The Langoliers
1995
Original language: English
- sci-fi & fantasy
- mystery
The story
A jet leaves on a red-eye flight from Los Angeles to Boston. But early in the flight, ten passengers awaken to a startling realization: All of the other passengers have vanished.
What it’s like
Sun-washed daylight through oval airliner windows, then sickly fluorescent gloom in a cabin of empty seats and abandoned coffee cups, shot in the warm, slightly soft texture of 1990s network television. The mood is uneasy and eerie rather than frightening: a small group of strangers wanders a deserted plane and a barren landscape while something unseen gains ground behind them. The pacing is brisk and episodic, with long stretches of quiet unease broken by sudden confrontations and a steady drumbeat of mounting suspense. Its people are ordinary travelers pulled together by panic, and the emotional arc follows them learning to trust one another under pressure. Violence is limited and mostly implied, with some peril, a few deaths, and no gore; there is no sexual content, and the scares are startling bursts rather than sustained horror. It suits a rainy evening, a comfort-with-mild-chills watch, or anyone who enjoys uncanny sci-fi with a Twilight Zone flavour and a clear sense of place.
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