''The Horror at 37,000 Feet'' is a 1973 American

supernatural horror Horror is a genre of speculative fiction that is intended to disturb, frighten, or scare an audience. Horror is often divided into the sub-genres of psychological horror and supernatural horror. Literary historian J. A. Cuddon, in 1984, defi ...

television film A television film, alternatively known as a television movie, made-for-TV film/movie, telefilm, telemovie or TV film/movie, is a film with a running time similar to a feature film that is produced and originally distributed by or to a Terrestr ...

directed by

David Lowell Rich David Lowell Rich (August 31, 1920 – October 21, 2001) was an American film director and producer. He directed nearly 100 films and TV episodes between 1950 and 1987. He was born in New York City. He began directing on a regular basis in 1 ...

. The film stars

Chuck Connors Kevin Joseph "Chuck" Connors (April 10, 1921 – November 10, 1992) was an American actor and professional basketball and baseball player. He is one of only 13 athletes in the history of American professional sports to have played in both Majo ...

Buddy Ebsen Buddy Ebsen (born Christian Ludolf Ebsen Jr.; April 2, 1908 – July 6, 2003), also known as Frank "Buddy" Ebsen, was an American actor and dancer. One of his most famous roles was as Jed Clampett in the CBS television sitcom ''The Beverly Hillb ...

Tammy Grimes Tammy Lee Grimes (January 30, 1934 – October 30, 2016) was an American film and stage actress and singer. Grimes won two Tony Awards in her career, the first for originating the role of Molly Tobin in the musical '' The Unsinkable Molly Brow ...

William Shatner William Shatner (born March 22, 1931) is a Canadian actor. In a career spanning seven decades, he is best known for his portrayal of James T. Kirk in the ''Star Trek'' franchise, from his 1966 debut as the captain of the starship USS Enterpri ...

, and

Paul Winfield Paul Edward Winfield (May 22, 1939 – March 7, 2004) was an American actor. He was known for his portrayal of a Louisiana sharecropper who struggles to support his family during the Great Depression in the landmark film '' Sounder'' (1972), whi ...

. It centers on hapless passengers and crew members plagued by

demon A demon is a malevolent supernatural entity. Historically, belief in demons, or stories about demons, occurs in folklore, mythology, religion, occultism, and literature; these beliefs are reflected in Media (communication), media including f ...

ic forces from within the

baggage hold An airliner is a type of airplane for transporting passengers and air cargo. Such aircraft are most often operated by airlines. The modern and most common variant of the airliner is a long, tube shaped, and jet powered aircraft. The largest ...

Plot

On a

Boeing 747 The Boeing 747 is a long-range wide-body aircraft, wide-body airliner designed and manufactured by Boeing Commercial Airplanes in the United States between 1968 and 2023. After the introduction of the Boeing 707, 707 in October 1958, Pan Am ...

flight from London to New York piloted by Captain Ernie Slade (

), a wealthy architect (

Roy Thinnes Roy Thinnes (; born April 6, 1938) is an American former television and film actor best known for his portrayal of lonely hero David Vincent in the American Broadcasting Company, ABC 1967–68 television series ''The Invaders''. He starred in th ...

) and his wife ( Jane Merrow) have placed a

druid A druid was a member of the high-ranking priestly class in ancient Celtic cultures. The druids were religious leaders as well as legal authorities, adjudicators, lorekeepers, medical professionals and political advisors. Druids left no wr ...

ic sacrificial

altar An altar is a table or platform for the presentation of religion, religious offerings, for sacrifices, or for other ritualistic purposes. Altars are found at shrines, temples, Church (building), churches, and other places of worship. They are use ...

in the baggage hold of the airliner. Aboard for the ill-fated trip are ex-priest Paul Kovalik (

) and millionaire Glenn Farlee (

). Soon after takeoff, crew and passengers alike face the supernatural horror that is unleashed from the baggage compartment — the ghosts of the druids, seeking revenge for being uprooted from their ancient home. After the demonic ghosts force the plane back towards London with gale-force winds, they begin freezing the plane's interior. The spirits then torment the passengers with horrific visions and feats of telekinesis. The passengers try to trick the ghosts by sacrificing a doll to them, but it only further angers the spirits. After a few of the passengers and crew are killed, Kovalik moves to the rear of the plane to try and determine what the spirits want. It turns out, they wish to be returned to their ancestral burial grounds, and they require a human sacrifice. An emergency door is then blown open and Kovalik is sucked out of the plane to his death, satisfying the ghosts. They then allow the 747 to land safely.

Cast

as Captain Ernie Slade *

as Glenn Farlee *

as Mrs. Pinder * Lynn Loring as Manya * Jane Merrow as Sheila O'Neill *

France Nuyen France Nuyen (born France Nguyễn Vân Nga on 31 July 1939) is a French-American actress, model, and psychological counselor. She is known to film audiences for playing romantic leads in '' South Pacific'' (1958), '' Satan Never Sleeps'' (1962 ...

as Annalik *

as Paul Kovalik *

as Alan O'Neill *

as Dr. Enkalla *

Will Hutchins Marshall Lowell Hutchason (May 5, 1930 – April 21, 2025), known professionally as Will Hutchins, was an American actor most noted for playing the lead role of the young lawyer Tom Brewster, in the Western television series '' Sugarfoot'', ...

as Steve Holcomb * Darleen Carr as Margot * Brenda Benet as Sally *

Russell Johnson Russell David Johnson (November 10, 1924 – January 16, 2014) was an American actor. He played Professor Roy Hinkley in '' Gilligan's Island'' and Marshal Gib Scott in '' Black Saddle''. Early life Johnson was born in Ashley, Pennsylvania, ...

as Jim Hawley * H. M. Wynant as Frank Driscoll * Mia Bendixsen as Jodi * Gerald Peters as Tractor Loader *

Robert Donner Robert Donner (April 27, 1931 – June 8, 2006) was an American television and film actor. Early life Donner was born in New York City on April 27, 1931. He was raised in New Jersey, Michigan and Texas. He spent four years in the United States N ...

as Dispatcher * Peter Ashton as Clerk * Veronica Anderson as 2nd Clerk

Production

''The Horror at 37,000 Feet'' was entirely shot on sound stages at the

CBS Studio Center Radford Studio Center, alternatively CBS Studio Center, is a television and film studio located in the Studio City district in the San Fernando Valley of Los Angeles, California, United States. The lot has 18 sound stages from , of office spac ...

Studio City, Los Angeles Studio City is a neighborhood in Los Angeles, California, United States, in the southeast San Fernando Valley, just west of the Cahuenga Pass. It is named after the studio lot that was established in the area by film producer Mack Sennett in ...

California California () is a U.S. state, state in the Western United States that lies on the West Coast of the United States, Pacific Coast. It borders Oregon to the north, Nevada and Arizona to the east, and shares Mexico–United States border, an ...

Reception

In a later review, critic Richard Scheib commented: "The Horror at 37,000 Feet is a silly film, although to its credit it and most of the principals do maintain a degree of intent gravity and at least treat the exercise seriously." Shatner described his character's demise in the movie as one of his "unique ways" of dying: "I get sucked out of an airplane while carrying a lit torch into the airliner's baggage compartment to try to confront a druid ghost." According to Shatner, many of his fans consider the movie the worst film in which he has ever appeared.Shatner and Fishe
2009, pp. 167–168.
/ref> The movie debuted on CBS on February 13, 1973, as the "CBS Tuesday Movie" and was the sixth-most watched primetime show of the week, with a 25.9 rating.(20 June 2010
Nielsen Top 10, February 12th – February 18th, 1973
''Television Obscurities''

References

Notes Bibliography * Roberts, Jerry. ''Encyclopedia of Television Film Directors''. Lanham, Maryland: Scarecrow Press, 2009. . * Shatner, William and David Fisher. ''Up Till Now: The Autobiography''. New York: MacMillan, 2009. . * Young, R.G. ''The Encyclopedia of Fantastic Film: Ali Baba to Zombies''. Winona, Minnesota: Hal Leonard Corporation, 2000. .

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Horror at 37, 000 Feet, The 1973 films 1973 horror films 1973 television films 1970s ghost films 1970s supernatural horror films American aviation films American ghost films American supernatural horror films American horror television films CBS films Demons in film Films about aviation accidents or incidents Films directed by David Lowell Rich Films set on airplanes Films shot in Los Angeles 1970s English-language films 1970s American films English-language horror films