The Mothman Prophecies

This messy but eerie paranormal thriller from director Mark Pellington (Arlington Road) was “inspired” by real-life events. Richard Gere stars as Washington Post reporter John Klein, whose wife crashes their car after being distracted by a large, winged phenomenon. Under odd circumstances, John later discovers that the people in Point Pleasant, West Virginia, also claim to have seen the creepy creature. He investigates with the help of a local cop (played by Laura Linney, Gere’s co-star in Primal Fear) in a story that offers more tone than answers but generally entertains. With appearances by Alan Bates as a paranormal expert and Will Patton as a spooked Appalachian.