Nerds That Geek Movie Review: ‘The Night Flier’

Written by John Edward Betancourt 

I’ve always found the unspoken rules and expectations that surround protagonists in storytelling to be downright fascinating. Because people really are instantly turned off by ‘heroes’ that are fallible in their own right, or are in a position of power or influence that they abuse, or if they operate in grey areas more often than not, and honestly, I don’t get why this is such a problem in popular media. But I’m sure that expectation relates to the fact that we expect our entertainment to be a pure escape and stories that feature good men and women that hold to their ideals all of the time help lend credence to this, but stories that feature a little bit of our dark side are often incredibly fascinating.
 
Because they help us to grow since they explore what makes people slip into the shadows and I think that’s why I’m such a big supporter of the horror genre as a whole. Because this is a genre that truly takes the time to examine protagonists that are as flawed as they come, and that’s an exploration that definitely gives the audience pause when the story has come to a close and recently, I had the opportunity to revisit a horror film that outright dug deep into some of our worst traits and why we indulge them, in The Night Flier.
 
Now in this particular tale, we are introduced to a reporter named Richard Dees, who works for the scummy tabloid Inside View and Mister Dees, is a bitter, bitter man. And at first glance once could say with confidence that Richard doesn’t believe in anyone or anything, but that would be wrong. Because Richard believes firmly in himself and his abilities to spring the next wild and unfounded story onto the scene and it would seem that the biggest story of his career has fallen into his lap. For there are reports of a vampire running rampant through the countryside at small, independent airports, and putting this sicko on the front page would get the world buzzing about Richard Dees and his abilities as a reporter. But what Richard doesn’t know is that his forthcoming quest for the truth is going to change his life forever since he is about to discover that some of the silly stories about the supernatural that he’s covered over the years, are absolutely true.

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​So, when this adaptation of the Stephen King short story of the same name was released in 1997, it was widely derided by critics and I can see why. Because this is a film that is devoid of any redeemable characters. I mean, Richard is a scumbag through and through and he treats people with zero reverence, since all that he cares about is the story and fortune and glory and that honestly, is why I like this film. Because this is a story that shows us what can happen to people when their dreams dry up, for it was evident to me that Richard always saw his time at Inside View as the gateway to something greater, but instead he found himself stuck, and rather than pull himself out of the mud, he embraced his situation and made others pay for not recognizing his genius.
 
Which adds an odd sense realism to this story, and it makes Richard’s journey all the more tragic since he inspires his own brand of evil in others and that is perhaps the grand and simple lesson of this tale in that, one should treat others as they wish to be treated. Yet while this is a fascinating and bleak character study in its own right, one cannot forget that this is a horror film and a successful one at that. Because everything involving The Night Flier is terrifying and creepy, and the story works to removes the shine and luster that normally surrounds vampires since the monster in question cares little about using tricks and appearances to feed. It’s merely a force of nature and food is all that it cares about and that makes the third act a chilling experience to say the least and that final encounter with Richard and the Flier has its own commentary embedded within it as well.
 
For in essence their long-awaited meeting speaks to Richard’s final steps in selling his soul to the darkness within his heart since he truly sacrifices everything to get the story, cementing his legacy as a rotten human being and that is, a brilliant and tragic ending in its own right. If anything, I firmly believe this is a film that was ahead of its time, and if it were released today it would be quite successful since the market now craves stories that explore the worst parts of mankind. But alas, this one arrived in the ultra-pristine 1990s and sadly, this is a hard one to find these days. But if you get the chance to see it, please do, because this one is bleak and bold doesn’t pull any punches and that’s something that truly needs to be celebrated. 

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