Most people forget how weird the mid-90s were for horror. It was this strange gap between the slasher fatigue of the 80s and the meta-irony of Scream. Right in the middle of that, Gregory Widen—the guy who actually wrote the original Highlander—decided to take the concept of angels and turn it into a gritty, noir-soaked civil war. He gave us The Prophecy. It wasn't just another religious thriller. Honestly, it was a vibe. It was dark, desert-set, and featured Christopher Walken sitting on the back of chairs like a predatory bird.
If you grew up watching these on VHS or catching the sequels on late-night cable, you know the deal. But if you’re coming at the The Prophecy movie series for the first time, you might be confused by how a franchise that started with such a high-concept, intellectual horror premise eventually spun out into five films. It’s a wild ride. We aren't talking about "precious" angels with harps. These are warriors. They’re jealous of humans—the "monkeys," as Gabriel calls us—because we have souls and they’re stuck in the middle of a celestial power struggle that makes Game of Thrones look like a playground dispute.
Gabriel and the War in Heaven
The heart of the original 1995 film is the conflict between Gabriel and Simon. Gabriel, played by Walken in what might be his most underrated performance, is tired of God’s silence. He’s pissed. He misses the old days when angels were the center of the universe. Now, humans are the favorites, and Gabriel wants to find a way to end the stalemate in the ongoing war in Heaven. He needs a "dark soul"—the nastiest, most vicious human soul ever created—to act as a tactical weapon.
What makes The Prophecy movie series stand out is how it handles the lore. It doesn't just quote the Bible; it invents a sort of "apocrypha" that feels lived-in. Elias Koteas plays Thomas Dagget, a man who left the priesthood because he saw things that didn't fit the Sunday school narrative. He’s the audience surrogate, dragging us into a world where angels smell like ozone and don't have shadows. It’s a noir detective story where the suspects happen to be immortal.
The first film is genuinely tight. It’s got Virginia Madsen, Viggo Mortensen as a truly terrifying (and oddly charming) Lucifer, and a script that actually has something to say about faith and jealousy. Lucifer’s motivation is one of the best tropes in the series: he helps the humans because he doesn't want Gabriel winning. If Gabriel wins, Heaven becomes another Hell, and Lucifer "doesn't want any competition." It’s brilliant. It’s petty. It’s human.
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Why the Sequels Keep Coming Back
You’d think one movie would be enough. But no. The Prophecy II (1998) and The Prophecy 3: The Ascent (2000) form what most fans consider the core "Walken Trilogy."
In the second film, things get even more tangled. Gabriel is back—because even Death doesn't want him—and he’s trying to stop a "Nephilim" from being born. It’s a bit of a retread of the first film’s chase mechanics, but it introduces Brittany Murphy and expands the world. By the time we get to The Ascent, Gabriel has a bit of an existential crisis. He becomes human. He has to learn how to live. It’s a strange character arc that most horror franchises wouldn't bother with. Usually, the monster stays the monster. Here, the monster gets a job and learns to drive.
The production value definitely shifts as the series moves into the 2000s. You can feel the Dimension Films "straight-to-video" energy creeping in, especially by the time we hit the final two installments, The Prophecy: Uprising and The Prophecy: Forsaken (both 2005). These were filmed back-to-back in Romania. Walken is gone. Instead, we get John Light as the Renegade Angel Belial and Kari Wuhrer as the lead. These two films feel different—more like European gothic thrillers than the desert-noir of the originals.
Breaking Down the Franchise Timeline
- The Prophecy (1995): The gold standard. Gabriel hunts for the soul of a Korean War vet. Lucifer saves the day. Classic.
- The Prophecy II (1998): Gabriel tries to prevent an angel-human hybrid. Notable for its gritty urban setting and more Christopher Walken weirdness.
- The Prophecy 3: The Ascent (2000): The conclusion of Gabriel’s arc. He finds redemption. It’s surprisingly emotional for a movie about killer angels.
- The Prophecy: Uprising (2005): A shift in tone. Focuses on the "Lexicon," a living book that is still writing the Bible. It’s very "Da Vinci Code" meets "Hellraiser."
- The Prophecy: Forsaken (2005): The direct sequel to Uprising. It wraps up the Lexicon storyline. It’s for the completionists.
The Christopher Walken Factor
Let’s be real. Without Walken, The Prophecy movie series probably wouldn't have survived past the first entry. He brought a specific kind of physical acting to Gabriel. He doesn't sit like a human. He perches. He talks with a staccato rhythm that makes every line about "burning your world" sound like a weirdly aggressive jazz poem.
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There's a scene in the first movie where he’s talking to a group of school kids. It’s deeply unsettling. He’s not playing a monster; he’s playing an entity that finds humans fundamentally confusing and irritating. That nuance is what’s missing from a lot of modern "religious horror." Usually, it's just jump scares and crosses turning upside down. The Prophecy actually cares about the theology of its universe, even if it’s a theology it largely made up.
The Legacy of the Lexicon
When the series shifted gears in 2005, many fans jumped ship. But Uprising and Forsaken are actually pretty interesting if you look at them as a separate duology. They dive into the idea of "The Lexicon," a prophetic book that continues to update itself with the names of the "God-scorched."
It moved the series away from the American Southwest and into the crumbling architecture of Bucharest. It’s a different kind of scary. It’s less about the grand war in Heaven and more about the personal cost of being caught in the gears of a cosmic machine. While they lack the star power of the original trilogy, they have a certain bleak, low-budget charm that fits the mid-2000s horror aesthetic.
People often compare these movies to Constantine or Supernatural. It’s a fair comparison, but The Prophecy got there first. It established the "trench coat angel" trope before it was a CW staple. It showed that you could have a religious thriller that was actually more of a Western.
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Is It Worth a Rewatch?
Honestly, yeah. Especially the first one. It holds up remarkably well because it relies more on practical effects, lighting, and performance than CGI. The practical makeup on the "decaying" angels in the sequels is still gross and effective.
There is a certain segment of the internet that thinks the series is just "bad 90s cheese." They’re wrong. It’s ambitious. It’s a series that tried to build a complex mythology on a mid-range budget. It didn't always stick the landing—the pacing in The Ascent is a bit wonky—but it never felt cynical. It always felt like it had a story it wanted to tell about the nature of God’s love and the danger of being the "second favorite" child.
Actionable Steps for New Viewers
If you're looking to dive into The Prophecy movie series, don't just binge-watch them all in one go. You’ll get whiplash from the tone shifts.
- Start with the 1995 Original: Watch it as a standalone film. It’s a complete story. Pay attention to Viggo Mortensen’s brief role as Lucifer; it’s one of the best portrayals of the devil in cinema history.
- The Walken Marathon: If you liked the first one, watch 2 and 3. This completes the Gabriel saga. It’s the most consistent part of the franchise.
- The Bucharest Duology: Treat Uprising and Forsaken as a separate spin-off. They’re better if you don't expect them to be "more of the same."
- Look for the Director’s Cuts: Gregory Widen’s original vision for the first film was even more focused on the detective elements. Some versions have slightly different edits that lean into the noir aspect.
- Check the Soundtrack: The first movie has an incredible score by David C. Williams. It’s haunting and industrial, perfectly matching the "angels in the desert" vibe.
The series is a testament to what happens when you take a high-concept idea and let a weird cast run with it. It’s not perfect, but it’s memorable. In a world of sanitized, predictable horror, Gabriel’s jealousy still feels dangerous.
Go back and watch the first one. See if you can spot the moment where the "monkeys" actually start to win. It’s usually when they stop being afraid and start being just as petty as the angels chasing them.