The Night Flier (1997)

If you're interested in the topic at hand, you should just watch it and judge yourself because the reviews have gone very biased by people that didn't even watch it and just hate (or love) the creator. I liked it, it was well written, narrated, and directed and it was about a topic that interests me.

Close shines in drama with strong language, adult themes.

Blistering performances.

I think this is a new genre that they're all sort of working their way through it and haven't got all the kinks worked out yet but it's a genre that works for me.

I still remember a 10 year old kid with his old man watching The Night Flier, old man understood everything when the kid asked what was that old man replied "Someday you'll understand" and after 18 years just last night I finished watching this movie and all of that nostalgic feelings the memories and the chills hit me with the baseball club.• Review on the movie now:• This movie will always be remain favorite due so many reasons; to start off because of its sentimental values (as my dad is no more with us now) secondly this movie was my introduction to Stephan King and finally for being my first ever horror-film.• The plot alongside its storytelling was absolutely breathtaking, the direction and cinematography was insanely immaculate and the acting was flawless, hats off to the creators and I must say Mr. King would be proud after watching it.• Overall I'll give it 8/10 with the highest recommendations to all the moviegoers out there, "The Night Flier" is a must watch. • The Night Flier will always snatch an extra point for its sentimental values attached to me.• Two Thumbs up.

Perhaps it's because they don't like the sunlight? Why you ask? Well, let's just say it burns them up a bit. 1997's "The Night Flier" is one of those films whose story of a vampire pilot flying from one tiny airport to another using a private plane might sound a bit silly at first but once you start watching it, you simply can't stop. A mysterious pilot flying a black Cessna Skymaster and using the name Dwight Renfield is stalking rural airports, leaving behind mutilated corpses, with no one having the faintest idea where he comes from. It's a story that egotistical, tabloid reporter Richard Dees (Miguel Ferrer) is put on to investigate. Dees doesn't initially think there's much to the story at first, but after a while, the usually uncaring and cynical reporter starts to wonder if there's more to the story than meets the eye with Renfield. Made for HBO, "The Night Flier" works for several reasons, First and foremost is the good job here of expanding upon the short story by horror maestro Stephen King. Mark Paiva's smart direction, combined with composer Brian Keane's soft-piano but creepy score, serve the story well by keeping the viewer enthralled scene by scene. Another plus is lead actor Miguel Ferrer's performance of Richard Dees. Richard Dees is not at all a likable person; he doesn't seem to care about anyone at all and his only concern is the story, the story, and the story. It's only at the end that Dees discovers what it's like to be at the other end, in a very spooky kind of way. Yet at the same time, Ferrer has that ability to keep us fascinated by the character's journey, no matter how low he goes. It's a real testament to Ferrer's ability and only makes me wonder why he isn't in more leading roles. Supporting him is Julie Entwisle as newbie reporter Katherine Blair, Dan Monahan as Dees' slimy boss Morrison, and Michael H. Moss as creature of the night Renfield. And what good would a vampire movie be if we didn't have an awesome creature to go with it. Michael H. Moss plays Renfield as vampires are supposed to be played, as vile, evil beasts that are from your worse nightmares. Helping in that regard is the makeup department, who manage to create one of the coolest and scariest looking blood-suckers ever. "The Night Flier" is dark tale done well with everything you'd expect in a Stephen King story. I don't know what the King thought of this film (Mr. King is somewhat notorious for not liking a number of film adaptations of his work and truth be told, some of them are pretty bad). But as for me it has to rank as one of the better Stephen King adaptations made and also makes me want to read the story it was based off of. So with all that said, if you're in the mood for a little darkness and a little spookiness, check out Stephen King's "The Night Flier". P.S. It's on you tube.

Hoping to score a much-needed cover story, Richard Dees (Miguel Ferrer), unscrupulous hack for sensationalist tabloid Inside View, goes in search of Dwight Renfield AKA The Night Flier, a vampiric killer who travels the country in a black Cessna Skymaster, landing at rural airstrips where he feeds on the locals. Also keen to bag a scoop with The Night Flier is the rag's newest reporter Katherine Blair (Julie Entwisle), but has she got what it takes to do the job?The Night Flier is adapted from one of Stephen King's short stories, and it feels like it, the plot being far too insubstantial for a wholly satisfying feature length film; consequently, there is a lot of filler, mostly in the form of the dull rivalry between slime-ball Dees and ambitious newbie Blair, which soon gets tedious. A delightfully scummy turn from Ferrer (Dees is a character you will love to hate) and some rather gruesome effects from KNB help matters a little, but as Stephen King movies go, this is amongst the more forgettable efforts.5.5 out of 10, generously rounded up to 6 for the hilarious goof where the clean-shaven Dees lands his plane and, just for a fleeting moment, he is the proud owner of a very bushy moustache.

For something based on a Stephen King short story, that looks and sounds like an overly long episode of "Tales from the Darkside", has shockingly little sex and violence, and features a villain who is laugh out loud ludicrous if you think about it, The Night Flier is a stunningly good piece of work. It is honestly creepy, bluntly engrossing and steam powered by a great character and an equally accomplished performance. This is one of those movies where you're waiting for it to suck and instead, it keeps getting better.If I told you this film was about a tabloid reporter chasing after a vampire who wears a full-on Dracula outfit, complete with cape, and pilots a tiny, prop-engine plane from small town airport to small town airport, feasting on the middle-aged and elderly…admit it. That sounds like the premise of a horror parody, doesn't it? I mean, a real vampire who dresses like a Bela Lugosi impersonator? And he doesn't fly by turning into a bat, but by strapping himself into the cockpit of something that looks like a pair of wings got slapped onto a VW hippie van? And he sucks the blood, not from nubile lasses but from members of AARP? Does that sound scary to you?And yet, The Night Flier is one of the more genuinely entertaining horror films I've ever seen. Largely, that's due to the central character of Richard Dees and the snarling integrity Miguel Ferrer gives him. Dees is a veteran reporter for the sort of tabloid rag that wallows in blood, scandal and outrage of all kind. He is also one of the most unrelenting pricks in the history of cinema and Ferrer fills Dees to bursting with insolent, impotent distemper. He has nothing but contempt for all the other people of the world and their delicate sensitivities. Dees is such a thorough-going bastard and Ferrer is so unflinching in his portrayal that the character blasts through any viewer enmity and becomes an admirable figure. You wouldn't want to be sitting next to a son of a bitch like Dees in a bar, but he's exactly the sort of man you want trying to uncover difficult and ugly truths. And whether Dees is jousting with his wickedly jaded editor (Dan Monahan) and a perky female reporter (Julie Entwisle) or slowing unraveling the mystery of The Night Flier, you can't take your eyes off him.If you're looking for non-stop gore, flesh being shredded and disgusting perversion, you'll not find it here. The language is R-rated but the violence is no worse than what can be seen on most network TV cop procedural shows. The emphasis is on suspense and the smoldering anger of Richard Dees. The plot is also pretty simple, with Dees following in the footsteps of The Night Flier until he finally catches up to him. Like I mentioned, this resembles nothing so much as a good, 97 minute long episode of "Tales from the Darkside", right up to the little twist at the end.This is a horror movie made by people who refuse to accept that the genre is only meant to appeal to unthinking teens and nihilistic freaks. They believe horror is for everyone and can engage them on more than the visceral level. It's a stark reminder of how messed up, degenerate and decadent horror films have become. So, The Night Flier isn't just a good movie. It has socially redeeming value, in addition to a buck-toothed blood sucker. What more can you ask for?