The Mothman of Point Pleasant (2017)

Last night, I had the chance to review the Boggy Creek Monster, a documentary based on the legend/movie that left a lasting impression on me and I loved it. Today, I have the opportunity to review a screener for the next documentary from Seth Breedlove and Small Town Monsters, 2017s The Mothman of Point Pleasant.

Plot/ Have you heard of the Mothman, the urban legend that seemed to be a harbinger of doom for the small town of Point Pleasant, WV in the mid-60’s? If not, producer/director Seth Breedlove and Small Town Monsters will explore the history of Point Pleasant and the 13-month period of odd occurrences that left a devastating imprint on this small Appalachian town.

While I am familiar with the Mothman and have done some research into the subject, I will be the first to admit that I do not have the same knowledge and understanding of the topic as I do with cryptids such as Bigfoot or the Jersey Devil. That all changed as I watched this documentary. Following a similar formula to the Boggy Creek Monster, the movie sets out to explore the historic profile of Point Pleasant as well as revisiting the mysterious happenings surrounding the Mothman and the potentially cursed town. This material is tremendous and provides a great background for investigators and viewers to dive into.

With this being the second film I have watched from Small Town Monsters, I can see a consistency with the production values that make their documentaries an easy and entertaining watch. The interviews are well done, the cinematography is outstanding, and the overall feel of the material makes you want to see more. One thing that jumped out was the use of CGI reenactments to marry some of the interviews together; this technique offers a great visual representation that allows the interviews sink in. More importantly with this entry, the material seems to flow in a logical manner and provides some insights and reports that are often overlooked when the story is told; this is impressive considering the short run time (72 minutes). As with every movie, there are some small technical issues with the CGI, but that is clearly budget related and is easily overlooked.

For me, possibly because of my knowledge level on the subject, I found this one much more informative than the Boggy Creek Monster, and a movie that created a timeline that I could use to base my own research into the subject on. In the end, this exploration of the legendary Mothman is one of the best documentaries on the subject I have seen and is an entry that anyone interested in Cryptozoology or urban legends must watch. Check it out when it is released on DVD and streaming platforms on June 2, 2017.