Prophecy (1979)

Director:

John Frankenheimer

Writer:

David Seltzer (writer)

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 | Poison | Axe | Wildlife | Forest

Cast

Talia Shire	...	Maggie Verne
Robert Foxworth	...	Dr. Robert Verne
Armand Assante	...	John Hawks
Richard Dysart	...	Isley
Victoria Racimo	...	Ramona Hawks
George Clutesi	...	M' Rai
Burke Byrnes	...	Father
Tom McFadden	...	Pilot
Evans Evans	...	Cellist
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	...	Vic Shusette

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:

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

Filming Locations:

Crofton, North Cowichan, British Columbia, Canada

Company:

Paramount Pictures

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.

Goofs:

Revealing mistakes: Obvious dummy for M'Rai when he is killed and thrown by the bear.

Quotes:

Isley: All that's left is in baskets.
[the bodies of the campers were dismembered and Isley and his workers come to the Indian village going after John Hawks thinking he had something to do with it]

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.