The Survivor – 1981 | 110 mins | Sci-Fi, Drama | Colour

Plot Synopsis

Supernatural chiller directed by ‘60’s icon David Hemmings and based on the James Herbert novel. Despite the eerie mood and a fascinating concept, Hemmings oddity fails to build any tension or realise the films potential. The Survivor is one in a series of interesting films that Hemmings and producer Ginnane made Down Under, including Race for the Yankee Zephyr (1981), Harlequin (1980) and Thirst (1979).

A 747 Jetliner takes off from an Australian international airport and within minutes it is inexplicably threatening the lives of thousands as it plummets to the ground. The pilot, Keller (Robert Powell), manages to avoid total catastrophe by bringing the aircraft down in a field but even so, the resulting fire from a ruptured fuel tank ensures that from the plane, at least, there are no survivors. Except one: Keller himself.

Tortured with guilt and unable to explain the reason for the disaster and his miraculous escape, Keller sets upon a course of discovery, desperately seeking to overcome the temporary loss of memory that he has sustained. Eye witness Hobbs (Jennt Agutter), a young spiritualist, tries to help Keller to unravel the mysteries of both his flight and the local events. But tragedy compounds upon tragedy as both a photographer at the scene and an air accident investigator die; it seems that the dead passengers will not release their grip on Keller, nor on anyone who stands in the path of his investigations. In a final confrontation with both the souls of his dead passengers and the person responsible for the crash the truth is revealed to Keller.