Prophecy (1979)

A log company's waste mutates the environment, creating a giant killer bear-monster.

Director:

John Frankenheimer

Writer:

David Seltzer

Stars:

Talia Shire, Robert Foxworth, Armand Assante

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Talia Shire	...	Maggie
Robert Foxworth	...	Rob
Armand Assante	...	John Hawks
Richard Dysart	...	Isely
Victoria Racimo	...	Ramona
George Clutesi	...	M'Rai
Tom McFadden	...	Pilot
Evans Evans	...	Cellist
Burke Byrnes	...	Father
Mia Bendixsen	...	Girl
Johnny Timko	...	Boy
Everett Creach	...	Kelso (as Everett L. Creach)
Charles H. Gray	...	Sheriff
Lyvingston Holmes	...	Black Woman (as Lyvingston Holms)
Graham Jarvis	...	Shusette

Storyline

A Savage beast, grown to monstrous size and driven mad by toxic wastes that are poisoning the waters, spreads terror and death on a Maine countryside.

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Plot Keywords:

toxic waste | cabin | monster movie | national park | poison | 

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Taglines:

The Monster Movie.

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Genres:

Sci-Fi | Horror

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Certificate:

PG

Details

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

22 August 1979 (France)

Also Known As:

Prophecy: The Monster Movie

Filming Locations:

Crofton, North Cowichan, British Columbia, Canada

Box Office

Budget:

$12,000,000 (estimated)

Company Credits

Production Co:

Paramount Pictures

Technical Specs

Runtime:

102 min

Sound Mix:

Dolby

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

Filmed in British Columbia in 1978, this movie marked the beginning of "Hollywood North", the major start to the development of a massive film production business in Vancouver and other parts of the province of British Columbia, in Canada. Since then hundreds of "American" movies have been filmed in the Canadian province.

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Goofs

In the scene where the weather is storming, the wind is blowing sheets of rain one way, yet the waves on the lake in the background are blowing in the opposite direction.

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Quotes

Dr. Robert Verne: Can these people get help?
[Dr. Verne after saving a dieing mutant cub and treating it in a tent at the Indian site referring to some Indian men who are with Hawks]
John Hawks: Yes, they can send for help in the village.
Dr. Robert Verne: Is there a Newspaper.
John Hawks: Yes.
Dr. Robert Verne: Tell them to get cameras, the Paper Mill people, and the Sheriff.
Dr. Robert Verne: Not the Sheriff.
Dr. Robert Verne: Hawks! You have to see the truth. You have more here at stake than I do.

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Connections

Featured in The Riff Brothers (2010)

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Soundtracks

"Sweet Ride"
by Lionel Job and Delwin Gillman
Performed by Southroad Connection
Courtesy of Fourth World Productions

User Reviews

Underrated thriller

It did have its share of cheesy moments, but Prophecy is one of the best rampaging-mutant movies I've seen - and I've seen quite a few. Some users have complained that the terror shots are too few and far between, but this is an ancient and now-lost film-making technique called 'building suspense'. Personally, I think it enhanced the shock value of the monster (which, by the way, still manages to give me the occasional nightmare, even as I approach 30). The scene where Foxworth, speaking into a tape recorder as he puzzles out the environmental disaster, gradually realizes the nature and extent of what he's facing, is a true cinematic gem. If this were a 'serious' movie, it would have been worth of at least a nomination, and the chainsaw/axe duel is intense. However, horror movies rarely win awards.

I do laugh during the sleeping bag scene, though. Can't help myself. And the viewer can clearly see that the monster morphs from fifteen feet tall to eight feet tall when it goes from close-ups to action shots. The creature itself is terrifying, in my opinion. Anyone who can't suspend their disbelief enough to overlook a few flaws in the special effects techniques probably shouldn't be watching monster movies, anyway.

This is one of the prizes of my video collection, if I ever find it on DVD, I won't hesitate to add it to THAT collection, as well.