Horror legend Jeffrey Combs (Re-Animator, From Beyond) is set to star in Mystery of the Mothman, a cryptid creature feature selected for this year’s Frontières Co-Production Market in Montreal.
Per Variety, Mystery of the Mothman is the feature debut of Canadian director Austin Birtch, and explores the legend of the Mothman, tied to a wave of late-1960s sightings in New Jersey of a human-sized, birdlike creature with glowing red eyes.
Lauren Andrews and Sydney Lloyd produce. The Void and Psycho Goreman director and FX wizard Steven Kostanski executive produces.
Speaking to Variety, Birtch spoke more about the inspiration behind Mystery of the Mothman, as well as teasing what audiences can expect from the new take on the legendary creature:
“The Mothman legend is a unique fixture of North American folklore that has always felt ripe for adaptation […] The original story of a town plagued with tragedy, a shadowy red-eyed, winged monster haunting the skies, bizarre Men in Black threatening UFO witnesses, and a telepathic alien calling himself Indrid Cold has always captivated my imagination. What really happened in Point Pleasant in 1967?!
While I want to honor that mythology, my approach to the material is as a creature-feature horror film with practical effects akin to early Carpenter or Spielberg […] I think audiences are going to love seeing this throwback creature feature that honors a familiar legend with a fresh spin – especially as audiences show renewed appreciation for practical effects and character-driven storytelling.”
Birtch also reveals that Combs plays the character of Adam Lubin, is the only paranormal investigator left in Point Pleasant in the wake of the Silver Bridge collapse, and is “the anchor of the Mothman folklore in the film, tying the narrative to the legend’s origins.
Mothman has had a few cinematic outings in the past, most famously in 2002's The Mothman Prophecies, found footage horror The Point Pleasant Tapes and YouTube documentary series Hellier.
Look out for more on Mystery of the Mothman as updates creep in.
