Visitors From Space: The Astonishing True Story Of The Mothman Prophecies

The Mothman Prophecies is a ’75 book by John A. Keel & an ’02 movie of the same name. Its subject matter mostly concerns events in Point Pleasant, WV, during ’66/7, focusing on sightings of a creature dubbed Mothman. It includes theories about UFOs, aliens, Men in Black, angels, demons, mutants, ghosts & other paranormal phenomena, as well as the 12/15/67 collapse of the Silver Bridge across the Ohio River from Pt Pleasant to Gallipolis, OH. It also deals with strange occurences around the time that Mothman was sighted, such as odd phone calls, disasters & mutilated pets. Keel claims that Mothman caused these events.
The book involves Keel as a journalist, direct observer of some events & also presents some fragments of memoir. It’s been seen as an innovative work of creative nonfiction. The writing style combines reportage & understated humor with fragments of the vivid cinematic approach used by Capote in In Cold Blood.
The Mothman Prophecies raises issues with creative nonfiction, as Keel’s main thesis suggests paranormal phenomena are engaging in elusive communication & it may be easier to appreciate the essence of this communication than make literal sense of it: “Once you have established a belief, the phenomenon adjusts its manifestations to support that belief & thereby escalate it.” (p. 11) “I have come to realize that we have been observing complex forces which have always been an essential part of our environment.” (p.55).