Prophecy (1979)

Director:

John Frankenheimer

Writer:

David Seltzer (written by)

Release Date:

22 August 1979 (France)

Genre:

Sci-Fi | Horror

Tagline:

She Lives. Don't Move. Don't Breathe. She Will Find You.

Plot:

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

Plot Keywords:

Toxic Waste | Cabin | Monster Movie | National Park | Poison

Cast

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
Jim Burk	...	Rescuer (as James H. Burk)
Bob Terhune	...	Rescuer
Lon Katzman	...	Rescuer
Steve Shemayne	...	Indian (as Steve Shemayme)
John A. Shemayme	...	Indian
Jaye Durkus	...	Sheriff's Deputy
Renato Moore	...	Tenement Boy
Mel Waters	...	Tenement Man
Roosevelt Smith	...	Tenement Man
Eric Mansker	...	Tenement Man
Cheri Bergen	...	Social Worker
Cliff Hutchison	...	Stage Manager
Tom May	...	Lumberjack (as Thomas P. May)
rest of cast listed alphabetically:
Kevin Peter Hall	...	Mutant Bear (uncredited)

Directed by
John Frankenheimer

Writing credits
David Seltzer		(written by)

Produced by
Robert L. Rosen	....	producer

Original Music by
Leonard Rosenman

Cinematography by
Harry Stradling Jr.		(director of photography)

Film Editing by
Tom Rolf

Casting by
Lynn Stalmaster

Production Design by
William Craig Smith

Set Decoration by
George Gaines

Costume Design by
Ray Summers

Makeup Department
Ellis Burman Jr.	....	special makeup: manufacturer, The Burman's Studio (as Ellis Burman)
Thomas R. Burman	....	special makeup designer: The Burman's Studio
Thomas R. Burman	....	special makeup: manufacturer, The Burman's Studio
Edouard F. Henriques	....	special makeup: manufacturer, The Burman's Studio (as Edouard Henriques)
Ron Snyder	....	makeup artist
Ann Wadlington	....	hair stylist
Allan A. Apone	....	special makeup effects: The Burman's Studio (uncredited)

Production Management
Alan Levine	....	unit production manager
Lindsley Parsons Jr.	....	executive production manager: Paramount (uncredited)

Second Unit Director or Assistant Director
Robert P. Cohen	....	second assistant director (as Robert Cohen)
L. Andrew Stone	....	assistant director (as Andy Stone)
Paul L. Tucker	....	second assistant director (as Paul Tucker)

Art Department
Sherman Labby	....	production illustrator
Ray Mercer Jr.	....	property master
Gene Lauritzen	....	construction coordinator (uncredited)
Arthur Shippee	....	assistant property master (uncredited)

Sound Department
Gene S. Cantamessa	....	sound mixer (as Gene Cantamesa)
Cecelia Hall	....	sound effects editor
William R. Kowalchuk Jr.	....	sound effects editor (as W. R. Kowalchuk)
John Wilkinson	....	sound re-recording mixer (as John Keene Wilkinson)
Raul A. Bruce	....	boom operator (uncredited)

Special Effects by
Ellis Burman Jr.	....	prop manufacturer: artifacts, The Burman's Studio (as Ellis Burman)
Thomas R. Burman	....	designer: artifacts, The Burman's Studio
Thomas R. Burman	....	prop manufacturer: artifacts, The Burman's Studio
Bob Dawson	....	special effects (as Robert Dawson)
Edouard F. Henriques	....	prop manufacturer: artifacts, The Burman's Studio (as Edouard Henriques)
James Kagel	....	sculptor (uncredited)

Stunts
Michael Adams	....	stunts (as Mike Adams)
Pamela Bebermeyer	....	stunts
Janet Brady	....	stunts
Ron Burke	....	stunts
William H. Burton	....	stunt coordinator (as Bill Burton)
James Caliendo	....	stunts
Gary Combs	....	stunts (as Gary M. Combs)
Gilbert B. Combs	....	stunts
Everett Creach	....	stunt coordinator (as Everett L. Creach)
Patty Elder	....	stunts
Jerry Gatlin	....	stunts
Sandra Lee Gimpel	....	stunts (as Sandy Gimpel)
Don Fox Greene	....	stunts
Billy Hank Hooker	....	stunts (as Hank Hooker)
Buddy Joe Hooker	....	stunts
Tommy Madden	....	stunts
Jerry Maren	....	stunts
Cliff McLaughlin	....	stunts
Gene McLaughlin	....	stunts
Ruth A. Redfern	....	stunts (as Ruth Redfern)
Sandy Robertson	....	stunts
John Roselius	....	stunts
Denny Arnold	....	stunts (uncredited)
William H. Burton	....	stunts (uncredited)
Everett Creach	....	stunts (uncredited)
Alex Green	....	stunts (uncredited)

Camera and Electrical Department
Clifford Hutchison	....	gaffer (as Cliff Hutchison)
Tom May	....	key grip
Norman Lang	....	electrician (uncredited)

Editorial Department
Michael Ripps	....	assistant editor (uncredited)

Music Department
Jim Henrikson	....	music editor

Other crew
Charles Flemmer	....	mime
John Franco	....	script supervisor
Kevin Peter Hall	....	mime (as Kevin Hall)
Rick McCallum	....	assistant: Mr. Frankenheimer
Tom McLoughlin	....	mime

Production Companies

• Paramount Pictures (presents)

Distributors

• Paramount Pictures (1979) (USA) (theatrical)
• Cinéma International Corporation (CIC) (1979) (Sweden) (theatrical)
• Cinema International Corporation (CIC) (1980) (Finland) (theatrical)
• American Broadcasting Company (ABC) (1983) (USA) (TV) (broadcast premiere)
• Esselte Video (1988) (Finland) (VHS)
• Paramount Home Entertainment Finland (2007) (Finland) (DVD)
• Paramount Home Video (2002) (USA) (DVD)
• Paramount Home Video (????) (USA) (VHS)

Special Effects

• Burman Studio, The (special make-up and artifacts designed by) (as The Burman's Studio, Van Nuys, California)

Other Companies

• Modern Film Effects  titles & optical effects
• International Alliance of Theatrical Stage Employees (IATSE)  this picture made under the jurisdiction of (as I.A.T.S.E.)

Also Known As:

"Prophecy: The Monster Movie" - USA (video box title)

Runtime:

102 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1

Sound Mix:

Dolby

Certification:

Australia:M | Finland:K-18 (cut) | France:-12 | Norway:18 | USA:PG | UK:15 (cut) | Canada:18A | Iceland:16 | Sweden:15 | Finland:K-16 (cut) (1988) | Finland:K-18 (uncut) (2007)

Filming Locations:

Crofton, North Cowichan, British Columbia, Canada

Company:

Paramount Pictures

Trivia:

Horror author Stephen King is particularly fond of this film.

Goofs:

Errors in geography: Dr. Verne and his wife fly from Washington D.C. to Maine, but when they pass over a lighthouse on the coast the plane is clearly traveling south.

Quotes:

M' Rai:There are underground tunnels beneath the frost line to store perishables.
[M'Rai talks at the old Indian village site with Dr. Verne and his wife Maggie ]
M' Rai:The forest provides more than a man could possibly need. Things grow big here... real big.
Dr. Robert Verne:Well, I saw a salmon that took my breath away.
M' Rai:It is the garden of Eden.
M' Rai:I've never let anyone here, you are the first to see.

Movie Connections:

Featured in The Riff Brothers (2010) (V)

Soundtrack:

No, No, No, My Friend

underrated, generally.

I saw this picture on Betamax in '81 or '82 and it really got under my skin. Frankenheimer's monster movie is partly responsible for me getting into the business (along with Jaws, Alien, Raiders, Blade Runner, not that I'm really inviting such comparisons). I actually had occasion to have a smoke and chat briefly with Robert Foxworth about the making of the picture when I was grip on a made-for-TV suspense pic in Atlanta. He was approachable, friendly and enjoyed talking about that show. He said that they had lost a stunt driver, and narrowly escaped losing a cast member or two when their first construction truck/picture car (the 4wd monster truck our ensemble try to escape in) took a dive off a cliff. They had to scramble to find another one and finish the picture. RF also said that Frankenheimer was an accomplished chef and had occasionally treated the DP and Cast to gourmet meals.

Prophecy is now on DVD, presented the way it was originally shot. I think I bought my copy for less than $15. All of the criticisms of this film are true, and it does not belong in the first Frankenheimer potential box set with "The Train," "Manchurian Candidate," and "Seven Days in May." But with this marginal script and genre, bound together with a tired, preachy and inaccurate environmental message, Frankenheimer managed to put together a monster picture that has surprisingly stout legs. Remember, Paramount released this monster muppet against "Alien," arguably the best film of its kind ever made. The monster grizzly is enraged, frightening and unpredictable. It is key to the film's suspense. If the Emmerich/Devlin team gave 'Zilla the same qualities, suddenly that film is worth watching for more than the effects. Prophecy had virtually no effects by today's standards. They had to make up for this with shooting and editing; a.k.a. conventional, hand-crafted filmmaking. I may indeed be prejudiced, but I still like this movie with all of its problems.