The Night Flier
Encyclopedia
"The Night Flier" is a horror
short story by Stephen King
, first published in the anthology Prime Evil: New Stories by the Masters of Modern Horror
, and then in King's own 1993
Nightmares and Dreamscapes collection.
The story was made into a 1997 film of the same title
.
who travels between small airports in a Cessna Skymaster
, gruesomely killing people in a way that leads Dees to think the man is a lunatic who believes himself to be a vampire
.
After only a few days of interviewing witnesses and following the killer's trail in his own Cessna, Dees overtakes the Night Flier during a violent thunderstorm at Wilmington International Airport
, and quickly learns that he is badly mistaken about his would-be quarry: it is, indeed, a vampire that is doing the killings. After Dees watches the Night Flier casually empty the bloody contents of his bladder into an airport urinal (or as much of this act as he can see reflected in a mirror), the creature warns off his "would-be biographer", destroys his photographic evidence, and leaves the mortally-shaken reporter amidst a scene of carnage to be arrested by the police.
The movie adaptation follows the original plot fairly closely (and maintains Dees' deeply unsympathetic nature), except for adding a rival in the form of up-and-coming female reporter, and changing Dees' ultimate fate.
. In the notes of Nightmares and Dreamscapes, King states that the Night Flier could also be the titular character of his short story "Popsy".
The character of the Night Flier is used by Kim Newman
in his short story, "You Are the Wind Beneath My Wings". In it, he is paired with the character Rainbird from Firestarter
, with both working for The Shop
. Newman gives the Night Flier the name of Andrews.
The Inside View tabloid is a sensationalist publication pushing blood, gore, and mystery stories about alien abductions and the like, and has also been mentioned in other of King's stories and novels. In describing the tabloid's stated market position of supplying thrilling blood and gore stories to the audience of the aging baby-boomers
, King seems to self-consciously satirize
his own craft of horror
writing.
Horror fiction
Horror fiction also Horror fantasy is a philosophy of literature, which is intended to, or has the capacity to frighten its readers, inducing feelings of horror and terror. It creates an eerie atmosphere. Horror can be either supernatural or non-supernatural...
short story by Stephen King
Stephen King
Stephen Edwin King is an American author of contemporary horror, suspense, science fiction and fantasy fiction. His books have sold more than 350 million copies and have been adapted into a number of feature films, television movies and comic books...
, first published in the anthology Prime Evil: New Stories by the Masters of Modern Horror
Prime Evil (anthology)
Prime Evil is an anthology of horror short stories edited by Douglas E. Winter. It was first published in 1988 by New American Library. With the exception of the Dennis Etchison story, "The Blood Kiss", the stories are original to this anthology....
, and then in King's own 1993
1993 in literature
The year 1993 in literature involved some significant events and new books.-Events:*Professor Stephen Hawking's book, A Brief History of Time, becomes the longest running book on the bestseller list of The Sunday Times....
Nightmares and Dreamscapes collection.
The story was made into a 1997 film of the same title
The Night Flier (film)
The Night Flier is a 1997 film based on the short story of the same name which was written by Stephen King. It was directed by Mark Pavia and starred Miguel Ferrer and Julie Entwisle.-Synopsis:...
.
Plot summary
The story centers on Richard Dees, a deeply cynical reporter from a trashy supermarket tabloid called The Inside View. Dees' current subject of investigation is the Night Flier, an apparent serial killerSerial killer
A serial killer, as typically defined, is an individual who has murdered three or more people over a period of more than a month, with down time between the murders, and whose motivation for killing is usually based on psychological gratification...
who travels between small airports in a Cessna Skymaster
Cessna Skymaster
The Cessna Skymaster is a United States twin-engine civil utility aircraft built in a push-pull configuration. Its engines are mounted in the nose and rear of its pod-style fuselage. Twin booms extend aft of the wings to the vertical stabilizers, with the rear engine between them. The horizontal...
, gruesomely killing people in a way that leads Dees to think the man is a lunatic who believes himself to be a vampire
Vampire (Stephen King)
Vampires appear throughout Stephen King's fictional multiverse. They appear in the novels Salem's Lot, Wolves of the Calla, Song of Susannah, and The Dark Tower; the short stories "One for the Road", "The Night Flier", "Popsy", and "The Little Sisters of Eluria"; and are mentioned in a number of...
.
After only a few days of interviewing witnesses and following the killer's trail in his own Cessna, Dees overtakes the Night Flier during a violent thunderstorm at Wilmington International Airport
Wilmington International Airport
-Other operations:As of August 2011, Wilmington International Airport has 134 aircraft that are based at the Airport. There are 100 single engine aircraft, 27 multi-engine aircraft, 7 jet engine aircraft, and 3 helicopters...
, and quickly learns that he is badly mistaken about his would-be quarry: it is, indeed, a vampire that is doing the killings. After Dees watches the Night Flier casually empty the bloody contents of his bladder into an airport urinal (or as much of this act as he can see reflected in a mirror), the creature warns off his "would-be biographer", destroys his photographic evidence, and leaves the mortally-shaken reporter amidst a scene of carnage to be arrested by the police.
The movie adaptation follows the original plot fairly closely (and maintains Dees' deeply unsympathetic nature), except for adding a rival in the form of up-and-coming female reporter, and changing Dees' ultimate fate.
Connections to other works
Dees previously made a brief appearance in King's novel The Dead ZoneThe Dead Zone (novel)
The Dead Zone is a horror novel by Stephen King published in 1979. It concerns Johnny Smith, who is injured in an accident and enters a coma for nearly five years. When he emerges, he can see horrifying secrets but cannot identify all the details in his "dead zone", an area of his brain that...
. In the notes of Nightmares and Dreamscapes, King states that the Night Flier could also be the titular character of his short story "Popsy".
The character of the Night Flier is used by Kim Newman
Kim Newman
Kim Newman is an English journalist, film critic, and fiction writer. Recurring interests visible in his work include film history and horror fiction—both of which he attributes to seeing Tod Browning's Dracula at the age of eleven—and alternate fictional versions of history...
in his short story, "You Are the Wind Beneath My Wings". In it, he is paired with the character Rainbird from Firestarter
Firestarter
Firestarter is a novel by Stephen King first published in 1980. It was nominated for a British Fantasy Award in 1981.The book is dedicated to the author Shirley Jackson: "In Memory of Shirley Jackson, who never needed to raise her voice."...
, with both working for The Shop
The Shop (Stephen King)
The Shop is a fictional, top secret United States government agency in the writings of Stephen King. It plays a central role as the antagonist in the novel Firestarter, the miniseries Golden Years, and the film The Lawnmower Man, and is an element of the novel The Tommyknockers...
. Newman gives the Night Flier the name of Andrews.
The Inside View tabloid is a sensationalist publication pushing blood, gore, and mystery stories about alien abductions and the like, and has also been mentioned in other of King's stories and novels. In describing the tabloid's stated market position of supplying thrilling blood and gore stories to the audience of the aging baby-boomers
Baby boom
A baby boom is any period marked by a greatly increased birth rate. This demographic phenomenon is usually ascribed within certain geographical bounds and when the number of annual births exceeds 2 per 100 women...
, King seems to self-consciously satirize
Satire
Satire is primarily a literary genre or form, although in practice it can also be found in the graphic and performing arts. In satire, vices, follies, abuses, and shortcomings are held up to ridicule, ideally with the intent of shaming individuals, and society itself, into improvement...
his own craft of horror
Horror fiction
Horror fiction also Horror fantasy is a philosophy of literature, which is intended to, or has the capacity to frighten its readers, inducing feelings of horror and terror. It creates an eerie atmosphere. Horror can be either supernatural or non-supernatural...
writing.