Born on this day – Alan Bates:

Alan Bates

Actor

February 17, 1934 – December 27, 2003

On this day in movie history - The Mothman Prophecies (2002 movie & book):

The Mothman Prophecies

directed by Mark Pellington,

written by Richard Hatem, 

based on the book by John Keel,

was released in the United States on January 25, 2002.

Music by tomandandy (Thomas Hajdu and Andy Milburn).

Cast:

Richard Gere, David Eigenberg, Bob Tracey, Ron Emanuel, Debra Messing, Tom Stoviak, Yvonne Erickson, Scott Nunnally, Harris Mackenzie, Will Patton, Lucinda Jenney, Laura Linney, Tom Tully, Zachary Mott, Ann McDonough, Shane Callahan, Nesbitt Blaisdell, Dan Callahan, Christin Frame, Rohn Thomas, Susan Nicholas, Bill Laing, Tim Hartman, Alan Bates, Jennifer Martin, Mark Pellington, Murphy Dunne, Pete Handelman, Matt Miller, Josh Braun, Doug Korstanje, Betsy Zajko, Elizabeth Cazenave, Sam Nicotero, Tony Amen, Sara Brooks, Eric Cazenave, Michael Gutenplan, John W. Iwanonkiw, Hope Anne Nathan, Christian Pearson, Dwayne Pintoff, Bettina Rousos, Brandee Sanders, Jason Shoemaker, Dorothy Silver, Jason Billy Simmons, Dixie Tymitz.

Recommended reading:

The Mothman Prophecies: A True Story

By John A. Keel.

Published by Tor Books.

First published 1975.

Paperback.

ISBN-10: 0765334984

ISBN-13: 78-0765334985

Description:

A true story of unexplained terror…

West Virginia, 1966. For thirteen months the town of Point Pleasant is gripped by a real-life nightmare culminating in a tragedy that makes headlines around the world. Strange occurrences and sightings, including a bizarre winged apparition that becomes known as the Mothman, trouble this ordinary American community. Mysterious lights are seen moving across the sky. Domestic animals are found slaughtered and mutilated. And journalist John Keel, arriving to investigate the freakish events, soon finds himself an integral part of an eerie and unfathomable mystery…

The Mothman Prophecies.

Translated into more than thirteen languages, John Keel’s unsettling account of what he encountered in Point Pleasant has long been regarded as a classic in the literature of the unexplained. A New York Times bestseller, it also inspired the acclaimed 2002 film.

On this day in movie history - The Shout (1978 movie & book):

The Shout

directed by Jerzy Skolimowski,

written by Michael Austin and Jerzy Skolimowski,

based on the short story by Robert Graves,

was released in the United Kingdom on June 1, 1978.
Music by Tony Banks.

Cast:

Alan Bates, Susannah York, John Hurt, Robert Stephens, Tim Curry, Julian Hough, Carol Drinkwater, John Rees, Jim Broadbent, Susan Wooldridge, Nick Stringer, Colin Higgins, Peter Benson, Joanna Szczerbic, Graham Kingsley Brown.

Recommended reading:

The Shout and Other Stories

By Robert Graves.

Short story anthology.

Paperback.

Published 1979.

Published by Penguin Books.

ISBN 13: 9780140048322

ISBN 10: 0140048324

ASIN: 0140048324

Description:

The shout can wound. The shout can kill. The shout can drive you mad. Unless the man who says he learned the magic shout eighteen years ago is only a lunatic. But is he? … ‘The Shout’ is the first of thirty intriguing stories collected here. They range from a tenement in ancient Rome to the trenches of World War I. Robert Graves assures us that most of them – even the most improbable ones – are true.

“Graves’s stories strike one … as the playfulness of an extremely lively, observant, and humorous spirit. … All of these tales must be read to be appreciated, let alone believed.” – Newsweek.

Originally published in hardcover under the title Collected Short Stories.

The film The Shout is distributed by Films incorporated and stars Alan Bates, Susannah York and John Hurt, with Robert Stephens and Tim Curry; produced by Jeremy Thomas; directed by Jerzy Skolimowski; screenplay by Michael Austin from the story by Robert Graves.