The Prophecy

Infobox_Film
name = The Prophecy


caption = Theatrical release poster
director = Gregory Widen
producer = Joel Soisson
writer = Gregory Widen
starring = Elias Koteas Virginia Madsen Christopher Walken Eric Stoltz Viggo Mortensen
music = David C. Williams
cinematography = Richard Clabaugh, Bruce Douglas Johnson
editing = Sonny Baskin
distributor = Dimension Films
released = September 1, 1995
runtime = 98 min.
country = USA
language = English
budget = $8,000,000 (estimated)
followed_by = "The Prophecy II" (1998)
amg_id = 1:134878
imdb_id = 0114194|

"The Prophecy", released in Europe as "God's Army" is a 1995 horror film starring Elias Koteas, Virginia Madsen, Christopher Walken, Eric Stoltz, and Viggo Mortensen. It was written and directed by Gregory Widen, and was followed by four sequels. The film tells the story of the Archangel Gabriel and his search for an evil soul on Earth, and a police detective who unknowingly becomes caught in the middle of an angelic war.

Plot

The film opens with a brief prologue in a desert where Simon, an angel, stands over the skeleton of another angel. In voiceover, he reveals that a war has broken out in Heaven and the angelic host is divided, much like in the first angelic war in which Satan was cast out of heaven. The introduction of Thomas Daggett follows, as he is about to be ordained as a priest of the Roman Catholic Church, but is stricken by horrific visions of angels engaging in war against each other. Several years later, Thomas, having lost his faith and abandoned the church, is now a detective with the LAPD.

Arriving at his apartment, Thomas is startled to see Simon perched atop a chair like a bird, reading a Bible. After Thomas demands to know who he is, Simon tells him that he was with him the day he lost his faith and he knows what he was shown through the visions. Following a brief conversation about faith, Simon leaves Thomas, and Thomas does not know what to make of Simon's presence or claims.

That evening, another angel falls to Earth somewhere within the city. Assuming human form, he locates a scent (presumably Simon's) and waits all night beneath an apartment window. When Simon arrives at the apartment the next day, the angel attacks, leaping up several stories through the window. A bloody battle ensues, with Simon sustaining a serious wound and almost having his heart ripped out. After disabling the angel and removing his sunglasses to reveal empty, pitch-black eye sockets, Simon tosses his attacker back into the alley below. After crashing onto a parked car, the angel is smashed into a nearby wall by a moving car. After seeing his foe slain, Simon leaves the apartment.

Hours later, Thomas arrives at the crime scene. After examining the angel's body, he ventures up to the apartment where he finds a local newspaper from Chimney Rock, Arizona, with an obituary for Colonel Arnold Hawthorne circled. Thomas also finds a copy of "A Thesis On Angels In Religious Scripture", a book he wrote while studying for the seminary. He is unable to explain why a copy of his book is at the crime scene.

Simon, near death from his wound, makes his way to Chimney Rock where he believes the dark soul he has been looking for resides in the recently deceased Colonel Hawthorne, a decorated Korean War veteran. While the local schoolchildren give a performance of "Ave Maria", he removes Hawthorne's soul from his corpse and takes refuge in an abandoned area of the local schoolhouse.

The next morning, Thomas visits the coroner's office to get the autopsy results on the mysterious corpse found in the alley. Joseph, the coroner, relates to Thomas his bizarre findings: a complete absence of optical fibers in his eye sockets, a lack of bone growth rings, both male and female sexual organs, and a blood chemistry matching that of an aborted fetus. Among the personal effects found on the body is an ancient, hand-written Bible. A symbol engraved on the inside cover matches a scar on the corpse's neck. Within the book is a velvet bookmark marking the twenty-third chapter of the Book of Revelation - a chapter which, according to Thomas, does not exist.

Thomas begins translating the twenty-third chapter and learns of a second war in Heaven over the lifting of man over all other creatures, including angels, some of whom could not accept this. He also translates the symbol on the inside cover, finding it stands for Uziel, lieutenant to the Archangel Gabriel who, unknown to Thomas, has arrived on Earth. Inspecting the taped-off crime scene, Gabriel learns that Simon was there.

Simon is soon discovered by Mary, a local schoolgirl, who promises not to tell anyone about him. Meanwhile, Gabriel sends Jerry, a man whom Gabriel, in his position as Angel of Death, prevented from dying when he committed suicide, to retrieve Simon's personal effects from the police property room. At the same time, Thomas learns the Bible he's been translating dates back to the 2nd century, making it the oldest Bible in existence. He relates to Joseph the translation of the twenty-third chapter, including a prophecy that a dark soul will be found on Earth, one who eats other souls, thus increasing its power. Before any more information can be found out about the dead angel, Gabriel destroys the body, immolating it with a gesture.

Back in Chimney Rock, Simon is discovered sitting and talking with Mary by Catherine, the schoolteacher. She sends Mary back to class and tells Simon she'll be calling the police. After she leaves, Mary returns and Simon, out of desperation, deposits into her Hawthorne's soul. Mary immediately falls ill and is taken home by Catherine.

After finding the immolated body of Uziel, Thomas decides to go to Chimney Rock, as does Gabriel, accompanied by Jerry, after finding Hawthorne's obituary among Simon's possessions. Just outside of Chimney Rock, Gabriel smells a graveyard and commands Jerry to pull the car over. They locate Hawthorne's body but to Gabriel's dismay, his soul isn't there. Gabriel locates Simon by scent and confronts him at the school, but Simon refuses to tell him where he hid the soul. Gabriel reveals his disgust for humans (which he refers to as talking monkeys) and that Hawthorne's soul will end the stalemate, tipping the balance to whichever side possesses it. Simon chastises Gabriel for going against the word of God, and finally Gabriel kills Simon by setting him aflame and ripping his heart from his chest.

Mary begins showing signs of being possessed by Hawthorne's soul, drawing gruesome depictions of war. Meanwhile, Thomas arrives in Chimney Rock, examines Simon's remains, and questions Catherine. He then investigates Hawthorne's home and finds evidence of a court martial in which Hawthorne was accused of a number of war crimes, including cannibalism (when he opens a box belonging to Hawthorne, there are a number of human faces within). Afterwards, Thomas goes to a church to reflect and is shaken by a confrontation with Gabriel.

Catherine arrives at school the next day to find Gabriel questioning the children. He leaves, and she rushes to Mary's home to find Thomas there. It is clear that Mary's condition is worsening. Catherine takes Thomas to an abandoned mine where she saw Gabriel's car parked. Inside, they find angelic script written on the walls and they experience a vision of a battlefield strewn with dead angels impaled on stakes. Thomas and Catherine rush back to Mary's home to find Gabriel there with her, attempting to extract the soul. A struggle ensues, and Thomas kills Jerry. Gabriel is rendered unconscious by an explosion and is taken into custody, but easily escapes. Catherine takes Thomas and Mary to an Native American site where a ritual is to be performed to expel the dark soul from Mary. Gabriel finds another assistant, Rachael, as she dies in a hospital and heads towards the site.

That night, Catherine is confronted by Lucifer. Lucifer tells Catherine that since the creation of man, no soul has been allowed to enter Heaven due to the war waged by Gabriel. He knows that if Gabriel wins, Heaven will simply become another Hell and that is "one Hell too many." The next day, Lucifer appears to Thomas, taunting him by saying that every time Thomas (as a young boy) thought that the devil was under his bed, he actually was. He tells Thomas about the nature of Hell and then advises him to use Gabriel's own lack of faith as a weapon against him. Thomas takes this advice when Gabriel arrives and Thomas questions Gabriel about the angel's true motives for starting the war. Gabriel reveals that God no longer speaks to him, and attempts to disrupt the Native American ritual, but is stopped by Thomas who beats him with a tire iron.

As the ritual continues, Lucifer shows up and approaches Gabriel. He tells him the war is based on arrogance, which is evil, making it Lucifer's territory, not Gabriel's. Lucifer then rips Gabriel's heart out while at the same time Hawthorne's soul is expelled from Mary and destroyed, seemingly by God. Lucifer consumes Gabriel's heart, seemingly becoming intoxicated by it. He asks Thomas and Catherine to "come home" with him, but they refuse. Lucifer confronts Thomas (who has by now regained his faith) again, but Thomas challenges Lucifer in turn, calling him "angel." Lucifer leaves, but not before saying, "Leave the light on, Thomas." The film closes with Thomas commenting on the nature of faith and what it means to be human.

equels

"The Prophecy II"

"The Prophecy II" was released in 1998. Christopher Walken stars again as Gabriel, who returns to Earth to prevent the birth of a child born of an angel and a human woman, prophesied by Thomas Daggett, the police detective from the first film. The film also stars Eric Roberts and Brittany Murphy.

"The Prophecy 3: The Ascent"

In 2000, "The Prophecy 3: The Ascent" was released. Gabriel (played once more by Christopher Walken) has finally seen the error of his ways and attempts to guide Danyael, the child from the previous film who has now become a young man, to his destiny in preventing Pyriel, the Angel of Genocide, from overthrowing God and destroying all of mankind.

"The Prophecy: Uprising"

Released in 2005, "The Prophecy: Uprising" is the first film of the series to not star Christopher Walken and the first to be released directly to DVD without a theatrical release. In "Uprising", a woman named Allison has come into possession of the Lexicon, the apparent continuation of the Book of Revelations, which is completing itself during the time of this movie (and in the next one). Various angels work both with and against Allison to control her destiny, protect or own the book, and through them the fate of the entire world.

"The Prophecy: Forsaken"

Also released in 2005 straight to DVD, "The Prophecy: Forsaken" continues the story of "The Prophecy: Uprising". Allison has been charged with protecting the Lexicon, which is sought after by a group of angels who seek the identity of the Antichrist, which the Lexicon will eventually reveal.

Fan film

"Hellraiser: Prophecy" [http://www.hellraiserprophecy.com/hrp/ Hellraiser: Prophecy - A fan film by Jonathan S. Kui ] ] [ [http://www.newsday.com/entertainment/movies/ny-etlede5584101feb21,0,5017708.story?page=2 'Be Kind Rewind' spoofs trend of remaking movies] ] is a crossover fan film, combining the themes from "Hellraiser" and the "The Prophecy". This film was completed in March, 2006, and premiered on 24 March 2006 at "I-CON XXV". [ [http://www.iconsf.org/ I-CON 27 :: April 4-6, 2008 at Stony Brook University ] ] The total runtime is 22 minutes. Two teaser trailers are available at the official website. The film has been reviewed by the "Reel Horror Podcast", [http://media.libsyn.com/media/vidhack/reel_horror-ep11-03272006.mp3] and "The Horror Podcast". [http://www.allaboutmedia.co.uk/horror/hps02ep01_121006.mp3] The fan film was released on the Internet via YouTube in two parts.

References

External links

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