The Veil (TV Mini Series) Destination Nightmare (1958) User Reviews

Destination: Classic Spooky Fun

[Witchfinder-General-666 · 6/10 · 6 October 2008]

"The Veil" (1958) is a 10-episode TV series hosted by none other than the great Horror icon Boris Karloff. Karloff narrates a (supposedly fact-based) mysterious story about the 'supernatural, which lies behind the veil' in each of the episodes, which, of course makes it highly interesting to my fellow fans of Classic Horror. While the entire series is highly entertaining, the individual episodes are not all equally good. Some episodes, such as "Jack The Ripper", "Summer Heat" or "Girl on the Road", are eerie and great little tales that deliver everything that is possible in a time-span of only 25 minutes, while others, such as "Genesis" are quite cheesy and purely camp fun. This seventh episode "Destination Nightmare" is not one of the best in the series, and yet it was one of the two (along with the last and best episode, "Jack The Ripper"), which were also turned into (TV) movies in the same year. An aspiring pilot is frightened when he has a paranormal occurrence while flying... This entertaining episode has some very interesting scenes. Karloff himself plays the main protagonist's father, the owner of an aviation company. Not one of the best episodes of the show, in my opinion, and yet recommended to my fellow Karloff-fans.

Episode #7 of the unsold series, starring Boris Karloff.

[capkronos · 5/10 · 21 January 2009]

Boris Karloff serves as both on-screen host and lead actor in this OK episode (directed by Paul Landres) of the 12-episode series "The Veil." Former WWI pilot Peter Wade (Karloff) now owns his own aviation company and wants his college-aged son, Pete Jr. (Ron Hagerthy), to follow in his footsteps. Pete Jr. would rather design planes that fly them, and though his father is well-intentioned, he's also a bit pushy and stubborn; holding back his son's tuition check so he can't pursue what he really loves. One day while out flying with co-pilot Bill (Myron Healey), Peter Jr. is blinded by a white light, which happens to be the ghost of Wally Huffman (Roy Engel) appearing in the windshield of the cockpit. Wally, an intelligence agent, was killed during the war and is somehow connected to the father's past. The apparition (basically just a giant floating head) commands "Look at me! Look at me! Follow me! Follow me! 135! 135!" Entranced, Peter obeys the orders and almost ends up crashing the plane in the mountains. On his second trip out, the ghost insists he bail out of the plane. Peter does, finds some wreckage and then confronts his father about what really happened in the war. Not much to write home about with this one. It's predictable and only mildly entertaining. Of course, if you're a Karloff fan you'll want to check out this entire series regardless.

"The Veil" was unsold and never ran as a series on network TV. Instead, the episodes were combined to play as anthology features. This one was combined with "Girl on the Road" (with Tod Andrews), "Summer Heat" (with Whit Bissell) and "The Return of Madame Vernoy" (with a young George Hamilton) and released as DESTINATION NIGHTMARE.

Appropriately creepy.

[planktonrules · 7/10 · 9 January 2014]

In all but one of the ten episodes for "The Veil", Boris Karloff played host as well as acted in the story. In the case of "Destination Nightmare" he plays a very hard man who insists that his son become a pilot and flies for his company. However, the son isn't interested in flying and seems a bit timid. Later, when the young guy is flying, he becomes mesmerized by a strange face and a flash coming from the ground--and nearly smashes the plane in the process. Later, when he once again flies in the same location, the process begins again....

This is a very creepy and interesting show. While I think Karloff's narration is mostly crap when he claims these stories are true, they are entertaining and "Destination Nightmare" is no exception. Well worth seeing and well written.

"I've got to use my talent, not yours."

[classicsoncall · 7/10 · 9 April 2023]

If you accept the stories presented in 'The Veil' as based on real events, they're all very strange and defy explanation, just as host and narrator Boris Karloff states in his opening or closing monolog. This one relies on a supernatural appearance of a ghost from Peter Wade Sr.'s (also Karloff) past, a man who died on a military mission when his parachute wouldn't open. Pete Wade Jr. (Ron Hagerthy) s hypnotized by a blinding light that materializes along with the aspect of Wally Hufner (Roy Engel) while flying with instructor Bill Tighe (Myron Healey) who's also in the cockpit. Because Bill had to get aggressively physical with young Pete to get back control of the aircraft, it convinces Pete that he shouldn't pursue flying as a career, putting him in opposition with his father. However, the experience compels Pete Jr. To fly the same route again to satisfy his curiosity. On the second flight, the apparition of Huffner commands Pete to bail out! When he does, Pete lands to discover the wreckage of his father's original plane where it crashed during a mission. In the senior Wade's telling, Huffner sacrificed himself to save the life of his friend and also to avoid capture by the enemy who would have tortured him for the vital information he was carrying. The casting of Ron Hagerthy as Wade Jr. Was an interesting choice, and probably was suggested by his role as the nephew of Sky King on the long running Western adventure series of the same name in the 1950's.

Strained

[Leofwine_draca · 5/10 · 2 November 2018]

DESTINATION NIGHTMARE is, for me, a rather ordinary VEIL episode. There's not much plot here, merely a few sequences in which a young pilot witnesses a strange vision while flying, a vision which he believes gives him a dire warning. Karloff shows up as the elder pilot, but this is strained, join-the-dots stuff.

Much Better!

[Hitchcoc · 8/10 · 5 November 2016]

After the last episode about the two brothers, this one is a nice surprise. There is conflict between a father and his son over the son's ability to follow in the father's footsteps. He is a flier and doesn't seem cut out for it. One day, on a mission, he is partially blinded by a light in his eye. He then sees the face of a man, telling him to follow him on a dangerous setting. When his copilot must strike him on the head to release him from the wheel, he comes back disgraced. He fights with his father and decides to leave the business and become an aeronautical engineer, but decides to sleep on it. What ensues is a huge risk to prove something about himself and his father. This is nicely done. It is not bombastic with overly dramatic scenes. Boris Karloff is quite good as the somewhat controlling father. There is also a nicely crafted resolution that in the the supernatural genre works quite well.

Ghosts of the wild blue yonder.

[mark.waltz · 5/10 · 9 January 2016]

A mysterious ghostly face disrupts the attempts of a young pilot to become comfortable flying. With the guidance of retired pilot Boris Karloff, young Ron Hagerthy keeps trying but a ghost light keeps hitting him in the eye before the face of a mysterious man appears, taunting him to crash. Bizarre behavior has Karloff and Hagerthy's co-pilot concerned, and of course, this leads to a few nail- biting moments. Pretty interesting episode of "The Veil" with a modern setting and an interesting explanation as to what has caused these disturbing visions. Young Hagerthy is a unique young actor but Karloff seems to be too old to be playing his father.

Superior episode

[Woodyanders · 8/10 · 12 January 2011]

Young pilot Peter Wade Jr. (a fine performance by Ron Hagerthy) sees a ghostly vision while flying in midair and narrowly avoids a crash. Haunted by this vision, Peter becomes determined to find out if said vision was real or imagined. Director Paul Landres, working from an absorbing story by Ellis Marcus, relates the compelling story at a steady pace and does an ace job of creating and sustaining an ambiguously eerie atmosphere. The shots of the spectral apparition of the deceased Wally (Ron Engel) are genuinely spooky. Moreover, Boris Karloff gives a splendid portrayal of Pete Wade Sr., the hard-nosed owner of an aviation company who doesn't believe his son's story. Familiar character actor Myron Healey lends solid support as veteran pilot Bill Tighe. In addition, this particular episode delivers a strong and provocative message about how long suppressed secrets from the past can come back to haunt you in the present and depicts the supernatural element with pleasing taste, subtlety, and intelligence. Howard Schwartz's crisp black and white cinematography and Leon Klatzkin's spirited shuddery score are both up to par. One of this show's best half hours.

the past

[Kirpianuscus · 3 October 2022]

A father ' s past. The message from one of this secrets guiding his son. Some paranormal, hypnotism, a picture and pieces of an airplaine , an appearence and the confession of old man, preserving large doses of ambiguity.

Not a remarkable episode of series but seductive for intro, different by what you expect.

In short, a story about reconciliation with the past , after the hypothesis of a kind of revenge of an old friend of father. Sure, eerie and nice, like many other pieces of Veil series but not just impecable crafted. A story remembering more the connection father - son than an old episode of the first . But, sure, decent.