The Night Flier (1997)

Director:

Mark Pavia

Writers (WGA):

Stephen King (story)
Mark Pavia (screenplay) ...

Release Date:

6 February 1998 (USA)

Genre:

Fantasy | Horror | Mystery

Tagline:

Never believe what you publish...Never publish what you believe.

Plot:

A reporter is on the trial of a vampiric murderer who travels by plane.

Plot Keywords:

Reporter | Vampire | Tabloid | Airport | Face Ripping

Awards:

1 nomination

Cast

Miguel Ferrer	...	Richard Dees
Julie Entwisle	...	Katherine Blair
Dan Monahan	...	Merton Morrison
Michael H. Moss	...	Dwight Renfield
John Bennes	...	Ezra Hannon
Beverly Skinner	...	Selida McCamon
Rob Wilds	...	Buck Kendall
Richard K. Olsen	...	Claire Bowie (as Richard Olsen)
Elizabeth McCormick	...	Ellen Sarch
J.R. Rodriguez	...	Terminal Cop #1
Robert Leon Casey	...	Terminal Cop #2 (as Bob Casey)
Ashton Stewart	...	Nate Wilson
William Neely	...	Ray Sarch
Windy Wenderlich	...	Henry Gates
General Fermon Judd Jr.	...	Policeman

Also Known As:

Stephen King's The Night Flier
The Night Flier (Italy)

MPAA:

Rated R for horror violence, gore and strong language.

Runtime:

93 min

Country:

USA | Italy

Language:

English

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Sound Mix:

Dolby Digital

Certification:

Iceland:16 | Netherlands:16 | Singapore:PG (cut) | South Korea:18 | Finland:K-16 | Germany:18 | Australia:MA | UK:18 | USA:R

Filming Locations:

Wilmington, North Carolina, USA

Company:

New Amsterdam Entertainment

Trivia:

Many of the murder photos in the press office are real, including the one of the horribly mutilated prostitute. They were taken from the photo album of a homicide detective who worked in LA from the 1930s to the 1950s, which would later be published under the title "Death Scenes".

Goofs:

Revealing mistakes: When Richard encounters the black dog, the animal is clearly discomforted by the wire apparatus used to retract its lips and reveal its fangs, trying to ease it away with its left paw.

Quotes:

Richard Dees: Never believe what you publish, and never publish what you believe

Movie Connections:

References Thinner (1996)

Soundtrack:

Sign of the Cross

An interesting, though slightly flawed take on King

I'm not going to say that this is a great movie, or even a great horror movie. A more appropriate way of saying it might be that it's an interesting movie. Those poor filmmakers, they're starting to run out of Stephen King novels to make into movies, so they have to turn to his short stories. Usually this means what should have been a 30 minute movie is drawn out into an hour and a half or longer. But in the case of Mark Pavia's "The Night Flier", story works because Pavia is able to expand on King's original story, and he also seems to have a bit of talent as a director.

Most people complain that Miguel Ferrer's character, Richard Dees, is too mean, or something like that. QUIT COMPLAINING PEOPLE! He's suppose to be an utterly heartless, sleazy, sorry excuse of a person. You're not suppose to feel sorry for him at all as he descends to insanity. Instead having such a terrible lead character is suppose to pose the question whose the real monster? Or, actually I think it'd be more accurate to say, whose the real hero? Is there a hero? Ferrer pulls off the performance perfectly, making a character that could make James Woods or Clint Eastwood whimper in fear. Unfortunately the rest of the cast doesn't do so well, and this pulls in the movie down a little way.

Anyway, Pavia himself has a talent for gloomy atmosphere, with his overcast, gray skies and quiet music and always just slightly-off-angle photography. He expertly subdues the beginning 2/3s of the movie and then throws a bloodbath at us. It's a very well planned and a shocking move on his part.

"The Night Flier" kicks into major gear towards the end. The final, final conclusion is a little weak, but it really couldn't have ended any other way.

Overall, the couple flaws drag "The Night Flier" down to a good but not great movie, but the really cool climax and other elements make up for it, and make it a good time. Be warned, it won't leave you feeling happy or good.