For U.S. Horror Fans, Fate of Flight ‘7500’ Still Up in the Air

Around the time I started blogging, a supernatural airplane horror directed by Takashi Shimizu called 7500 first hit my radar. (Okay, no more flying puns, I promise!) Originally scheduled for an August 2012 release, that date was postponed until April 2013 and then again until October 2013. Then, the film was then pushed back yet again by a year, until October 2014! If all of that doesn’t seem ridiculous enough get this: October 2014 came and went—but 7500 never landed. (Okay, last pun, I swear!)

7500 is Out There

A link at the top right of the film’s official website invites you to watch 7500 in HD on YouTube, but only takes you to the trailer.

Check the film’s IMDB page: You’ll see plenty of reviews for 7500, but they’re from folks in Sweden, Germany, Indonesia, and a dozen other places that aren’t America. Likewise, the message board is thick with film fans debating the film’s strength and weaknesses with no one, presumably, hailing from the USA. This film is out there, but the only release info I can find is for the Philippines, where it went straight to DVD on 6/11/14. So what gives? Why hasn’t 7500 hit American airspace? (I can’t stop.)

The idea of a supernatural element in an airplane horror struck a chord with this nervous flier and haunted house fanatic. We’ve seen zombies, killers, and snakes on planes, but I can’t ever remember seeing a ghost at 30,000 ft. Driven by nothing but a combination of curiosity and impatience (and the internet) I located a region-free Blu-ray from Germany.

All I hoped for was an entertaining watch, and I got it—and more; I found certain aspects 7500 nothing less than shocking—but not for the reasons you might think.

Director: Takashi Shimizu

Writer: Craig Rosenberg

Stars: Leslie Bibb, Ryan Kwanten, Amy Smart |

Official Synopsis: Flight 7500 departs Los Angeles International Airport bound for Tokyo. As the overnight flight makes its way over the Pacific Ocean during its ten-hour course, the passengers encounter what appears to be a supernatural force in the cabin.

Usually, when a studio pushes the release date of a film back (and especially when it happens numerous times) it signals a lack of faith in its ability to generate profits; bluntly, they predict it’s going to be a flop. But you’d expect at least a decent return on a film helmed by the creator of The Grudge Franchise. Sure the J-Horror craze has settled into a steady buzz, but the subgenre still has a big fan base. And besides, this is an American film.

Having seen 7500 myself, I believe it would have at least recouped production costs—and keeping a finished product on the shelf indefinitely just doesn’t make sense. At the same time, I can’t deny that I can understand what CBS Films (who produced the movie) might be reluctant to release 7500 at this date. Ultimately, I think it’s a combination of bad luck and one incredibly unfortunate connection to real life tragedy that’s keeping this film grounded. (In case you’re counting, that’s 6 flying puns so far).

Airplane Horror and the 9/11 Connection

One potential reason for 7500’s limbo status Stateside could be lingering wounds from 9/11. Even though the movie isn’t about terrorism in any way, portrayals of airplane horror can be a trigger, especially for those personally devastated by the events of 9/11. Maybe, in 2012, CBS felt it was still too soon to risk upsetting our national psyche. Perhaps it was an abundance of caution that lead to additional delays.

In a related theory: It wouldn’t surprise me if the Airline Industry in American was somehow flexing control over the situation, suppressing efforts to release 7500 lest it re-stoke the old anxieties that almost tanked the business in the aftermath of 9/11; there’s a powerful lobby no doubt opposed to any negative portrayal of air-travel. If any of these theories pan out, it’s a shame in my opinion; I think most of us are ready to move on from shunning 9/11 related imagery. It would also suck if Airline industry Fat Cats proved the culprits. It’s just a movie, for cryin’ out loud!

While these are, at best, likely conjectures, it still doesn’t explain why the 2014 release date was ignored, and why there’s currently no information anywhere about 7500’s eventual U.S. release. For Americans, it’s almost as though Flight 7500 has simply… vanished.

2014 Was a Bad Year for Airplanes

I mentioned earlier that I found aspects of 7500 shocking and that’s true, but I’m not talking about fright or gore or a clever twist. As the action played out on my German import, I was deeply struck by what I saw because of its uncanny similarity to an actual air disaster, one that occurred between October 2013 and October 2014—which is when 7500 went MIA. To tell you which incident I’m referring to would be spoilerish, but I will say this: It’s as though writer Craig Rosenberg saw into the future when he wrote this script. If that sounds a little spooky, it should; that’s how striking the parallels are!

If this film had been released in October of 2014, I guarantee you that people unfamiliar with 7500’s unlucky history of postponement would likely see it as a poor-taste exploitation of a fresh tragedy. Having experienced 7500 personally, I can honestly understand how keeping it under wraps for at least another year might not be such a bad idea. It’s not because I don’t think people can handle the content, but I do fear people would make much ado over a startling similarity. And while this is a profound curiosity worth noting, it will certainly detract from otherwise objective examinations of 7500’s artistic merit.

German Import

A call to CBS Films in Los Angeles seeking any information regarding the American release of 7500 was not returned.

Are you interested in seeing 7500 in America? Do you think studios should take recent tragedies into consideration when releasing potentially upsetting material? Let me know in the comments section!

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