Prophecy

release year: 1979
genre: eco-horror
viewing setting: home DVD, 4/30/05 and 9/1/02

synopsis: In the wilderness of Maine, things are weird: fish grow to enormous size, Indians' babies are born deformed, and someone's covering up something. And, oh yeah, something big and savage is roaming the woods, killing people.

impressions: This starts out as a drama, telling us about how the Indians have gotten screwed over by the government (I'm not making fun of this - actually, I recognize it, and it sickens me.) Anyhow, the basic deal is that the paper mill is using chemicals that, if ingested, cause mutations. Case in point: the huge, mutated bear that drives the wild, bloody second half of the movie. There are some spooky moments, and some funny ones, but all in all, this is your basic monster movie with an ecological twist.

things to watch for: The scene where the monster attacks the family as they sleep.

acting: Talia Shire (yes, Adrian) plays a fairly typical woman in danger. Armand Assante, in an early role, does a pretty good job as the unofficial leader of the Indians.

final word: Watchable, but no classic; standard horror fare.

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