Thursday, June 30, 2011

Takashi Shimizu takes his scares to the skies in English-language "Flight 75"

by Chris MaGee

Oh, air travel... It's not just the middling quality of the single serving meals they dole out, or the cramped conditions in economy class (the J-Film Pow-Wow can't afford business class, thank you very much). No. There are many folks who are downright afraid of flying, and there are a bunch of movies out there that haven't helped them get over this phobia. "Snakes on a Plane", "United 93", "Air Force One", "Fearless" -- the list of air disaster films goes on and on and on. One thing we haven't had before (unless you count that episode of the "Twilight Zone" with the gremlin and William Shatner) is a haunted airplane! Well, it looks like we're going to have it now, and courtesy of a director who really knows his ghosts.

According to Twitch none other than "Ju-on" helmer Takashi Shimizu (above) has been enlisted to direct an English-language horror film for CBS Films titled "Flight 75". Apparently this project is just in the treatment stages right now, but the gist of the film would be that a cross-Pacific flight leaves passengers with more than leg cramps and jet lag. There's a ghost (or ghosts) on board! Could be interesting given that you take spooky spirits and combine them with claustrophobic spaces, turbulence and vomit bags. More on "Flight 75" as word leaks out.

2 comments:

Peter Nellhaus said...

Have you seen the Thai horror anthology, 4bia? The last episode is about a ghost on a plane, "The Last Fright".

Chris MaGee said...

Haven't seen that one, but will check it out. Seeing that so many folks are afraid of flying the idea of setting a horror film of a plane is a formula that hasn't been mined enough... at least to my knowledge.