Prophecy - The Monster Movie (1979)
Starring: Talia Shire, Robert Foxworth, Armande Assante
Writter by: David Seltzer
Directed by: John Frankenheimer
****Spoilers****
Dr. Robert Verne has an awesome beard and mustache, and a healthy head full of curly hair. He also has a beautiful wife, who is skillfully talented in classical music. Aside from those incredible properties, Dr. Verne's life sucks. His job of providing care for people living in the city slums continuously leads to failure, and has left him feeling absolutely hopeless. So, he takes a job from the EPA (Environmental Protection Agency) to do a report on a paper mill factory, located in rural Maine.
Dr. Verne's wife, Maggie, joins him on the trip anticipating an opportunity to drop the pregnancy bomb on him. Robert loves his wife, without doubt, he's just not too keen on becoming Dadcore. Upon their arrival, they are greeted by Bethel Isley, an administrator of the paper mill. The couple also discover that there is a conflict going on between the lumberjacks and the Opies (original people/O.P.s), the American local Indians who are against the destruction and pollution of the wilderness they call home.
While the paper mill company uses chemicals that are said to never leave the plant, mercury deposits are turning up in the Androscoggin river. The element is being used as a cheap fungicide, but as a bonus, it's mutating the shit out of the local wildlife, making them ginormous in size and/or extremely aggressive. The area also has a legend called Katahdin, a spirit of the forest that's larger than a dragon with the eyes of a cat; something that is everything in God's creation. Umm, what we actually see is a deformed-to-hell bear, big enough to tear the roof off a cabin and have a peek inside. Dunno if that qualifies for being larger than a dragon, but nevertheless, Katahdin is pissed the hell off, and ready rip a new asshole out of the loggers ruining its land!
Prophecy is an epic hoot, and Inside-out Bear (Katahdin) is hugely responsible. The film itself is not of totally bad quality; the story is excellent, cinematography is beautiful, and the acting is mostly solid. However, the creature decimates any possible aspect of fear that the movie could carry. I can't lie, though; I love the big goofy looking bastard, just for its absurdity. I love the way it runs, the way it growls, the way it swats down a pine tree like it's a fucking bonsai, and I especially love the way it slaps its victims into obliteration. The late John Frankenheimer was said to be alcohol-binged at the time, and the messiness here may determine that, but I look at most of the direction as gleefully controlled chaos.
While I chewed up the more story-driven moments layered through the film, I can see someone looking for an all out monster-fest being rather bored. It definitely has some pacing issues that leave the creature few and far between (though, when Katahdin is shown, it's in hefty amounts), but there are plenty of non-monster instances filled to the brim with foolishness that kept me mega entertained. One in particular; John Hawks, one of the native American locals, fleeing from the cops by running into a cabin. Literally milliseconds later, you see him jumping through a back window for a quick escape. It's hilarious and boss at the same time. And believe me, there are quite a bit of times where equally goofy shenanigans ensue.
Prophecy does contain some awesome action sequences, one pits a local man with an ax against a lumberjack with a chainsaw. However, a stand-out scene is Mr. and Mrs. Verne Vs. a mad raccoon. This frenzied little shit bolts into their cabin with claws a-blazin', forcing Robert to fight back violently with a boat paddle. There are some rumors of the raccoon really being beaten in this segment, and if that's true, it is certainly screwed up. Apparently, production was halted until a humane officer showed up to ensure the safety of the critter. Either way, it's for sure an intense point in the movie.
Talia Shire (Rocky) and Robert Foxworth (Damien: Omen II) play their parts well as Mr. and Mrs. Verne. Their relationship has its issues, but love shines through, and the actors pulled it off well enough for me to not root for demise. Richard Dysart (John Carpenter's The Thing) portrays Bethel, the paper mill director. He's not exactly a person of sympathy, though, I didn't hate him either. Armand Assante (Private Benjamin) is John Hawks, the agile window leaping local, and he's my cheese filled favorite, honestly. Overall, the performances aren't straight up amazing, but they kept me interested.
Prophecy is PG rated horror, so don't expect entrails jumping through your TV screen, but it's no slouch in terms of it's rating, either. John Frankenheimer himself had some gore shots trimmed and some fully removed for time, and to keep the violence at a minimum. The aftermath of the film's opening displays some disemboweled lumberjacks and a dead dog; it's fairly disgusting, and by today's standards, this film would probably be PG-13. Other scenes include some graphic claw slashings, courtesy of Inside-out Bear. The late Kevin Peter Hall is the actor inside the Katahdin suit. Some genre fans will probably recognize his name, as he also portrayed Harry from Harry and the Hendersons, and the musclebound alien from the first two Predator films.
I was a big fan of the beautiful wilderness setting, and some of the overhead shots of the forests are beautiful. The film carries quite a few nifty camera tricks, such as a side-shoulder view of a lumberjack during a chase scene. I'm also down for musical scores that mislead you, where the atmosphere of terror feels null due to a charming orchestral piece. It makes me feel less safe and trusting, unknowing of where the story will go.
So, I don't deny that Prophecy has faults, I just happen to be an admirer of them. Of course, it didn't turn out the way Frankenheimer intended, and it's received some bashing (Prophecy has a whopping 4.8 out of 10 on IMDB), but the film does have appeal. I'd recommend it to fans of hokey looking monsters (like Werebeardog from Silver Bullet, for example. Though, Prophecy is not as entertaining), but I'd tell someone out for a carnage filled horror film or an all out scarefest to look elsewhere.
P.S. - Epic moment...
