5 Secrets Behind Julia Roberts’ 1990 Horror Hit ‘Flatliners’ You Never Knew

Julia Roberts’ role in the 1990 horror film Flatliners marked a rare foray into the genre for the actress, released just months after her breakthrough in Pretty Woman. Premiering on August 10, 1990, this film brought Roberts into the chilling world of near-death experiences, situating her within a unique chapter of Hollywood history often overlooked in her celebrated career.

Flatliners features a group of medical students experimenting with death to explore the afterlife, backed by a strong cast including Kiefer Sutherland, Kevin Bacon, Oliver Platt, and William Baldwin. Despite not achieving blockbuster status like some of Roberts’ other films, it has developed a devoted cult following and led to a 2017 reboot, highlighting its lasting impact.

Why Boston Was Rejected as the Film’s Setting

The original script placed the events of Flatliners in Boston, a logical choice given the city’s numerous esteemed medical colleges. However, producer Michael Rachmil expressed strong dissatisfaction with Boston during location scouting, as he told the Chicago Tribune,

“I won’t make this movie there. I hated the place.”

This aversion led to relocating the story to Chicago, despite the initial appeal of Boston’s academic environment. The reasons behind Rachmil’s dislike were never explicitly stated, but the shift proved momentous for the film’s setting.

How Chicago Became a Centerpiece in the Film’s Production

Chicago seized the opportunity when Flatliners was chosen as the inaugural film benefiting from then-Mayor Richard Daley’s efforts to attract filmmaking to the city. According to a 2010 Chicago Tribune piece,

“more than 900 movies and television shows have shot in Chicago since Mayor Richard Daley took office in 1989, starting with Flatliners.”

Key locations such as the Museum of Science and Industry served as the sinister site for the students’ risky experiments, while Loyola University provided authentic college exteriors. This embrace of Chicago’s urban backdrop launched a wave of productions, establishing the city as a vital filmmaking hub.

The On-Set Romance Between Julia Roberts and Kiefer Sutherland

The filming of Flatliners was not only notable for its chilling storyline but also for sparking a high-profile romance between Julia Roberts and co-star Kiefer Sutherland. After Roberts’ previous engagement to co-star Dylan McDermott ended, her quick engagement to Sutherland came as part of a pattern of intense but brief relationships during the early 1990s.

Their engagement was publicly called off in 1991 amid much media scrutiny. Roberts later clarified the situation in a 1991 Entertainment Weekly interview:

“I had returned from a trip to Arizona intending to tell Kiefer that I thought it would be best for both of us not to get married. But the next time I talked to Kiefer … he proceeded to tell me what I was going to tell him, which is he did not want to marry me.”

Following this, Roberts briefly dated Jason Patric and married country musician Lyle Lovett before their divorce in 1995.

Michael Douglas’s Role as Executive Producer

While the film’s cast and director often receive much attention, Michael Douglas’s involvement as executive producer is a notable element of Flatliners’ production. Better known for his work in front of the camera, Douglas has occasionally taken on production roles, with one of his most famous projects being 1997’s Face/Off.

In the 2000s, Douglas made efforts to revive Flatliners as a television series. When that did not succeed, he shifted his focus to the 2017 film remake, which reignited interest in the original story from a new generation.

Kiefer Sutherland’s Return and the Ambiguity of the 2017 Reboot

Kiefer Sutherland revisited his connection to the franchise by appearing in the 2017 remake of Flatliners, becoming the only original cast member to do so. However, the nature of this remake stirred debate regarding whether it is truly a reboot or a sequel continuing the original narrative.

In the new film, Sutherland plays Dr. Barry Wolfson, a professor at a medical university mentoring the next wave of students experimenting with near-death experiences, distinctly separate from his original character, Nelson Wright. Speaking to Metro UK in 2016, Sutherland said,

“I play a professor at the medical university. It is never stated but it will probably be very clearly understood that I’m the same character I was in the original Flatliners but that I have changed my name and I’ve done some things to move on from the experiments that we were doing in the original film.”

Despite his statement, the 2017 film includes no explicit ties to the original character, and reportedly, a scene linking the two was removed by the studio to avoid disengaging younger viewers. This decision has left fans contemplating Sutherland’s layered portrayal within the franchise’s evolving narrative structure.

The combined elements of passionate romance, visionary producing, and filming location choices contribute to the enduring fascination with Flatliners. Though the film did not reach the iconic status of some of Julia Roberts’ other works, its unique blend of horror, medical drama, and star power continues to intrigue audiences and influence contemporary horror films.