Today on Movie Wars, we dive headfirst into Joel Schumacher’s 1990 cult thriller Flatliners. With an all-star cast of Julia Roberts, Kevin Bacon, Kiefer Sutherland, and William Baldwin, the film follows a group of med students who push science (and sanity) to the limit by experimenting with near-death experiences.

Kyle, Seth, and Dr. Ben (comedian and real-life physician) break down the history, the behind-the-scenes drama, and why this wild Brat Pack–era sci-fi horror flick feels more like The Breakfast Club Dies than a medical thriller. From medical inaccuracies (you can’t actually shock a flatline) to Joel Schumacher’s gothic Chicago aesthetic, we uncover how Flatliners mixes big ideas about mortality with questionable execution.

We’ll also hit the random facts, the funniest discoveries from our research, and debate whether Flatliners deserved cult status—or just a DNR order.

Show Notes / Takeaways

• The true story behind screenwriter Peter Filardi’s inspiration and Joel Schumacher’s obsession with death.
• Michael Douglas stepping in as producer and early casting “what-ifs” (Val Kilmer, Nicole Kidman).
• Dr. Ben fact-checks the movie’s wild CPR and defibrillator scenes—spoiler: none of it works.
• Why the Brat Pack label followed this cast and why the characters never land emotionally.
• Cinematography, lighting, and Schumacher’s gothic style vs. storytelling gaps.
• Our take: this premise deserved a miniseries, not a two-hour chaos ride.

Chapters & Timestamps

00:00 – Welcome to Movie Wars – Kyle, Seth, and Dr. Ben kick things off

flatliners-1757098698083

01:00 – How the show works – History, Randos, Questions, War Card

flatliners-1757098698083

02:00 – First impressions of Flatliners – VHS memories, ethics class screenings, and why it’s so wacky

03:00 – Medical perspective – Dr. Ben explains why shocking a flatline is nonsense

06:30 – History & development – From spec script to Schumacher’s obsession with death

07:30 – Early casting rumors – Val Kilmer and Nicole Kidman almost starred

08:45 – Acting & characters – Why Julia Roberts and Kiefer Sutherland couldn’t save it

10:00 – Bacon talk – Kevin Bacon’s hair, career tangents, and Six Degrees

13:00 – Stephen King confusion – Why the movie feels like a bad King adaptation

14:15 – Why it should’ve been a miniseries – Missed opportunity for depth

15:00 – Hallucination scenes – The film’s weakest link (bad child actors, floaty trees)

17:00 – Comedy parallels – Hecklers, bombing on stage, and Flatliners as metaphor

18:30 – Randos – Loyola University, Chicago filmmaking push, and production trivia

21:00 – DMT & near-death theories – Real science vs. Flatliners’ Hollywood spin-

22:00 – Chicago vs. Boston setting – Why Schumacher moved the story to the Midwest

23:30 – Brat Pack label – Was this really an ’80s ensemble movie in disguise?

26:00 – The War Card – Who did “life after death” better: Flatliners or The Sixth Sense?