Flatliners (1990)

Five medical students experiment with "near death" experiences, until the dark consequences of past tragedies begin to jeopardize their lives.

Director:

Joel Schumacher

Writer:

Peter Filardi

Stars:

Kiefer Sutherland, Kevin Bacon, Julia Roberts

Nominated for 1 Oscar. Another 2 nominations.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Kiefer Sutherland	...	Nelson Wright
Julia Roberts	...	Dr. Rachel Mannus
Kevin Bacon	...	David Labraccio
William Baldwin	...	Dr. Joe Hurley
Oliver Platt	...	Randy Steckle
Kimberly Scott	...	Winnie Hicks
Joshua Rudoy	...	Billy Mahoney
Benjamin Mouton	...	Rachel's Father
Aeryk Egan	...	Young Nelson
Kesha Reed	...	Young Winnie
Hope Davis	...	Anne Coldren
Jim Ortlieb	...	Uncle Dave
John Duda	...	Young Labraccio (as John Joseph Duda)
Megan Stewart	...	Playground Kid
Tressa Thomas	...	Playground Kid

Storyline

Medical students begin to explore the realm of near death experiences, hoping for insights. Each has their heart stopped and is revived. They begin having flashes of walking nightmares from their childhood, reflecting sins they committed or had committed against them. The experiences continue to intensify, and they begin to be physically beaten by their visions as they try and go deeper into the death experience to find a cure.

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Plot Keywords:

near death experience | childhood trauma | voice message | stitching one's wound | photography | 

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Taglines:

Some lines shouldn't be crossed.

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Genres:

Drama | Horror | Sci-Fi | Thriller

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Certificate:

R

Details

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

10 August 1990 (USA)

Also Known As:

Línea mortal

Filming Locations:

1269 N. Wolcott Avenue, Chicago, Illinois, USA

Box Office

Budget:

$26,000,000 (estimated)

Gross USA:

$61,490,000

Company Credits

Production Co:

Columbia Pictures Corporation, Stonebridge Entertainment

Technical Specs

Runtime:

115 min

Sound Mix:

70 mm 6-Track (70 mm prints) CDS (digital 35 mm prints) Dolby (analog 35 mm prints)

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

2.39 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

The Washington Post described this picture as "a Brat Pack neo-Gothic that plays like 'Frankenstein' in reverse".

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Goofs

Nelson prints a document on a laser printer which makes a sound like a dot-matrix printer.

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Quotes

[first lines]
Nelson Wright: Today is a good day to die.

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Connections

Referenced in Hollywood Game Night: Playing Hardwick to Get (2017)

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Soundtracks

PARTY TOWN
Written and Performed by David A. Stewart (as Dave Stewart)
Courtesy of BMG Records (UK) Ltd.

User Reviews

Good premise into well-told story

Flatliners has all the ingredients of a good Joel Schumacher film - intelligent, youthful characters, stunning cinematography, a gripping story, and excellent performances. It's escapist fun but it's done very well and resonates with a positive spiritual message despite the unnerving precedings.

Schumacher has a knack for spotting talented young actors, and all of the main five here have gone on to greater things (see the cast list). Their believable performances help to raise this movie well above average. Kiefer Sutherland shines in his egotistical med-student role.

The cinematography really stimulates the right side of the brain, which is what I love about Schumacher; his use of light and location create images that stick. A disturbing nightmarish atmosphere is created which unsettles you while you watch the film and haunts you when you go to bed - reminded me of The Lost Boys.

This is a film that takes an awesome premise - curious students want to find out what's after death, and successfully follows it through into a scary, gripping tale of redemption. One of Schumacher's best; highly recommended.