Terror in the Sky

The term "Terror" is a bit inaccurate to use for the title, really. "Nausea in the Sky" would make a more honest, albeit admittedly less appealing, title. The plot of this 1978 made-for-TV movie may sound very familiar. It's quite likely that you have seen the underrated disaster movie gem "The Zero Hour", released in 1957 and starring Dana Andrews, of which this film is a remake. It's even more likely the premise of food poisoning aboard a domestic airliner reminds you of that brilliant ZAZ-parody "Airplane!"

Nevertheless, this modest TV-film has every possible right to exist, especially because it contains a handful of suspenseful moments and a couple of very strong acting performances. When on a flight to Seattle a number of passengers, and then subsequently the two pilots, become seriously ill after having bad chicken as meal, it's entirely up to the people who had lamb for supper to save the day! The heroes include Dr. Baird (the always genius Roddy McDowell; for once in a "normal" role), strong and independent stewardess Janet (Lovely Lois Nettleton) and the former Vietnam helicopter pilot George Spencer (Doug McClure) who reluctantly must land the plane with a bit of voiceover help from below in the tower.

Obviously a quick attempt to cash in on the contemporary popular "Airport", "Terror in the Sky" has absolutely nothing special to offer, but it's still worth checking out for fans of disaster movies or admirers of any of the above-mentioned actors.