Leofwine_draca
Films like this fill me with hope for straight-to-video flicks. For hours I'll sit through endless trash, totally irredeemable and pointless. But occasionally, very occasionally, something interesting will turn up, as is the case with this film. Don't be put off by the fact it's been languishing in the dark for nearly three years before release in the UK, as THE NIGHT FLIER is a highly enjoyable and in some ways, old-fashioned, thriller.The plot comes across a bit like an episode of THE X-FILES, with a journalist (instead of an FBI agent) interviewing suspects and gradually getting closer and closer to the killer of the story. This isn't cliché land, though, as the 'hero' of the story, played by Miguel Ferrer, is for a change a totally heartless character, out for his story and nothing else. In fact there are no sympathetic people in this film at all, everybody is out for themselves, whether it be for fame, fortune, or just plain food in the vampire's case. A lot of people found Ferrer's performance to be misjudged and criminal, that in a lot of ways he is actually more evil than the vampire he seeks. Ferrer is cynical to the point of hopelessness, walking around with his camera and snapping dead people like a birdwatcher would take pictures of birds. A car accident he coincidentally passes he regards as a "bonus", photographing the sprawled corpses with relish. Although Ferrer seems to be typecast in villainous roles, it's something he does brilliantly.And I did feel sorry for him too by the time the finale arrived. Okay, so he had been warped by the sickness around him, but he was still human, just at mercy from the own dark side of his soul. Unfortunately, apart from Ferrer's performance, the rest of the acting in the film is of a low standard, with Julie Entwistle supplying a pretty face but little depth. Thankfully Ferrer is on screen for most of the running time (yes, the film focuses on him instead of the vampire, refreshingly). I was glad that this film didn't bother with all the standard talk about vampires being killed with garlic and stakes, in fact the makers knew that the audience would already know what a vampire was so there was little reason to explain.Okay, so the film does fall foul of some of the conventions of modern horror (i.e. the scenery is littered with bloodied corpses at every opportunity, there's little plot to move things along, it's more like a series of linked scenes), but it overcomes these flaws and turns out to be a nice little gem of a film, offbeat and different enough to appeal to the fan tired of slug-like films, bloated with gore, like WISHMASTER and its sequel. The vampire himself wears an old fashioned cape (I would have sworn it was the one that previously belonged to Lugosi, except he was buried in it) and looks like a decayed version of the guy from SALEM'S LOT. The makeup is very good, and used only briefly to be more shocking (except thanks to advertisers they smeared the image in close up all over the posters and video boxes, ruining the impact. This really annoyed me as the vampire's face was hidden throughout the film, yet the suspense coming from his unknown appearance was ruined by the stupid box designers). The gore level is quite high, especially in the last third, and mainly takes the form of bloodied bodies.One thing that is brilliant about this film is the twist ending, which I won't spoil, only to say that it's very similar to the ending of ARLINGTON ROAD and just as effective. There's a hallucinogenic moment where Ferrer is forced to drink the vampire's blood and sees the dead coming back to life around him, enshrouded in mist, just like in NIGHT OF THE LIVING DEAD; made more effective through the use of black and white. I loved the corpse with flashing eyes saying "can you look this way?", a reflection of what Ferrer had become, a camera and no conscience. THE NIGHT FLIER somewhat bravely breaks the boundaries of the genre, and, although disliked by many, definitely deserves at least one watch. It's also one of those films which has a long-standing appeal and can be enjoyed more than once, because it's not just about special effects.
Scott LeBrun
The Stephen King story gets a solid adaptation thanks to co-writer Jack O'Donnell and co- writer / director Mark Pavia. One of its most interesting aspects is the fact that tabloid reporter Richard Dees, a minor character in the King novel "The Dead Zone", is brought to the forefront here. And he's far from being a hero. In fact, he's the kind of protagonist whom the viewer will relish loathing. He's a cold hearted, cynical, miserable s.o.b. who will re- arrange dead bodies at crime scenes for a better photo. Played here by a typically excellent Miguel Ferrer, Dees finally latches onto a story that will affect him at gut level, as he tracks a mysterious, blood sucking serial killer who flies a black Cessna plane from one isolated airport to another, and murders one or more locals before moving on.Pavia does a very fine job of establishing, and maintaining, a sober mood, while also adding dark comedy elements. Things predictably get very gory, but there's a substantial amount of atmosphere as well. Filmed on location in Wilmington, it begins on an appreciably ominous note. The characters make this an interesting journey, with Ferrer at his best. Cute Phoebe Cates lookalike Julie Entwisle contrasts with him nicely as the appealing wannabe reporter who at first doesn't seem cut out to work for a tabloid. Dan Monahan of the "Porky's" series is fun as Dees's boss who's just as much of a sleaze as his star reporter but has a more upbeat attitude. And Michael H. Moss makes the most of limited screen time as our cunning vampire villain.Kudos to the KNB guys for creating what has to be one of THE ugliest vampires in film history, easily able to stand alongside Count Orlok in "Nosferatu" and Mr. Barlow in 'Salem's Lot' '79. Brian Keane composed a reasonably haunting and effective music score. Nice black & white finale, too.Those horror fans disheartened by the over abundance of less than stellar film versions of Kings' stories are advised to give "The Night Flier" a look.Eight out of 10.
ctomvelu1
Veteran tabloid reporter Miguel Ferrer is on the trail of a savage killer who flies from rural airport to rural airport in search of victims. Soon enough the reporter begins to realize he's pursuing a blood-sucking vampire, Dracula cape and all. Shades of The Night Stalker! At some point, the killer starts warning the reporter off, to no avail. The story takes time to build, and the killer is barely glimpsed until the last five minutes. Keeping him in the shadows until the final confrontation, also done in The Nigh Stalker, pays off big time for the very shocking and bittersweet ending. Ferrer is intense as usual, and the supporting cast is populated by some pretty colorful characters. I was most intrigued by a scene where the reporter, already sensing something supernatural about his prey,finds the killer's empty plane on a tarmac and climbs inside, only to discover the controls rusted and ruined and the entire cockpit saturated with blood.
