Reviewed by Jami Ferguson

Film (3 out of 5 stars)
I've
never
been too afraid of real life killers.
Normal, human serial killers, while dangerous, can be avoided. You can
run from them. You can lock your doors and have at least a
fighting chance. It's the supernatural
stuff that gets me. I don't like things
that get you in your sleep, come out of your mirror, or crawl out from
under
your bed. I like to know that if I've
checked every nook and cranny of my ratty motel room and then locked the
door
the only way something is going to get me is through that very same
door. Mothman reminds me that I need to be very
careful to 1) Stay out of West Virginia and 2) not accidentally kill
people and
cover it up.
A
group of small town teens is enjoying a fun day at the lake, telling stories of
the mythical mothman. One of the teens
little brother has tagged along and they think they are having fun pulling him
underwater but the fun turns tragic and the boy ends up dead. Rather than call for help the group decides
that their lives shouldn't be ruined by an accident and they reluctantly agree
to say he hit his head and drowned. Each
member of the group took a turn hitting him in the head with a rock to sell the
story.
Fast
forward ten years later, and one of the gang Katherine (Jewel Staite) is now a
reporter, and is the only one to have left Point Pleasant, West Virginia. It's clear she has made a good life for
herself and hasn't looked back. But she
is given the task of reporting on the Mothman Festival and is sent back to
Point Pleasant. When
Katherine returns to Point Pleasant she meets up with old friends, some of
which are happy to see her, some of which are not. She attends the Mothman Festival and
interviews the locals about the legend.
Soon after returning to town, the Mothman sets his sights on her friends and the group begins to die one by one. The local Mothman legend explains that the Mothman targets murderers and locks eyes with his victims before taking their lives. He was once in the Mothman's sights and was able to stay alive by blinding himself. Katherine and her friends must find another way to appease the Mothman before he takes them all.For a Syfy movie, I was pleasantly surprised with Mothman.
Although Jewel Staite is the only actor I've ever heard of (and only because I watched Firefly) the performances overall were very good. The story was simple, but kind of creepy. The creature effects were good. The only part I had a small problem with was the continuity. There was one scene after Katherine arrives at her motel that is completely out of sequence. You would think the filmmakers would be able to match up her outfits so that each day would make sense. My other gripe was with the creature "rules". For most of the movie, the Mothman is restricted to grabbing his victims through reflective surfaces and Katherine avoids him by breaking mirrors. At the end of the movie, it's as though all bets are off and the Mothman can fly around anywhere doing whatever he wants and is no longer held back.
Soon after returning to town, the Mothman sets his sights on her friends and the group begins to die one by one. The local Mothman legend explains that the Mothman targets murderers and locks eyes with his victims before taking their lives. He was once in the Mothman's sights and was able to stay alive by blinding himself. Katherine and her friends must find another way to appease the Mothman before he takes them all.For a Syfy movie, I was pleasantly surprised with Mothman.
Although Jewel Staite is the only actor I've ever heard of (and only because I watched Firefly) the performances overall were very good. The story was simple, but kind of creepy. The creature effects were good. The only part I had a small problem with was the continuity. There was one scene after Katherine arrives at her motel that is completely out of sequence. You would think the filmmakers would be able to match up her outfits so that each day would make sense. My other gripe was with the creature "rules". For most of the movie, the Mothman is restricted to grabbing his victims through reflective surfaces and Katherine avoids him by breaking mirrors. At the end of the movie, it's as though all bets are off and the Mothman can fly around anywhere doing whatever he wants and is no longer held back.
Video (2 out of 5 stars)
Mothman's
video presentation could certainly be better.
It's only DVD and it has a very grainy appearance with lots
of visual noise. It appears as though
the scenes that are supposed to be the past are a little grainier than the
present so I am assuming some of that is intended. Still, I would have preferred a sharper
picture and richer black levels throughout.

Audio (2 out of 5 stars)
Mothman
is presented in 5.1 and 2.0 Dolby Digital Sound. Dialogue levels were clear and consistent
throughout. However, I noticed no
special use of side channels and the audio track missed some obvious chances to
add to the creepiness of the film.
English and Spanish subtitles are available.
Special Features (0 out of 5 stars)
Unfortunately
there are no special features on the DVD.
I would have expected at least a little on the real legend of the
Mothman.
Final Thoughts (2 out of 5 stars)
Searching
for photos to accompany this review, I realized that the Mothman is a real
legend (not made up by Hollywood). The
thought of that made the movie that much creepier. The filmmakers should have focused a little
on that making it "based on a true story". It would have added a lot for me to think
that there are real people out there in West Virginia that believe this thing
is real. My overall score was reduced
dramatically by the lack of any special features, but it’s a fun Syfy movie
that I definitely recommend. Don't go
into it expecting a spectacular scare, just a fun, campy horror flick.
Order your copy today!
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