-day classic, but i STILL love this film. it often has a dream-like quality to shots/scenes, which i'm sure is due in part by the director's music video background, but there IS an emotional arc throughout this supernatural thriller... and i'm glad you gave it an honest go, and came out with a bit of respect for it!

[Iamhassentme]

it's actually a great movie about grief and the need to move on from tragedy. It has little to do with the book I think really.

[Neverfate]

I've always had an affection for this movie, despite its weaknesses. Mothman Prophecies is a flawed gem. I always get a bit of a chill when he's talking to the staticky voice of Indrid Cold. I can live with all the supernatural inconsistencies that amount to "the mothman just dicking around with mortals" because I like the obsession of Richard Gere's character as he tries to make sense of his grief.