Nightwing (1979)

Killer bats plague an Indian reservation in New Mexico.

Director:

Arthur Hiller

Writers:

Steve Shagan (screenplay), Bud Shrake (screenplay),

Stars:

Nick Mancuso, David Warner, Kathryn Harrold

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Nick Mancuso	...	Youngman Duran
David Warner	...	Phillip Payne
Kathryn Harrold	...	Anne Dillon
Stephen Macht	...	Walker Chee
Strother Martin	...	Selwyn
George Clutesi	...	Abner Tasupi
Ben Piazza	...	Roger Piggott
Donald Hotton	...	John Franklin
Charles Hallahan	...	Henry
Judith Novgrod	...	Judy
Alice Hirson	...	Claire Franklin
Pat Corley	...	Vet
Charlie L. Bird	...	Beejay
Danny Zapien	...	Joe Mamoa
Peter Prouse	...	Doctor

Storyline

A colony of vampire bats terrorize a small Indian community in New Mexico. Standard "Nature goes berserk" plot turns extra hokey toward the end when supernatural forces are discovered working through the bats.

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Plot Keywords:

bat | plague | vampire bat | rabies | cave | 

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Taglines:

In the dead of night they come - Swift - Silent - Savage

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Genres:

Horror

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Certificate:

PG

Details

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

22 June 1979 (USA)

Also Known As:

Morsures

Filming Locations:

Albuquerque, New Mexico, USA

Company Credits

Production Co:

Polyc International BV

Technical Specs

Runtime:

105 min 99 min (video)

Sound Mix:

Mono

Color:

Color (Metrocolor)

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Did You Know?

Quotes

Phillip Payne: You're not buying this superstition are you?

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Connections

Referenced in That Lucky Stiff (1980)

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Soundtracks

"Lucille"
Performed by Kenny Rogers
Courtesy of United Artists Records

User Reviews

Love it!!

I liked this movie so much that it prompted me to take a trip to New Mexico and to eventually move there!! Unfortunately, due to medical problems, I was forced to come back to Kansas, but I will never regret moving to the Southwest.

Okay, so Nick Mancuso, who played Duran, sounded like he was from the Bronx occasionally and the tribes were renamed, but I purchased the VHS tape many years ago and check out every DVD web site hoping to find it there. It is probably the only reason I still have a VCR.++++++

The book was written by Martin Cruz Smith, an accomplished author, it was directed by Arthur Hiller, and the musical score done by Henry Mancini. Just how bad could it be?? If it is a horror movie you are looking for, this is not going to satisfy you. But a movie about the hardships and superstitions that still persist on the Navajo and Hopi reservations is as relevant as it was when Nightwing was made back in the 70s. I think that if the movie had not been billed as a "horror" flick, it would have gained much more of a following. I find it quite amusing that although it has never been made as a DVD, it is still found almost every other month on one of the pay movie channels. So I guess I'm not the only one who thinks that Nightwing is worth watching!