Prophecy (1979)    Paramount/Horror-Sci-Fi    RT: 102 minutes    Rated PG (violence, terror, some language, thematic elements)    Director: John Frankenheimer    Screenplay: David Seltzer    Music: Leonard Rosenman    Cinematography: Harry Stradling Jr.    Release date: June 15, 1979 (US)    Cast: Talia Shire, Robert Foxworth, Armand Assante, Richard Dysart, Victoria Racimo, George Clutesi, Tom McFadden, Evans Evans, Burke Byrnes, Mia Bendixsen, Johnny Timko, Everett L. Creach, Charles H. Gray, Lyvingston Holmes, Graham Jarvis.    Box Office: $18.3M (US)

Rating: ***

 Prophecy came at the tail end of the cycle of “nature strikes back” horror movies popular with thrill-seeking audiences of the latter half of the 70s. It joins such esteemed company as Frogs, The Food of the Gods and Day of the Animals. What sets it apart from the pack is the talent behind the camera, director John Frankenheimer (The Manchurian Candidate) and writer David Seltzer (Damien: Omen II). It doesn’t, however, elevate it any higher than its B-movie siblings.

 Idealistic Dr. Robert Verne (Foxworth, Damien: Omen II) accepts a job from the EPA to write a report that will hopefully resolve a dispute between a paper mill and a Native American tribe near the Androscoggin River in Maine. People have gone missing in the woods and it’s being blamed on the “Opies” (short for “Original People”) trying to stop the mill’s logging operation. Verne goes to study the situation with his concert cellist wife Maggie (Shire, Rocky). What he finds when he gets there is troubling to say the least.

 The Opies, represented by activist John Hawks (Assante, Private Benjamin), believe that all the bizarre goings-on are the work of a vengeful forest spirit named “Katahdin”. Verne isn’t so sure. He’s convinced it’s all connected to the mill. The owner Isley (Dysart, The Thing) swears he’s following every safety protocol, but we know that’s a bunch of BS. Verne soon figures out he’s using mercury as a fungicide for the logs. Clearly, it’s contaminated the water. That would explain all the freaks of nature in the area (e.g. tadpoles the size of a bullfrog) and birth defects among the Opies. He’s determined to put a stop to it when…. you know what, let me circle back to that in a moment.

 For a while, it looks like Prophecy is going somewhere with its subplots about the dispute and Maggie’s pregnancy. She’s trying to find a way to break the news to her husband who’s made it clear he doesn’t want children. Of course, there’s the cover-up at the mill uncovered by Verne. Also, the treatment of Native Americans by the US government is brought up on several occasions. I kept waiting for Marlon Brando to weigh in at some point. I was curious to see how Frankenheimer would bring it all together. He doesn’t. Once the monster shows up, everything else is dropped and forgotten. That’s when Prophecy becomes a routine horror movie in which the principal characters are chased through the woods by a horrific being of some sort. In this case, it’s a giant mutant killer bear.

 Obviously, I’m disappointed by Frankenheimer’s lack of follow-through regarding the subplots. None of them are sufficiently resolved. Once the immediate danger is eliminated, the movie ends but not before one final shock moment. It’s something of a letdown from a master filmmaker whose credits also include Birdman of Alcatraz, Seven Days in May, Black Sunday, 52 Pick-Up and Ronin. Frankenheimer himself admitted he was in the throes of alcoholism when he made Prophecy. It’s strange, but he’s still pretty good even when he’s not at his best. While not a great film, it’s a decent monster movie. That bear is freaky! Admittedly, I would have loved to see what Seltzer originally had in mind. It was supposed to be a hideous mix of different kinds of animals in different stages of evolution. At the director’s insistence, it was toned down to look more like a bear. I like the giant mutant killer bear; it’s the perfect mix of cheesy and cool. It would have been cooler to go with Seltzer’s vision.

 Prophecy has a strong cast of talented actors. Unfortunately, the screenplay lets them down with its one-dimensional characterizations. There’s not a lot of depth to their characters, especially the activist played by Victoria Racimo (Ernest Goes to Camp). The only thing we know about her, other than her strong views, is that she has a grandfather (Clutesi, Nightwing) who follows the old ways. A few other random- i.e. expendable- characters show up for the third act, but we know they’re just lambs lined up for the slaughter. Actually, that statement applies to everybody by the wild third act.

 There are a few cool scenes in Prophecy like the infamous exploding sleeping bag after the creature hurls it against a boulder. There’s a young boy in it at the time. The monster attacks are also cool. The creature effects are fairly decent in their cheesiness. I had a good time watching Prophecy. I didn’t get to see it at the movies (thanks a lot, Mom and Dad!), but I did read the novelization. I’ve watched it a few times over the years and it always makes me feel like an 11YO secretly feasting on forbidden cinematic fruit. Is it scary? No, not at all. Is it fun? You bet your ass it is! It may be deeply flawed, but I’ll take it over most of today’s weak horror movies.