13 Days of Halloween – Horror Documentary Review: The Mothman Legacy (2020)

Written and directed by Seth Breedlove, The Mothman Legacy is a documentary about the infamous urban legend. What legend is that? Only the Mothman of Point Pleasant. A legend that rose to public prominence when the author John Keel wrote about it in his 1975 book, The Mothman Prophecies. A book that was later adapted into a successful film of the same name starring Richard Gere.

We’ve had our fair share of Mothman related horror and a lot of it bad. Those films often taking the central Mothman figure and making it a malevolent being.

What is far more interesting and scary is the idea that it, the Mothman, serves as a prophet or herald of bad things to come. A bit of detail that we only became aware of through this documentary.

So, the Mothman is said to be a man-sized creature that looks like a bird with an enormous wingspan and able to move at incredible speeds. It was sighted between November 1966 and December 1967 and covered in the press, first locally and then nationally.

In 1970, paranormal writer Gray Barker linked the Mothman to the collapse of The Silver Bridge in Point Pleasant. An event that cost the lives of 46 people in December 1967. Something John Keel would also later do with his book, The Mothman Prophecies.

Over the decades since, there have been numerous unsubstantiated sightings all over the world that reportedly coincided with a devastating event.

This idea, that the Mothman appears leading up to a tragedy, is truly a side to the story that makes the blood run cold. It’s also something that is explored throughout this interesting documentary. As well as conversations with witnesses who have claimed to have seen the creature and those who live within the Point Pleasant area.

However, for all its detail, this is not a documentary looking to prove or debunk the legend. Instead, it’s almost like a celebration of the Mothman. Residents of Point Pleasant are proud of their slice of infamy. To the point where they have a yearly festival dedicated to the Mothman and the town houses the world’s only Mothman museum. Why would you look to debunk something that brings in tourists?

It’s an interesting documentary where a lot can be learned about the Mothman and it’s kept entertaining by being concise. It’s not too long, nor is it to dry but most of all, it makes the legend so much more compelling!