Finding a decent horror/thriller movie would seem like an easy task these days considering the plethora of titles that are out there. The horror genre has exploded over the last decade and Hollywood has made no apologies for giving us ever title they can possibly muster to produce, all in the hopes that they have the next "Saw" or "Blair Witch Project" on their hands.

One film that just came out recently was "The Fourth Kind." The film stars Mila Jolavich and deals with the subject of alien abductions in the small town of Nome Alaska. While the trailer and overall setup of the film seems promising at first, it ends up being a faux viral media campaign that's poorly executed.

When I first caught the trailer to "The Fourth Kind," the imagery it contained reminded me instantly of one of my favorite films, "The Mothman Prophecies." The film was originally released in January of 2002 to mixed reviews, which only led to it sputtering at the box office (probably due to its post-Christmas release). It would’ve been the perfect film for a fall release when everything is cold and grey outside and the nights are getting darker. This film still sits with me today, for some strange reason.

It stars Richard Gere as John Klein, a reporter for the Washington Post who after losing his wife in a mysterious accident ends up in the small town of Point Pleasant, West Virginia. While trying to ask for help late one night, Klein runs into a local resident named Gordon Smallwood (Will Patton) who is utterly paranoid and insists Klein has something to do with his sightings of a moth-like character outside his house. When local officer Connie Mills(Laura Linney) arrives on the scene, she informs Klein of the unusual sightings that have besieged the residents of the town. As Klein investigates each sighting, he slowly becomes more consumed by these tales to the point of becoming a target himself. He eventually believes this entity, the Mothman, might have been responsible for his wife’s death two years earlier, and in any event, he is determined to find out.

The film is directed by Mark Pellington, whose previous film, "Arlington Road," was one of the better thrillers of 1999. The true genius of this film lies in the score and cinematography. I have never seen a film that gives me the chills because of what I’m seeing and hearing on screen like "Mothman" does time and again.

Fred Murphy’s cinematography was absolutely pitch perfect from descending crane/helicopter shots, to an excellent hidden scene that you need to watch closely to catch. (Hint: Richard Gere is making tea, talking on the phone). Murphy seems to always put the camera in the creepiest spot possible, which only adds to the overall effect. Tomandandy’s dark musical score complements the proceedings with their unique talents, giving us cold, haunting sounds that seem unnatural or even inhuman. The two seem to nail the tone of this movie so well its as if they were meant to score it.

The events that happen in "The Mothman Prophecies" were taken from certain real life accounts found in the book of the same name. Although the movie takes place in a present-day setting (it was the 1960’s in the book), Pellington still captures the unknown better than most directors do these days.

"The Mothman Prophecies" is a truly scary piece of work that draws you in early and keeps giving you goosebumps to the very end. It's a perfect movie for a Saturday night scare.