The Night Flier (1998)
By Shane Rivers
When I watched The Night Flier on DVD, my first thought was, “Boy, this looks more like a TV movie than a theatrical release.” There’s a perfectly reasonable explanation for this: The Night Flier was first shown on HBO in 1997, and it didn’t appear in theaters until the following year. While I question the logic of such a move, The Night Flier does provide a few treats for viewers willing to weather its mediocre production values.
Before I get to said treats, let’s take a look at the plot lifted directly from the Stephen King story of the same name. Someone using the alias Dwight Renfield is making night landings at small airports throughout the country. When he departs, dead bodies are always left in his wake. This grabs the attention of Richard Dees (Miguel Ferrer), a cynical reporter for a tabloid paper. Seems Dees has been on a cold streak as of late, as he has no intention of letting wide-eyed newbie Katherine Blair (Julie Entwisle) scoop him on the story. As luck would have it, Dees has his own plane, so he’s able to quickly pick up the trail of the killer (something he might, or might not, live to regret).
Treat #1 – Miguel Ferrer – The veteran actor who also appeared in the made-for-TV version of King’s The Stand is spot-on as an anything-for-headlines reporter. There’s no depth that Dees won’t sink to, including desecrating graves and repositioning traffic accident victims to get better shots. He’s so unlikable that it’s often hard to picture him as the protagonist, but Ferrer plays the role with such gusto that you’ll be looking forward to see which commandment he breaks next in the name of journalism.
Treat #2 – The Dog – The highlight of the film comes when Dees encounters a bizarre dog at the scene of one of The Night Flier‘s murders. Momentarily gripped in the power of a frightful hallucination, Dees witnesses the dog stretch its jaws impossibly wide and take on the appearance of something straight from the depths of hell. I didn’t see this one coming at all, and the suddenness of the transformation will have horror fans everywhere reaching for the rewind button.
While offering the above cinematic treats, the rest of The Night Flier is average at best. It has an overall cheap look, and Ferrer’s co-stars do nothing to distinguish themselves. Dan Monahan is particularly disappointing as slimeball publisher Merton Morrison; he provides hope to even the lowliest of community theatre actors
There’s also not a lot of mystery to be had. Early on, we see the killer stalking around in an outfit straight out of Dracula’s closet. While we know what he is, the biggest question is why he’s killing folks; the answer won’t knock you over with its originality. And while his appearance is a closely guarded secret until the end of the film, the DVD box plasters his ugly puss all over the cover.
You can do a lot worse than The Night Flier, but many superior horror flicks also exist. If you can think of at least one, I suggest you watch it instead.
This The Night Flier movie review is copyright 2009 Small World Marketing and Shane Rivers. This The Night Flier review should not be reprinted without the permission of the copyright holders.
This movie review of The Night Flier expresses the opinion of the author only. Other The Night Flier movie reviews are available online, and some of those might or might not express different opinions on the movie. Like those other The Night Flier movie reivews, this The Night Flier review is intended for the entertainment and education of the reader. This The Night Flier movie review is provided as is with no warranty or guarantee implied.
