Good concept, poorly executed.

best movie i've ever seen.

The performances transcend the film's tropes, grounding it in characters that feel more complete than this subgenre often produces.

It is encouraging that the film ends so strongly.Otherwise, it wouldn't have been a particularly memorable film

Stephen King, the master of deliriously high concept horror, strikes again with The Night Flier, a gruesome, clever and painfully overlooked HBO midnite movie, starring everyone's favourite grouchy pants, Miguel Ferrer, or Albert Rosenfield to any good Twin Peaks fans out there. Via a creepy take on tabloid journalism and the insidious obsession it breeds, King and Co. take a look at the way words get twisted from fact to bombastic fiction, the jaded reality one arrives at after working too long in such a field, and the hilarious possibility that such ridiculous, "made up" horrors one fabricates might in fact be a reality. Acid tongued Ferrer plays Richard Dees, a bitter and depressingly cynical trash reporter who is one drink away from the gutter and two lousy stories away from retirement, an acrid soul who lives by the mantra "Don't believe what you publish, and don't publish what you believe" (a pearl of wisdom that I imagine is rattling around King's own skull, when we look at the sacrilege being wrought upon his magnum opus The Dark Tower in its cinematic emergence, particularly in regards to the casting of Roland the Gunslinger). Dees is on the hunt for en elusive serial killer who pilots an unnamed Cessna across the Midwest, slaughtering people in and around remote airports before vanishing into the night. Vampiric in origin and very hard to track down, this fiend uses the dark as his ally and seems to slip uncannily across America's airspace, leaving a wake of bloody murder in his path that gives any old tabloid yarn a run for its money. Jaded Dees gets more than his usual brand of hoaxes and pranks, and seems oddly, morbidly drawn to this spree of horrific crimes, eerily willing to follow the Night Flier into the very jaws of Cerberus himself, if only to find exodus from his pointless, roundabout existence. All of King's beloved qualities are at play here; grotesque practical effects, gnawing existential calamity, a light at the end of a tunnel that seems to crush our protagonist before they can reach it, and clever morality plays buried like demonic Easter eggs amidst the corn syrup and latex. An overlooked treat.

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.

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.

I'd like to add my own comment to this movie because I have some personal fondness for it. The reviews around here aren't so unfavorable either, but I'd like to up the praise a little. I'll also keep this spoiler-free, how about that.So what do I like about "The Night Flier"?a. Overall atmosphere. Right from the start, there is a thick air of mystery. Sometimes it retreats into the background, but it never goes away. It's not only mystery, but also a presence of the supernatural; an awareness of some being with more than human powers.b. Music. Supports the atmosphere very nicely. This applies especially to what you could call the main theme - the theme of the night flier's plane.c. Tempo. Almost perfect, just slightly on the slow side here and there maybe.d. Characters. The different reporter characters - especially our "special couple" (you'll understand when you watch the movie) - bounce off each other perfectly. Add their respective relationships to the evil guy - and to evil in general -, and you have fertile soil for an interesting story.e. Story. Following up on item d, yes, an interesting story was indeed written - mostly by Stephen King I guess (haven't read his book).f. Cast. Interesting actors. It's got Miguel Ferrer in it, and he fits his role 100%. Also, I love that plane repair hick and the way he talks. It's just quirky and cool. Oh, and the villain's voice: Genius - pure genius.g. Acting. Good. Just good. Can't complain about anyone really.h. Repeated viewability. I've watched this flick quite a few times now, and it still grasps me. I do skip some of the scenes anyway. Some of the stuff is decidedly too graphic for my taste.i. Source of inspiration. "The Night Flier" teaches a lot about people who seek to understand the extremes in the world: the best and the worst. Well, the movie focuses more on the latter.As for criticism: My only complaint might concern the ending. It's a bit over the top and I didn't quite like the resolution they came up with.Watching "The Night Flier", for me, is a kind of redeeming experience. Maybe it will be for you too? When the voice of the evil flier (or God masquerading as such) woos you, you'll know you're called and you'll know what to do: Go to your favorite movie outlet and ask for: The Night Flier.