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The Mothman Prophecies (2002)
The Mothman Prophecies (2002) poster
Letterboxd

The Mothman Prophecies (2002)

Drama, Horror, Mystery • 1h 59m

Director: Mark Pellington

Letterboxd
IMDbThe Movie Database (TMDB)

UK 88 Films 4K Blu-ray

Best English-friendly, video & audio release · updated 10 days ago

Video notes:

88 Films is FiM encoded

Germany Filmjuwelen 4K Blu-ray is disappointing with AI upscaling

UHD tiers

Excellent
88 Films:

FiM encoded

Worse Than BD
Filmjuwelen:

AI upscaling

Overview

Reporter John Klein is plunged into a world of impossible terror when fate draws him to the sleepy West Virginia town of Point Pleasant, whose residents are being visited by a great winged shape that sows hideous nightmares and fevered visions.

Release details

Featured Lists
AI Restorations Name and Shame

Filmjuwelen: AI upscaling

Length
119 mins
Type
Movie

Featured in AI Restorations Name and Shame

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Director: John Ford

Best English-Friendly & Video:

Warner Archive Blu-ray

Sources: ibb.co (opens in a new tab)

Video Notes:

Warner Archive Blu-ray is 4K restoration from nitrate projection elements

Germany Filmjuwelen Blu-ray is AI upscaled https://ibb.co/album/mCJ7RQ

Director: Robert Flaherty

Video format: HD Streaming

Best English-Friendly & Video:

Internet Archive Streaming https://archive.org/details/twentyfourdollar-island_1928

Sources: archive.org (opens in a new tab) · slow.pics (opens in a new tab)

Video Notes:

Kino Lorber Silent Avant-Garde Blu-ray is even though a much better restoration, has the worst AI upscaling I've ever seen, it's almost like a cartoon https://slow.pics/c/dFdgCFgn?image-fit=contain

I would instead recommend the blurry, compressed, and cropped internet archive Streaming version https://archive.org/details/twentyfourdollar-island_1928

Director: James Cameron

4K · Disappointing
Best English-Friendly & Video:

Fox Blu-ray

Sources: movie-censorship.com (opens in a new tab)

Video Notes:

Fox Blu-ray for original cuts without the extra scene added in the re-release and AI upscaling

Newer Blu-ray/4K has the extra scene, but is poor and has excessive AI upscaling

Additional Info:

An additional scene was added to the ending of the movie in the 2022 re-release: https://www.movie-censorship.com/report.php?ID=493908

Director: David Lynch

Director: James Cameron

4K · Worse Than BD
Best English-Friendly:

2013 MGM Blu-ray, or 4K Blu-ray if you MUST have the mono mix, 1997 Image DVD/2001 MGM DVD for a purist version with original colors and the international mono mix

Sources: vimeo.com (opens in a new tab) · facebook.com (opens in a new tab)

Upcoming Release:

Capelight 4K Steelbook and Mediabook announced for 2026

Best Video:

2013 MGM Blu-ray for non AI transfer, 1997 Image DVD/2001 MGM DVD for a purist version with original colors and the international mono mix

Best Audio:

1991 Image Entertainment LaserDisc for the US mono mix, 2001 MGM DVD for the International mono mix

Audio Notes:

Comparison between the US and International mixes: https://vimeo.com/246332731

Additional Info:

The 4K Blu-Ray and the 2001 MGM DVD have exclusive extras.

TV series

Best English-Friendly & Video:

2006 UK DVD/2012 Australia DVD

Video Notes:
  • Recent Streaming versions (All 4 and Peacock) are AI upscaled

  • Peacock also removes the original ad break slides

  • The interviews and opening introductions also aren't de-interlaced properly into PAL 50fps

Director: Lam Nai-choi

4K · Solid
Best English-Friendly & Video:

UK 88 Films 4K Blu-ray

Sources: Blu-ray.com (opens in a new tab) · slow.pics (opens in a new tab)

Video Notes:

UK 88 Films 4K Blu-ray See caps


DE Nameless 4K Blu-ray is an extremely poor AI upscale. See caps

Best Audio:

UK 88 Films Blu-ray

Director: Joe Alves

4K · Worse Than BD
Best English-Friendly & Video:

2D version: 2016 Universal Blu-ray

3D version: Universal 3D Blu-ray

Sources: fanrestore.com (opens in a new tab)

Video Notes:

(caveat: 3D Blu-ray has misaligned eyes)

Nick_M's 3D version is better than Universal 3D Blu-ray

Director: James Cameron

4K · Worse Than BD
Best English-Friendly & Video:

Paramount/Fox Blu-ray
3D Blu-ray for the IMAX/Open Matte version

35mm scan for original theatrical cut

Video Notes:

4K Blu-ray is AI upscaled

Best Audio:

Cinema DTS

Additional Info:

The 4K Blu-ray bonus disc, the 2012 Blu-ray bonus disc, and the 2005 3 disc DVD have exclusive extras.

Director: Jack Sholder

4K · Worse Than BD
Best English-Friendly & Video:

Germany Explosive Media or France ESC Blu-ray?

Video Notes:

Spain Resen Blu-ray is a bootleg

Germany Hanselab 4K Blu-ray is disappointing with AI upscaling

More from 88 Films

See more →

Director: Iain Softley

4K · Excellent
Best English-Friendly & Video:

Capelight Germany 4K Blu-ray

Sources: slow.pics (opens in a new tab)

Video Notes:

Both 88 Films and Germany Capelight are superior to the Shout! Factory in HDR10 but their FEL layer may even things out. Objectively, the Capelight looks best as they avoided the chroma blocking that’s visible in 88’s disc but they in turn included an Atmos mix. I have the Shout! Factory, love how it looks and the 4K transfer is spectacular. https://slow.pics/c/vPmFQSAH

Best Audio:

88 Films 4K Blu-ray

Additional Info:

Shout! Factory has the exclusive The Beauty of the Baud and the You Can't Stop Us All featurettes.

Director: Michael Mann

Best English-Friendly:

88 Films UK Blu-ray

Upcoming Release:

Shout! Factory 4K Blu-ray  in December

Best Video:

88 Films UK Blu-ray for both cuts 

Best Audio:

88 Films Blu-ray

Audio Notes:

88 Films Blu-ray is missing Michael Mann commentary for the DC found on other BDs

Director: James Wong

Best English-Friendly & Video:

UK 88 Films Blu-ray

Additional Info:

Commentary: 88 Films is at a very low volume level. The other BDs like the Sony do not have this problem.

Director: Gary Goddard

4K · Excellent
Best English-Friendly & Video:

US Toy Robot 4K Blu-ray

Upcoming Release:

UK 88 Films 4K Blu-ray in November encoded by FiM

Director: Deran Sarafian

4K · Disappointing
Best English-Friendly & Video:

MVD 4K Blu-ray

Sources: Blu-ray.com (opens in a new tab)

Upcoming Release:

88 Films Blu-ray in November

Video Notes:

MVD 4K Blu-ray beautiful remaster but with frame rate skips (encoding error)

Directors: Brian Taylor & Mark Neveldine

Best English-Friendly & Video:

Lionsgate 4K Blu-ray

Upcoming Release:

UK 88 Films 4K Blu-ray in November

Director: Bernardo Bertolucci

4K · Excellent
Best English-Friendly & Video:

88 Films 4K Blu-ray 

Video Notes:

> Vinegar Syndrome

Best Audio:

2011 MGM Blu-ray/1998 MGM DVD

Additional Info:

88 Films and Vinegar Syndrome have different extras

Director: Charles Band

4K · Worse Than BD
Best English-Friendly & Video:

Full Moon Features Blu-ray or 88 Films Blu-ray

Video Notes:

Full Moon Features Blu-ray or 88 Films Blu-ray is better than 4K Blu-ray, which is poorly encoded

Director: Roger Donaldson

4K · Solid
Best English-Friendly & Video:

88 Films & Scream Factory 4K Blu-ray

Upcoming Release:

Imprint 4K Blu-ray scheduled for August 2026 release

Video Notes:

(88 Films is FiM encoded)

Additional Info:

88 Films and Scream Factory have exclusive extras

Director: Stanley Kwan Kam-Pang

Best English-Friendly:

Pick your poison: USA Film Movement Blu-ray (two scenes cut / censored & slight Ritrovata yellow tint) or UK 88 Films Blu-ray (DNR)

Sources: Blu-ray.com (opens in a new tab)

Best Video:

Pick your poison: USA Film Movement Blu-ray (two scenes cut / censored & slight Ritrovata yellow tint) or UK 88 Films Blu-ray (DNR). nic’s review

More Drama on Blu-ray

Director: Michael Mann

4K · Excellent
Best English-Friendly & Video:

Arrow 4K Blu-ray

Sources: Criterion Forum (opens in a new tab) · thedigitalbits.com (opens in a new tab) · slow.pics (opens in a new tab)

Video Notes:

Arrow 4K Blu-ray is encoded by FiM and is better than Criterion, see caps https://slow.pics/c/Z2RRQAAT

Criterion 4K Blu-ray vs Blu-ray: caps colors are more different and nuanced than anticipated even in the SDR-converted caps and the usual gain in highlight detail is also apparent. Encode looks excellent except for the brightest areas as usual.

Best Audio:

5.1/5.0 mix (essentially a 4-track mix in 5.1 and 5.0 containers respectively)-Arrow/Criterion 4K Blu-ray. Only imperceptible differences in bit-depth: 20 vs 24. 

2.0 mix- Arrow 4K Blu-ray (original stereo)

Additional Info:

Arrow and Criterion 4K Blu-rays have differing extras 

Criterion has FEL Dolby Vision, Arrow has MEL

Arrow Limited Edition includes the Theatrical Cut Blu-ray from an older HD master, most likely from a 2K scan of an interpositive.

Directors: Ethan Coen & Joel Coen

Video format: UHD Blu-ray

Best English-Friendly & Video:

UK StudioCanal UHD

Sources: Criterion Forum (opens in a new tab)

Director: Nicolas Winding Refn

Video format: 1080p Blu-ray

Best English-Friendly:

US Magnolia BD

Audio Notes:

UK Entertainment One release contains directors commentary track

Director: Simon Wells

Video format: 1080p Blu-ray

Best Audio:

Dolby Stereo: THX Certified Laserdisc

Director: Samuel Fuller

Video format: 1080p Blu-ray

Best English-Friendly & Video:

Criterion Blu-Ray

Sources: Criterion Forum (opens in a new tab)

Director: Steve De Jarnatt

Best English-Friendly & Video:

2024 Kino Lorber Blu-ray

Upcoming Release:

UK Transmission 4K Blu-ray in January 2027

Best Audio:

Either the 2015 Kino Lorber Blu-ray or the Arrow Blu-ray

Audio Notes:

The 2024 Kino Lorber Blu-ray is botched.

Director: Maurice Tourneur

Video format: 1080p Blu-ray

Upcoming Release:

VCI Blu-ray Dec 15th

Director: James Kirkwood

Video format: 1080p Blu-ray

Upcoming Release:

VCI Blu-ray Dec 15th

Director: Joel Coen

4K · Disappointing
Best English-Friendly & Video:

Director's Cut: Disappointing UK StudioCanal/US Criterion 4K Blu-ray
Theatrical Cut: LaserDisc or 2001 UK Universal DVD

Sources: Blu-ray.com (opens in a new tab)

Video Notes:

https://forum.blu-ray.com/showthread.php?p=21782879#post21782879 - comparison. StudioCanal is a massive improvement to the Criterion but still flawed in some areas (chroma noise)

Director: Liliana Cavani

4K · Solid

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Researched and maintained by

tyyuxvanshadyAdamA

· last reviewed 10 days ago

Every recommendation follows the same method — how these calls are made.