The Night Flier (1997)

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

Director:

Mark Pavia

Writers:

Stephen King (story), Mark Pavia (screenplay)

Stars:

Miguel Ferrer, Julie Entwisle, Dan Monahan

1 win & 2 nominations.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
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

Storyline

Two investigative reporters for a tabloid magazine track down across country "The Night Flier", a serial killer who travels by private plane stalking victims in rural airports. One of the reporters, Richard Dees, begins to suspect that "the Night Flier could perhaps be a vampire".

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Plot Keywords:

reporter | vampire | tragedy | light airplane | airplane | 

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Taglines:

Startling, nonstop horror

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Genres:

Fantasy | Horror | Mystery

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Motion Picture Rating (MPAA)

Rated R for horror violence, gore and strong language

Did You Know?

Trivia

Director Mark Pavia wanted Stephen King to make a cameo appearance as a morgue director, but King was busy on a book tour and hence couldn't work it into his schedule.

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Goofs

During Richard's first altercation with Morrison, the boom mic is clearly visible for a short while above the latter's head.

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Quotes

Richard Dees: [Realizing that Renfield is indeed behind him, even though he can't see him in the mirror] You're real!
Dwight Renfield: [Slowly gives an amused laugh] So are you... for now at least

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Alternate Versions

The U.K. DVD includes a few more seconds of gore in the massacre sequence at the end. 1) The camera pans over the corpses on the floor a second time (right to left), and we get a closer shot of a black man, cut in half. The reporter stops and takes a photo of this. He then looks to his right, before proceeding further into the room. Duration: Approx. 18 seconds. Now, this is how the scene plays in the US cut: After the reporter enters the building, the camera pans over the corpses scattered on the floor, from left to right. After that the film cuts to a close up shot of the reporter holding his flash light and looking around. Instead of the insert mentioned above however, the US cuts directly to the next two corpses on the floor (a woman with a neck wound). 2) A close up shot of Dees holding his flashlight and looking around is longer in this cut (after he walks away from the woman with the neck wound and the other corpse). In the US cut we see him look straight ahead and then the film cuts directly to the dead woman at the counter. However, the US disc omits the following: Dees looks to his left and there are three quick shots of a severed head on the floor. He walks further and looks down, and there's a severed arm there. The camera pans up from the arm and shows some more of the interiors in a wide shot. Duration: 14 seconds 3) Before the night flier feeds Dees his blood, there is a longer gore scene: The shot showing him cutting his arm open with his long nail has more spurting blood and lasts longer. Also, the camera pans / tilts from the wound and up to the Night flier's face. In other words: A one shot with a camera pan / tilt. The US cut on the other hand uses an alternate shot / take from a different angel, to make the scene less explicit. First we see the first second of the cutting & blood flow in a large close up, and then the US cuts to a front shot of the vampire finishing the cutting. Around 2 seconds of gore missing here. 4) The exploding head in the black and white sequence is longer.

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Connections

References Superman (1978)

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Soundtracks

Sign of the Cross
Performed by Kerry P. Brown, Catherine
Written by Keith Brown, Kerry P. Brown and Mark Rew
Published by Famous Music (ASCAP)
Courtesy of TVT Records

User Reviews

Serious, gory stuff!

Richard Dees is a reporter and he is a vampire because he works for a tabloid and earns his living by writing lurid stories and taking sordid pictures. He's got a despicable job and he is getting sick of it. Dwight Renfield is the Night Flier and he is a vampire too, but he is a "real" one – an evil and supernatural creature feeding itself on humans. He flies from one airfield to another across the U.S. on a black, private aeroplane. Of course he always leaves bloodless corpses behind him and Dees ends up chasing him with his tape recorder and camera. When they eventually meet, the vampire doesn't really feel like killing one of his kind, and he is ready to let him go. Yet Dees proves his curiosity will always make him chase people like the Night Flier and he will bitterly regret it. At the end of the film, everybody will see and remember Richard Dees as what he really was, that is to say a nasty character living on people's suffering. Well, this film is a great B-movie. The story is exciting, Miguel Ferrer is excellent and the film has no Hollywood-like happy ending. I strongly recommend it to anyone looking for a nice thrill and a few gallons of blood.

Details

Country:

USA Italy

Language:

English

Release Date:

6 February 1998 (USA)

Also Known As:

Stephen King's The Night Flier

Filming Locations:

Wilmington, North Carolina, USA

Box Office

Budget:

$1,000,000 (estimated)

Opening Weekend USA:

$91,549, 8 February 1998

Gross USA:

$125,397

Cumulative Worldwide Gross:

$125,397

Company Credits

Production Co:

New Amsterdam Entertainment, Stardust International, Medusa Film

Technical Specs

Runtime:

94 min

Sound Mix:

Dolby Digital

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1