What I appreciate with TV-movies is the lack of budget and restrictions from the channel. There’s not money to be spectacular and you can’t show or tell to much without getting a bashing from some idiotic, moralistic boss somewhere. But these restrictions - much like how cinema have evolved in less-than-democratic countries - has brought a creativity to the productions, a rare form of trying so hard to do something that in its own way succeeds in what other bigger-budgeted productions fail. I’m also a fan of slumming actors, you know, when semi-famous actors just have to work to get bread on the table and feed the kids. Why? Because I honestly think they’re often better under pressure. More naturalistic, less to lose. Sometimes, like in The Horror at 37,000 Feet, this goes over to some kind of over-acting, but I can only read it as “We’re having a lot of fun and we’re getting a nice paycheck at the same time”. Anyway, the story in this classic flick is so much fun:
On an airplane from London to…well, somewhere in the US, is packed with stereotypes: the alcoholic priest who lost his faith, the womanizing b-movie star going home after shooting a movie in Italy, the black super-british doctor, the little girl who travels alone with her doll, the rich architect and his wife on a nervous breakdown, a seductive photo model, the older dominant business man/patriarch, a couple of hostesses and of course Chuck Connors as the brave pilot. Do I even have to say that William Shatner is the depressed, cynical ex-priest? Perfect casting! This becomes even more fun when the architect actually is importing a part of an ancient church and by accident brings with him an ancient Druid stone… and now the Druid spirit (or what the hell it is!) wants a human sacrifice to let the airplane leave the airstream it’s stuck in! One of the best scenes is when our heroes tries to sacrifice the little girl’s doll to the Druids by attaching real hair and lipstick to it’s head! Brilliant!
The Horror at 37,000 Feet is nothing short of genius… in it’s own very special, stupid way. This was a time when it was completely okay for all men to either believe all the women are hysterical or imagining stuff or call them baby or honey all the time! The only thing missing is the traditional slap in the face to make her come to her sense again. What a time, eh? And imagining we have people today who fight to keep it that way, to go back to that age of accepted abuse against women and children? In a movie like this it feels less dangerous, mostly because it quite closely resembles a parody. Everything is so over-the-top, and even if some of the stuff is quite effective it still becomes funny when a dog is frozen stiff in the middle of an attack or ghostly smoke comes pouring from the carpet. The doll sacrifice is a blast!
The characters are very flat, but the actors keeps trying to give them life - and I think they handle it quite well. Shatner is, as usual, wonderful. He’s acting abilities are severely underrated and his timing is impeccable. You rarely see an uninspired job from The Shatner, and this is another fine performance. Will Hutchins is a lot of fun as the silly western actor and Tammy Grimes is both annoying and very effective as the… annoying Mrs Pinder, who just wants to sets everything right and is quite rude ALL THE FUCKING TIME.
A drunk William Shatner vs a Druid Ghost on an airplane, that kinda describes The Horror at 37,000 Feet quite good. And you all should watch it now. Or else...
"The Horror at 37,000 Feet is nothing short of genius… in it’s own very special, stupid way."
I believe you.....dolls being sacrificed, Shatner, druid stones....what´s not to like?
"This was a time when it was completely okay for all men to either believe all the women are hysterical or imagining stuff or call them baby or honey all the time!"
Ahhhh.....the good old times...hahahhahahhah
"The only thing missing is the traditional slap in the face to make her come to her sense again."
Some of these films actually contain that....
"Shatner is, as usual, wonderful. He’s acting abilities are severely underrated and his timing is impeccable."
You got to love the guy.
"A drunk William ShatnerWilliam Shatner vs a Druid Ghost on an airplane, that kinda describes The Horror at 37,000 Feet quite good. And you all should watch it now. Or else..."
Or else what?
You will sacrifice my favorite teddybear to Cthulhu?
Damn you!
Good review and thanks.
Posted by: Megatron | April 12, 2014 at 00:47