The Mothman of Point Pleasant

This documentary was hard to watch, I had to turn it off after about 45 minutes in with about 20 some minutes left. That's sad because I really love the Mothman myth and lore of the area.

It was all slanted from the point of view that all these stories these people told are true. That's not how good documentaries are supposed to actually go, yet it seems rampant anymore. You are to present angles from BOTH sides and let the viewer decide for themselves. It seems like all others want in confirmation biases that aren't even factual.

It seems many of these stories, presented as fact, are people that don't understand science very well, even the makers of the film. That's not calling anyone stupid, there's so much we as humans don't understand, even through science... But I don't think those people need to be mashing documentaries either.

This sucks because I do believe there are weird things in this world that can't be explained even through proper science. I often feel science dismisses things that are truly unexplainable and potentially supernatural. But when someone presents ALL these stories basically as fact without trying to debunk any of them through any means with no real credible experts, it makes it hard to watch if you actually know some basic science and aren't gullible enough to believe that ALL these eye witnesses' perceptions won't be skewed from their lack of informed understanding of such proper science. Meaning, people's perceptions of events will not be the actual truth of what happened but their perception of the truth through their limited reality tunnels. There are so many properly documented accounts of mass hysteria and people really believing things happened that didn't, on record now. It is scary if a trauma (whether real or perceived) will play tricks on minds' that distort the reality of what actually happened. It is a survival technique.

If this was a real documentary they'd know much of this and get experts in all areas to discuss such things and present documented instances of such events. If these stories are truly the real deal, they'd stand up to any science that tried to debunk them. But that option was not given for a majority of the film which makes in not watchable to me. If I believe in something, I need to truly believe in it. Not blindly believe without questioning myself and reasons why I believe.

Maybe the end tied that all together and I missed it in the last 20 some minutes. But if it is that badly slanted the first 40 I just can't keep going.

Absolutely nothing happens, just over exaggerated sightings, apparently the curse that was supposed to last 200 years is just a giant bird that watches people and flies around.

Don't waste your time with this, the stories told aren't even that compelling. They will say stuff like "they were the prettiest darn wings I ever saw".

No proof just people reporting the same things, blaming catastrophies on this bird that has no connection whatsoever. Was surprised someone didn't say something like, "I got a hang nail and got stood up on a date and it was right after I saw the mothman"

Such a waste of time and makes these people look ridiculous.

This was a documentary that I decided to check out at work. The reason was that this is listed as also being in horror. Also, I've seen a good number of co-writer/director Seth Breedlove and his production company of Small Town Monsters. To add to it as well, I have family from West Virginia. My father was on the Silver Bridge when he was younger. They've also been to Point Pleasant and to the museum there.

What I like about Breedlove's documentaries is that he just reports the stories that people relay. I do appreciate that he's not trying to influence the viewer, outside of just making these documentaries. This interviews people or their relatives to share the stories of people who encounter this Mothman. What is also intriguing, having seen The Mothman Prophecies, is getting the story of Idris Cold. People also saw strange lights and talked to 'men in black'. How much of this is connected to this cryptid? We may never know. These last ones definitely could be government related though.

I'll say that this is one of the earlier Breedlove docs and it's good to see this was well-made. The technology for doing re-enactments isn't as good. There is still charm here. I do love that he does what he can instead of just seeing these people who are interviewed. He tries to bring to life what they're saying to add excitement. This looks like his 3rd documentary that he made chronologically and it still looks good. The professional was there even early into making these.

I will then just end this out by saying that if you're interested in the Mothman of Point Pleasant, this is a good one to start with. We are getting less investigation into it and more just presenting facts as well as retelling stories. I do think this would be a good companion to ones that probably go more in-depth for sure.

My Rating: 6.5 out of 10.

Mr.Breedlove and the Small Town Monsters crew are at the helm and charting some strange waters in this documentary. This really is a crypto creature masterpiece that explores the series of odd events occurring in 1960's West Virginia. The exceptional cinematography, soundtrack and direction captures the narratives mood and Appalachian landscape. The animated accounts of the witness's perspective add another creepy layer of authenticity to the Mothman lore. So lower the lights, turn up the audio and get lost in this mystery.

If you are the sort of person who believes that various cryptozoological creatures exist, such as Sasquatch or the Loch Ness Monster, then "The Mothman of Point Pleasant" will be a very different experience compared to that of a skeptic, like me. So, as you read my review, please keep this in mind...I already had a mindset that the whole thing is a hoax. I remember various stories in the Washington, DC area as I grew up in the 1960s of similar stories, such as the Bunnyman, UFOs and the Goatman. It was a popular period for cryptids.

The film is a historical documentary about the town of Point Pleasant, West Virginia and their Mothman story. Using a creepy-voiced narrator and equally creepy music and sound effects, the story interviews many locals as well as showing film clips and photos all related to the Mothman. Whether you believe all this or not, the quality of the production is quite good...better than I would have expected for such a topic. And, it didn't draw a lot of conclusions and just let folks talk...which was an excellent decision.



By the way, today the town of Point Pleasant embraces the whole Mothman story. In September, they have a Mothman Festival--complete with costumes, rides and a parade. They also erected a Mothman statue some time ago!