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Prophecy 1979

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Posted at 2020-07-26 00:46:31(226Wks ago) Report Permalink URL

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Welcome once again to the First Nighter's Theater Macabre

Your usual seat awaits you in the balcony section

Tonight's offering is from 1979 and takes place in the land of Paul Bunyan. In the deep woods of Maine...something is very wrong.
Something is stalking and hunting....people. The local Lumbar Mill blames the Indian's as drunks & just wanting to cause trouble.
The Native American's say it's Katahdin-a monster "larger than a dragon with the eyes of a cat"...sent to protect the forest.
Starring:
Robert Foxworth. Talia Shire,Armand Assante,Victoria Racimo, Richard Dysart, George Clutesi
movie poster

Time, night
Location, Deep woods

A three man SAR team with 2 tracker dogs are on a search mission. Suddenly the dogs take off. They have a scent and it's driving them wild.Pulling the handler in jerks, he realized too late they are at a cliff, and can't hit the release in time.One dog launches over the precipice.
The other is brought to heel at the cliffs edge. The dangling dog is pulled up slowly by 2 to the team...until the rope...snaps
But, there is no sound of the body striking the ground. Ropes are deployed and two descend the rock face into the Stygian blackness.
The third team member stays top side on belay with the reaming tracker hound.

He sees the ropes begin to whip about, then the screams. In a panic he begins to rapel down, but loses his grip on the
rope and lands on his back on rocky terrain. Dazed he looks around, and faces one of the other team members. Now just a bloody mess. A heavy sound approaching causes him to look around...and there is a final scream.
As dawn breaks, the scene shows one rescuer still on rope-but decapitated. The remains of a dog and the other two rescuers are shredded and lay in the gentle stream.

New York
A classical orchestra is playing for the upper crust. Maggie Verne is a cellist, but she is missing notes and cues. You see, she is pregnant and has yet to tell her husband. A physician and public health investigator, who believes there are too many unwanted children already.

An ambulance is running code passed a protest gathering in the park. It's a Native American rally in progress. The ambulance makes its way into the tenement slum district. Dr Robert Verne and medics have been called out. They find a distressed mother with a screaming baby that is covered in bites. Rat bites. The landlord has told the mother it's just chicken pox. She tells him of the rats in the building. Only reply she gets is "Rats gotta have a place to live too"

Dr Verne's boss Vic arrives, Verne tells him "You know I'll write a report that no one will read. I'll file a lawsuit against this landlord that will be settled out of court, the baby will spend a few days in the hospital just to come back here and be ate by rats'.
Vic tells him if he wants to make a real difference there is a job that EPA wants done in Maine. The Supreme Court has issued an injunction on both the BIA and Pitney Mills paper company over a land dispute. An EPA report will either side the the paper mill giving them unfrittered access, or it will side with the BIA and severely curtail what the paper mill
can and cannot do.
The Flight Up
Both of their eyes are drawn to the magnificent forest they overfly. Both agree they forgot the world could look like this. Then comes the river, nearly blocked by all the cut timber being routed down stream to the mill site.

As they arrive and are crossing the tarmac, they are greeted by a Father with his Son and Daughter-they are headed out to the river to camp out. The noise of rotor blades over head interrupts the meeting, and all see the chopper bearing a suspended dog underneath. Two yellow jeeps bearing the lumbar company logo pull up.
They are greeted by Bethel Isley, Plant Manager.

He has his men load up the baggage and Mrs. Verne's Chello. Questioning about the dog, Isley tells of a couple of
lumberjacks who went missing, a SAR team was sent in. But only the dog, which turned up at a Ranger's station is all that has been found. Isley tells him this particular forest isn't too safe these days. The OP's (his vernacular for Native Americans) claim it's Katahdin. A mythical creature kind of a cross between Bigfoot only uglier and big as a dragon with the eyes of a cat. Isley however is firmly entrenched that all the disappearances are due to the OP's and nothing else.
The Paper company has a cabin on the lake for the Verne's. But they have to go thru the forest to reach it.
The Drive
Following single lane logging roads, deeper and deeper into the forest until they arrive at a roadblock. It's members of the Tribe blocking the road.

The leader of the Tribe, John Hawks and his wife Ramona are told that the people in the jeeps are with the EPA and to clear the way. Hawks glances in at the Verne and declares that no vehicles of the lumber company can pass. Isley gets out and again tells Hawks to clear the way. At a hod of his head the natives split up to reveal they have a chain across the road. Isley turns to the follow vehicle, filled with lumberjacks and tells the foreman Kelso "Take down those two trees"
Kelso fires up the chainsaw, but Hawks' stands before the tree. He is handed and ax and a fight ensures between Kelso and Hawks. Ending with Hawks being knocked back over the chain and Kelso has the chainsaw at his throat.

Verne screams at all and finally Romona unlocks the chain and the jeeps proceed in. Isley comments on them as
"They get drunk, they're violent people. You gotta show em you mean business.'

The Cabin
on the shores is a perfect "off the grid" cabin with a small dock and boat. Maggie and Robert settle in the rustic cabin. Taking out the boat for a rare chance at fishing Verne hooks a more than decent size fish. Behind him a duck placidly paddles about...Until it is violently pulled under by something. As Verne is trying to net his fish, an absolutely huge fish breaks the water. It's the size of almost half the boat length.As Maggie cooks the fish she reminds him that this is
the land of Paul Bunyan. Outside a deer calmly walks, and John Hawks watches the cabin. Just out in the distance, something big is moving. And all animals begin to run away from the sound.
Maggie is trying to bring up the subject of her pregnancy, when a scuffling sound is heard on the porch.

Laying on the porch is a raccoon, spasming and twitching like it's having a seizure. It leaps at Verne and digs its claws into his leg. Back pedaling and doing an ass-over-teakettle over the couch, he manages to fling it off him. However it lands on Maggie. He grabs it off her and tosses it into a corner. Takes a canoe oar and manages to pin it against the wall breaking it's neck and tosses it into the fire.
The Dad & his kids
Hiking deeper into the woods the three run parallel to s stream. The daughter is playing her radio. Suddenly the Dad stops and peers across the stream to a group of trees.
He is not sure...does he see something? Telling the daughter to stop the radio, he looks intently and listens. He senses something is out there watching them. Finally shaking his head he tells the kids it wasn't anything and they head out. But across the stream, branches move and the sound of breathing....
Next day in town
Maggie watches a kayak event from the bridge as Verne is on the phone with his lab back in the city. He's sending tissue samples from the raccoon to them, as after his examination there is no sign of rabies. Heading back to Maggie he is called out by Hawks and Ramona. He tells Verne that his people and the environment are one. The reports of being drunk are false. His people stagger, have motor and memory difficulties. Ramona is a midwife and she tells of deformed births. Some so bad the babies were put down.
Hawks has convinced Verne that his report on the environment concerns the people who live there. The village lives near the water and they all eat fish. Maggie timidly approaches. Verne tells her that they want them to go with them, and he believes they should

Camp of tribal elder Hector M'Rai
This is Ramona's Grandfather. He lives in the old ways, and is teaching Ramona and Hawks the ways. the history and the legends. So that someone remembers.
Ramona reaches down and removes a cigarette from his hand, Verne notices 2nd degree burns between the fingers. The old man hadn't felt a thing.
Hector describes the forest as providing more food than any man could eat. He calls it the Garden of Eden, because as he says "everything here grows big. Real big'
He takes them back to a sacred place. There is a large pond that marries up with the Espee river. And in it lay

Ramona tells of growing up, that every tree, every rock had a story. Maggie brings up they had heard of one legend...Katahdin.
"He is no legend, he is real. And has awakened to protect us. He bears the marks of all God's creatures'. Verne questions the logs in the pond. Hector tells him they always come, twice a year. Then something breaks the waters surface....Hector directs Hawks to get a net and get what is our there. Verne slips past them and begins to frown at what he sees. Feeder roots of all the tress are bent up, they should be in the ground.

Hector points to what is in the net. "I told you things grow big here"

It's a tadpole, but the size of a bass. Hawks tells Verne that the pond feeds into the Espee river, which the logs are moved down to the paper mill. Verne is realizing that all these 'coincidences' lead right back to the mill.
Paper Mill Plant Inspection
Isley gives them a full tour. From the flumes, to the pulping process to giant spools of paper. Verne questions what chemicals are used...Isley says only two.
Both approved by the EPA. Major one being Chlorine...but nothing goes into the water shed.
The logs before they get here, are they held in ponds, are they soaked in any chemicals? Isley-somewhat evasively says no, that transport is handled by a contractor.
Verne gets testy and says "I don't believe you"

Isley now rears up "I supply what you demand! Now how many pages of this report? How many copies?"
You're responsible for whatever for whatever effluent goes out of this plant!"
"Well if there was anything it would squeeze out during the pulping process. And we test the water every 10 days. Go on and test the water, there isn't a damn thing out there that we don't know about"
On the way back to cabin
Trudging thru mud to get back into their boat, Maggie tells Verne she believes the plant manager.

Verne says what if it isn't in the water, because it's heavier than water. He points to a shiny silvery substance on her boot. "Touch it, is it wet?"
"No" she replies. He then tells her of a trick question in Medical School. What is the only liquid that isn't wet-Mercury

At the cabin - research time
Verne is recording as he reads about a form of mercury used in logging as it aided in deslime and algae formation. Then comes the Minimata, Japan history.
"Methyl Mercury was used from late 40's to mid-50's. Why? It was cheap. But the ingestion of mercury by algae/fish and then anyone who ate the fish was in danger. Because it causes mutagenic effects and crosses the placental barrier."
This is why the Natives are staggering around, dysfunctional. This is why Hector had no sensation of the burning, this is why a raccoon was acting the way during the attack.
How did he describe Katahdin? A part of all God's creatures...my God could it be?.Maggie has the slow realization now...How much fish would a pregnant animal have to eat?
Very little says Verne it concentrates in the DNA. It could arrest some stages while the rest grow. Maggie pale and trembling asks "How long before you know"
Verne still oblivious answers "A week, 10 days. We have to test the people first to be sure"
At the camp site of the Dad and kids
The fire is low now. Dad and his Sister asleep across from him. He zips himself up in his mummy bag. Heavy footsteps and a roar awaken the Sister and Dad. They are taken out quickly. The Son across the camp tries a pitiful attempt to flee

The Native Village
Verne, Maggie and Ramona are getting blood samples from the whole tribe.

When the Sheriff and Isley along with some lumberjacks show up. The Sheriff calls out a list of names to come forward, Hawks being one of them. Verne questions as to why and what's going on. Isley informs him of the murder of 3 campers last night near Mary's Bend, and all that is left of them is in baskets at the hospital. Hawks stands his ground and
Isley has Kelso try to take him. Hawks hits him in the mouth and runs thru a cabin and jumps out the back window. Isley tells the Sheriff they can get Hawks later and they proceed to arrest the others. Verne comes to Ramona and asks if she knows where this site is, she nods. He has her come with them because...
Chopper flight to murder site
With heavy weather closing in, Verne has rented a Chopper to take them to the scene of the Campers. The pilot tells them they have only about 10 mins ground time as the storm is getting heavier. Upon landing Verne and Ramona head out. Maggie stays behind, in what appears to be air sickness. In the camp is utter devastation. And trees around the camp have been raked and gouged, very deeply. Verne using a stick retrieves a piece of hair covered tissue from high up in one of the gouges. Ramaona examines it and says "it's not from a bear"

With the rain coming down harder, Hawks appears at the far side of the camp, and he looks at the tissue specimen. The pilot declares it too bad to lift off.He points out to Maggie some nets stretched out across the river used by poachers to catch anything. She gets out and finds two creatures trapped in the net. One dead, one barely alive.

Telling both Hawks and his wife Ramona,this is the evidence needed to save their people.The pilot however refuses to attempt take off. Verne is desperate.

The village is too far,but Ramona says they can make Grandfathers camp, only a half mile away. And so with they trek out. With both of the creatures. Verne is determined to keep it alive, living proof of what the poisoning has done.
At Hector's Camp
Setting up a makeshift table with coals for heat Verne is trying to keep one creature alive. He has Hawks send two villagers into town to bring back the local newspaper, Sheriff and Isley so they can see the proof of what has happened. There is no sign of Hector. Hawks takes up a sentry like patrol as Verne works on the creature.

Maggie stares, mesmerized by the thing on the table. Verne is still clueless. Maggie tearfully finally admits her pregnancy. "If I ate what the mother of those creatures ate"
Realization hits Verne, but Ramona interrupts them. The creature is struggling and crying out loud. What they don't realize is just how far sound travels...
The Sheriff, Isley and others approach. Hawks takes his bow/arrows and heads into the tunnels under the tents.Verne brings the Sheriff and Isley to view the creature.
"This is the result of Methyl-Mercury spilling out of your plant...did you know?" Isley shaken by what he sees, turns and leaves the tent. Verne follows, grabs him and demands "Did. You. Know"
Isley slow shaking his head replies "I didn't want to"
Just beyond the firelight something approaches...it's Hector M'Rai, dressed in skins...but behind him comes...

Kelso is the first taken out by the creature, a tribesman trying to notch an arrow is next. Others make a run towards their vehicle, knocking over a drum of petrol that is ignited by the scattered coals. The vehicle blows. Hawks is screaming for all to get into the tunnels. Isley, Ramona, Maggie and the Sheriff make it in. The pilot is caught and raked vivaciously by the creature. Verne manages to drag him back and into the tunnels. Hector stands sentinel and watches all, believing that he is protected from and by Katahdin.

They hear the creature prowling around outside, intermittent screaming. Then suddenly all goes dead silent. The creature finds the dead little one and grabbing it leaves.
Daybreak
They come out to find the camp totally destroyed. Trying to determine what to do next, Isley suggests they head toward the village even tho it's 10 miles away. He know of a microwave tower only 6-7 miles out. He is going there to try and summon and send help. A litter is made and Hawks-Verne carry the pilot. Maggie has the surviving creature,
Ramona is leading Hector.
The Microwave Tower
Nearing the crest of the mountain, Isley spies the tower, as he gets nearer he is drawn by the sound of buzzing flies. There on the ground is another dead infant creature...and just in back of the woods is the creature itself. Isley runs, stumbles and falls but makes it to the site. Gates are locked and he can't climb over as we hear the sounds coming up behind him, there is perhaps just enough gap at the bottom of the fence tho. He makes it about half way when...

The Village
It's late afternoon by the time they make the village, only to find it completely deserted. Hawks scouts around and roughly 3/4 miles from their position he has found a carrier vehicle used by lumberjacks to move equipment. All he has to do it hotwire it, from there is a 3 maybe 4 hour ride to town. But it's going to be dark...soon.
The Carrier Journey
It is very slow going as this is a logging trail they follow. The pilot is strapped best they can on top in the litter. The little creature, still alive periodically screams out. Verne is using the top spotlight to try and help light the way when, the creature comes running at them from the forest

Overturned all make it out. Hawks stays behind to try and free the pilot but

The creature is mad with rage trying to get to its offspring. It follows as they run for the lake and try to swim across to the cabin of Verne and Maggie. Hector stays at the waters edge, he still believes he can talk with Katahdin. Maggie is swimming and holding onto the little one when it hears the mother's roar, it bites into her neck trying to get away. Verne swims to her, takes the creature and drowns it. Only four are left now as they make their way to the dock.
Hector greets Katahdin, but the creature chomps down on his head and torso and flings him around like a puppet. Exhausted the four cling to the dock and look back
Katahdin wades into the water and is coming for them

it disappears under the water and a brief cheer of it's drown happens. Until they see bubbles coming up closer and closer to them. Katahdin rears up out of the water roaring in rage

They make for the cabin and barricade as best they can. Hawks has his bow, Verne takes down the rifle from over the fireplace, but there are only two shells.
They hunker down in the center of the cabin. They can hear it prowling outside.It caves in the roof and Verne gets one shot off hitting it in the neck. Hawks notches an arrow...dead silence.
Then the wall explodes inward, debris hits both Maggie and Ramona, Ramona struck by a beam is dead. Verne lets loose his final shot, and Hawks looses and arrow that pierces the chest. They retreat outside with Verne carrying Maggie, Hawks lets fly another arrow this hits as well. But Katahdin with one massive swing of its clawed hand blows Hawks backwards dead upon hitting the ground.

Verne desperately tries to load an arrow, but Katahdin grips him in massive claw like hands and raises him up. Only thing he has left, he uses the hunting arrow and repeatedly stabs the creature over and over about the head and neck. Finally he drives it into the eye socket and pierces the bran. Katahdin falls back into the water and Verne falls to the ground. In full primal mode now he screams at the top of his lungs and jumps onto Katahdin and stabs and stabs until the creature begins to sink into the waters.

Next Day-Flight Home
Maggie is layed out bandaged and awakes. Verne fondly touches her, both unsure of what the future holds in regards to the developing fetus in her. As the plane wings it's way back out of the forest, what has escaped everyone so far is...
If there was a mother with 3 cubs, then there had to be a ....

==================

Best
Paladin

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PRODUCTION NOTES & History
Horror author Stephen King is particularly fond of this film.

Filmed in British Columbia in 1978, this movie marked the beginning of the "Hollywood North", the major start to the development of a massive film production business in Vancouver and other parts of the province of British Columbia, in Canada. Since then thousands of "American" movies have been filmed in the Canadian province.

Katahdin, the mutant bear-monster, is portrayed by 7"2' actor/stuntman Kevin Peter Hall, who went on to play other memorable man-in-a-suit monsters of the 80s, including the giant egg-headed alien in Without Warning (1980), the titular creature in Predator (1987) and Predator 2 (1990), and Bigfoot in Harry and the Hendersons (1989).

The film was shot under tight security. No visitors were allowed to the sets, including studio personnel. Crew and actors had to pledge secrecy and not reveal any elements of the story under any circumstances. No still cameras were allowed except for the production's official still photographer and a retired CIA agent was hired to supervise the security.

The plot device of methyl mercury poisoning is based on true life actual events, and is considerably more frightening than the sum of this movie.
Trick question in Medical School, what is the only liquid that isn't wet?

First is;
"Mad as a hatter" is a colloquial English phrase used in conversation to suggest (lightheartedly) that a person is suffering from insanity.
It is believed to emanate from Luton, Bedfordshire, in eastern England, where men in the area worked predominantly in the hattery business, which used mercury in the hat making process. The accumulation of mercury in the body causes symptoms similar to madness. The earliest known appearance of the phrase in print is in an 1829 issue of Blackwood's Edinburgh Magazine.
And probably the most infamous is the Minimata, Japan incident;
is a neurological disease caused by severe mercury poisoning. Signs and symptoms include ataxia, numbness in the hands and feet, general muscle weakness,loss of peripheral vision, and damage to hearing and speech. In extreme cases, insanity, paralysis, coma, and death follow within weeks of the onset of symptoms.
A congenital form of the disease can also affect fetuses in the womb.

Minamata disease was first discovered in Minamata city in Kumamoto prefecture, Japan, in 1956. It was caused by the release of methyl mercury in the industrial wastewater from the Chisso Corporation's chemical factory, which continued from 1932 to 1968. It has also been suggested that some of the mercury sulfate in the wastewater was also metabolized to methyl mercury by bacteria in the sediment. This highly toxic chemical bioaccumulated and biomagnified in shellfish
and fish in Minamata Bay and the Shiranui Sea, which, when eaten by the local population, resulted in mercury poisoning. While cat, dog, pig, and human deaths continued for 36 years, the government and company did little to prevent the epidemic.
The animal effects were severe enough in cats that they came to be named as having "dancing cat fever'. You can find the videos on YouTube.

Some pics of Human deformity/mutation