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The Survivor (1980)

Director: David Hemmings

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From Time Out Film Guide

An airliner crashes, killing everyone on board except the pilot (Powell), who walks out of the carnage in a daze. Eye witness Agutter makes contact and tries to help him find out what happened. It turns out there's a lot more going on than the aircrash investigators are ever likely to discover, because Ambrose's script is based on a supernatural novel by English schlockmeister James Herbert. Hemmings handles the set-pieces well enough, wisely filming the crash scene at night and using darkness as his ally. We build up a complete picture from brief, panicky impressions. He also delivers on the shocks front - notably when a dead little girl's hand takes hold of Powell's in a soft-focus cemetery scene. Brian May's creepy soundtrack cranks up the tension, but despite the (non-specific) Australian setting, the atmosphere remains chilly. May, Powell, producer Ginnane and Hemmings (as actor rather than director) worked around the same time on Harlequin, another internationally package that didn't gel quite so effectively.

Author: NRo 0000-00-00 00:00:00

Time Out Film Guide