Encounter with the Unknown

Encounter with the Unknown

Year: 1972

Runtime: 90 mins

Language: English

Director: Harry Thomason

HorrorMysteryHorror the undead and monster classicsTerrifying haunted and supernatural horrorCreepy chilling and terrifying horror

Three chilling, true‑inspired stories unfold. A prank gone deadly leaves a classmate’s mother vowing death for the three culprits on days 7, 14 and 21, each prediction fulfilled. In Missouri, a mysterious howl rises from a mist‑shrouded earth pit where a boy’s father descends and screams. Later, a senator meets a girl on a bridge, only to discover from her father that she died years earlier.

Warning: spoilers below!

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Timeline & Setting – Encounter with the Unknown (1972)

Explore the full timeline and setting of Encounter with the Unknown (1972). Follow every major event in chronological order and see how the environment shapes the story, characters, and dramatic tension.

Time period

Early 20th century

The Darkness is set in rural Missouri during the early twentieth century, focusing on a boy's missing dog and a mysterious moaning hole. The other two segments are not dated in the summary, leaving their temporal setting implicit within the film's framing of allegedly true stories.

Location

Missouri, Arkansas

Three stories unfold across distinct settings: a small-town funeral with an ominous omen; a rural Missouri setting around a mysterious hole; and an Arkansas road trip that ends with a vanishing girl. The landscapes anchor the film's mood—quiet places where the uncanny infiltrates everyday life. The settings juxtapose communal grief, rural mystery, and urban legend to fuel the sense of fate.

🎭 Rural backdrop 🗺️ Missouri Arkansas 🕯️ Supernatural elements

Last Updated: October 04, 2025 at 19:12

Main Characters – Encounter with the Unknown (1972)

Meet the key characters of Encounter with the Unknown (1972), with detailed profiles, motivations, and roles in the plot. Understand their emotional journeys and what they reveal about the film’s deeper themes.

Dave Terrell (Tom Haywood)

One of Johnny's friends who helped stage the prank that lured him to the fatal address. He is part of the trio whose bravado masks guilt as the pattern of deaths unfolds. His perspective anchors the first tale and underscores how peer dynamics can propel consequences beyond the prankster’s intent.

🎭 Prankster 🧭 Guilt 🗣️ Group dynamics

Frank Cameron (Gary Brockette)

A member of the prank group who recounts the events to Father Duane, oscillating between rationalization and unease. He embodies a mix of bravado and fear as the mystery deepens, and his retelling accelerates the sense of an inevitable pattern.

🎭 Confidant 🧠 Skeptical 🪢 Tension

Randy Powell (John Leslie)

The third friend who is drawn into the unfolding nightmare; he is described as going skydiving, aligning with the prophecy that two will perish by sky. His fate remains tied to the ominous sequence, suggesting vulnerability to the curse’s reach.

🎭 Adventurous 🗺️ Skydiver 🕳️ Fate

Johnny Davis (John Cissne)

A college student whose death at the hands of a misguided prank triggers the whole cycle. His mother’s cryptic warning becomes the haunting catalyst for the tale, highlighting the fragility of youth and the weight of blame in tragedy.

🎓 Student 🕊️ Victim 🔪 Tragedy

Mrs. Davis (Mary Jane Wilson)

Johnny's mother, depicted as grieving and prone to invoking the ominous prophecy that frames the events. She embodies the transmission of superstition and the belief in a just, if unseen, reckoning for the tragedy.

👩‍👧 Mother 🕯️ Grief 🔮 Foreboding

Father Duane (Robert Ginnaven)

A priest who initially seeks to downplay the incidents as coincidences but grows convinced that something more is at work. He serves as a skeptical observer whose interactions with the others propel the investigation beyond ordinary explanation, culminating in a pivotal plane sequence.

🙏 Priest 🧭 Skeptical 🕯️ Concern

Last Updated: October 04, 2025 at 19:12

Major Themes – Encounter with the Unknown (1972)

Explore the central themes of Encounter with the Unknown (1972), from psychological, social, and emotional dimensions to philosophical messages. Understand what the film is really saying beneath the surface.

🔮 Prophecy

A cryptic family omen drives the action: a mother’s message about numbers and a ‘just and true’ reward shapes the fears and choices of the friends. The recurring motif of seven and the suggestion of fate push characters toward credence in something beyond coincidence. The narrative toys with belief, fate, and the idea that there might be a supernatural mechanism behind the events. The parapsychology framing adds a fictional lens through which the mystery is explored.

🕳️ Unknown

The Darkness centers on an unsolved mystery around a moaning hole and a man’s descent into the depths. Characters respond with a mix of courage and dread as the unknown refuses to yield answers. The segment uses the fear of what cannot be explained to drive tragedy and madness. The unresolved questions keep the fate of those involved in a liminal, mythic space.

🗝️ Folklore

The Girl on the Bridge revisits the Vanishing Hitchhiker archetype, recast as a modern legend within the frame of allegedly true accounts. The senator and his wife search for a girl whose past shadows the present. The stories are presented as folklore material, inviting doubt about what is ‘real’ versus what is myth. Together, the tales show how legends endure by blending truth, fear, and conjecture.

Last Updated: October 04, 2025 at 19:12

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Encounter with the Unknown Summary

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Encounter with the Unknown Summary

Encounter with the Unknown Timeline

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Encounter with the Unknown Timeline

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Encounter with the Unknown (1972) Plot Summary & Movie Recap

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