Anoraks Assemble

The Horror at 37,000 Feet is a 1973 supernatural / horror TV movie starring Chuck Connors and William Shatner.

The plot revolves around a flight between London and New York which is carrying an altar stone from an old English abbey. Before long, the passengers and crew are faced with strange demonic forces emanating from the baggage hold.

A bit like flying easyJet.

It turns out that the altar stone is haunted by druids who are unhappy at being uprooted from their home. In fact, they are not just unhappy, they are totally pissed. The only way to placate them is by offering a human sacrifice.

Definitely like flying easyJet.

But fear not, help is at hand in the shape of William Shatner’s drunk ex-priest, Kovalik, which is handy because when a passenger begins reciting Latin, he is able to translate that she is actually quoting a black mass.

Absolutely like flying…okay, yes, you get the picture.

I remember seeing this film when I was a kid and being absolutely terrified by it. But let’s not beat about the bush here, it is awful. It is typical 1970s fare, with the usual rag-tag assortment of actors and characters we would see in any disaster movie of this era.

And talking of the cast, they all take it very seriously, and I am not sure if that is a help or a hindrance. Chuck Connors is in tough guy mode as the captain whilst Paul Winfield adds a touch of class as a passenger who, handily, is a doctor.

And then we have William Shatner, never the most convincing of actors, as the ex-priest, spouting endless profound comments about the futility of faith. And yet, he is the one who steps up bravely and pays the ultimate price.

Also, there is such a clever moment when, towards the end, Kovalik is walking down the plane, flaming torch in hand, in order to confront the ‘enemy’. For a brief moment we see him in his priest garb, as though he has suddenly regained his faith, before the next scene he is back in civilian clothes. It is such a neat touch and quite unexpected.

Somewhere, amongst the over-acting, stereotypical characters and pointy 1970s collars, there is actually quite a clever little story, and it is just a shame it was so poorly executed.