NIGHTWING (1979) – Episode 222 – Decades of Horror 1970s

“I’ve decided to end the world. They all have to go.” Well, you can forget about cleaning the house, then. Join your faithful Grue Crew – Doc Rotten, Bill Mulligan, Chad Hunt, and Jeff Mohr – as they check out some Indigenous American culture infused with apocalyptic horror in Nightwing (1979).

Decades of Horror 1970s
Episode 222 – Nightwing (1979)

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Decades of Horror 1970s is partnering with the WICKED HORROR TV CHANNEL (https://wickedhorrortv.com/) which now includes video episodes of the podcast and is available on Roku, AppleTV, Amazon FireTV, AndroidTV, and its online website across all OTT platforms, as well as mobile, tablet, and desktop.

Killer bats plague an Indian reservation in New Mexico.

• Directed by: Arthur Hiller
• Writing Credits: Steve Shagan & Bud Shrake & Martin Cruz Smith; (1977 novel by) Martin Cruz Smith
• Music by: Henry Mancini
• Cinematography by: Charles Rosher Jr. (director of photography) (as Charles Rosher)
• Visual Effects by: Carlo Rambaldi (special visual effects)
• Selected Cast:
  • Nick Mancuso as Youngman Duran
  • David Warner as Phillip Payne
  • Kathryn Harrold as Anne Dillon
  • Stephen Macht as Walker Chee
  • Strother Martin as Selwyn
  • George Clutesi as Abner Tasupi
  • Ben Piazza as Roger Piggott
  • Donald Hotton as John Franklin
  • Charles Hallahan as Henry
  • Judith Novgrod as Judy
  • Alice Hirson as Claire Franklin
  • Pat Corley as Vet
  • Charlie L. Bird as Beejay (as Charlie bird)
  • Danny Zapien as Joe Mamoa
  • Peter Prouse as Doctor
  • José Toledo as Harold Masito (as Jose Toledo)
  • Richard Romancito as Ben Mamoa
  • Flavio Martinez as Isla Laloma (as Flavio Martinez III)
  • Lena Carr as Pregnant Woman
  • Virginia P. Maney as Old Squaw
  • Wade Stevens as Ambulance Attendant
  • Robert Dunbar as Helicopter Pilot
  • John R. Leonard Sr. as Helicopter Pilot

When a shaman decides the world must end and all must die, he performs a ritual that releases a very large and murderous Desmodus rotundus colony, commonly known as a guano-load of vampire bats! Nightwing (1979) is the only venture into horror for director Arthur Hiller and writer Martin Cruz Smith. Even so, the 70s Grue-Crew are bat-guano-crazy over their movie. Between the story, the bats, and the cast (Strother Martin’s in the house!), there is plenty of fuel for their talkabout!

At the time of this writing, Nightwing (1979) is available to stream from YouTube and PPV from Prime and AppleTV. The film is available on Blu-ray formatted physical media as part of a double-feature with Shadow of the Hawk (1976) from Mill Creek Entertainment. 

Gruesome Magazine’s Decades of Horror 1970s is part of the Decades of Horror two-week rotation with The Classic Era and the 1980s. In two weeks, the next episode, chosen by Jeff, will be Craze (1974), directed by Freddie Francis and sporting a bunch of Oscar winners. It’s got to be great, right? Right? Why are you laughing?

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