The Night Flier

"Evil has a flight plan."

1997 1h 33m EN

😐

6.0

MID

🥫

33%

ROTTEN

😬

METACRITIC

⭐

IMDB

★6.0TMDB · 273🥫33%Rotten Tomatoes●36Metacritic★6IMDB · 12,503

HorrorMystery

Synopsis

Spoiler shield

For cynical tabloid journo Richard Dees, facts are always stranger than fiction. Every headline is a dead-line. Serial killers, UFO abductions, tales of molestation, mayhem and murder. To some the tales are mere sleazy fantasy – but his faithful readers believe. And now there's a new story: The Night Flier. What is it that travels by night in a dark-winged Cessna, lands at secluded airfields and murders local residents? Dees begins to track the unknown killer in a Cessna of his own, uncovering clues that reveal a pilot more terrifying than he could have ever imagined.

“Evil has a flight plan.”

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Cast

Miguel Ferrer
Richard Dees
Julie Entwisle
Katherine 'Jimmy' 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

Credits

Behind the camera

Director: Mark Pavia
Writers: Mark Pavia, Jack O'Donnell, Stephen King
Languages: English
Countries: Italy, United States of America

Want more? Switch to Cinephile mode in the header for DP, composer, budget, box office, production companies, keywords, and release history.

Did you know?

Fun facts 🍿

1 / 8

MONEY

Did you know

Shot for just $1.0M — micro-budget by Hollywood standards.

MoodPlayr · trivia#01

2 / 8

MONEY

Did you know

Earned back only 13% of its budget on initial theatrical — a commercial disappointment on release.

MoodPlayr · trivia#02

3 / 8

ERA

Did you know

29 years old — old enough to be someone's favourite childhood film.

MoodPlayr · trivia#03

4 / 8

WORLD

Did you know

International production across 2 countries: Italy, United States of America.

MoodPlayr · trivia#04

5 / 8

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Directed by Mark Pavia, shot by David Connell. Note their partnership — DPs and directors often return to each other across a career.

MoodPlayr · trivia#05

6 / 8

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Original score by Brian Keane. Worth a dedicated listen after — most great films lose half their impact without the score.

MoodPlayr · trivia#06

7 / 8

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Editor Elizabeth Schwartz shaped the rhythm. On an edit-heavy film, the editor does more to control your pulse than the director.

MoodPlayr · trivia#07

8 / 8

CAST

Did you know

Miguel Ferrer and Julie Entwisle and Dan Monahan carry the top of the cast.

MoodPlayr · trivia#08

Cinephile deep dive

The take

Mark Pavia directs. David Connell behind the camera. Brian Keane scores. Elizabeth Schwartz cuts. Runs lean at under 100 minutes. A commercial under-performer on release. Produced in Italy, United States of America. Dialogue in English.

Trivia

Things worth knowing

1Shot for just $1.0M — micro-budget by Hollywood standards.
2Earned back only 13% of its budget on initial theatrical — a commercial disappointment on release.
329 years old — old enough to be someone's favourite childhood film.
4International production across 2 countries: Italy, United States of America.
5Directed by Mark Pavia, shot by David Connell. Note their partnership — DPs and directors often return to each other across a career.
6Original score by Brian Keane. Worth a dedicated listen after — most great films lose half their impact without the score.
7Editor Elizabeth Schwartz shaped the rhythm. On an edit-heavy film, the editor does more to control your pulse than the director.
8Miguel Ferrer and Julie Entwisle and Dan Monahan carry the top of the cast.
9Marketing tagline: "Evil has a flight plan.".
10IMDB entry: tt0119784 — still the authoritative cross-reference for credits and trivia.
11Classified under 11 themes, including "journalist", "airplane", "airport", "vampire".
12Released under 18 different titles around the world.

The technical file

Cinematography: David Connell
Original score: Brian Keane
Editing: Elizabeth Schwartz
Production design: Burton Rencher
Costume design: Pauline White-Kassulke
Makeup / hair: Howard Berger
VFX supervisor: Oliver Rockwell
Sound: Ken Hahn
Stunt coordinator: John Copeman
Runtime: 93 min · 1h 33m
Aspect ratio (typical): 1.37:1 (Academy)
Status: Released
Budget: $1,000,000
Box office: $125,397
Return: 13% of budget
Original language: EN
Certification (US): R
IMDB: The Night Flier (1997)
Rotten Tomatoes: 33% 🥫 Rotten
Metacritic: 36/100
IMDB rating: 6/10 · 12,503 votes
MPAA: R

Awards

1 win & 2 nominations total

Also by

Mark Pavia

Stills · wallpapers

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Wallpaper

Trailers & featurettes

Watch the pieces

Community reviews

What people are saying

Gimly2017-05-13
★ 6/10
I'd love it if 99% of the marketing for this movie didn't involve giving away the vampire's appearance, because that wholly original reveal is one of the best parts of The Night Flier. Final rating:★★★ - I personally recommend you give it a go.

Production companies