Last Stop on the Night Train (1975)

Director, Aldo Lado made the impressive Short Night of the Glass Dolls (1971) and Who Saw Her Die? (1972) before this and Flavio Bucci, the leading thug here would make many Italian films including Suspiria the next year. Renowned actress, Macha Meril, who has such a pivotal role as instigator of most of the violations on the infamous train, featured in numerous films and worked with Godard, Bunuel and Argento as well as many others. Nevertheless this was one of the films included on the infamous and notorious UK 'Video Nasties' list. The reason for this is partly because it is so very nasty, not particularly explicit with regard to sex or gore but difficult to watch due to the apparent glee of the perpetrators and the inherent nastiness of the actions. All this is exasperated by the fact that it is so well done, the direction and cinematography, particularly the extended set-up and within the cramped railway carriage. The performances too are not amateurish enough to dismiss, we actually believe this nastiness might be possible. The terrible actions that could follow, some flirting, some bravado and the wicked intent of the 'Lady on the train' as the veiled Meril is listed in the cast. Fierce and uncompromising film making.

Fmovies: Aldo Lado's "Night Train Murders" aka "The Late Night Trains" is a "Last House on the Left"(1972)rip-off.Unlike Craven's shocker this one is very serious-there is no comedy here.The film is extremely suspenseful and pessimistic.For thirty minutes Lado creates a slow burn of quiet menace,eventually uniting very sadistic Macha Meril(she played the psychic in Argento's "Deep Red"),two thugs and and the two girls(Irene Miracle and Marina Berti).When the terror begins,it's cold and unmerciful.The scenes of sexual humiliation and violence are pretty hard to stomach,even though they are often suggested off camera or hidden in the darkness of the train carriage.The knife rape scene is very disturbing.The score by Ennio Morricone is extremely beautiful and haunting.The acting is very good,particularly from Macha Meril.The film is pretty tough to find,but if you like sleazy and nasty Italian cinema give this one a look.10 out of 10.

You'll probably never see a review of this film that doesn't make reference to Wes Craven's classic 'The Last House on the Left', and there's a good reason for that; as this film has basically the exact (and I mean EXACT) same plot, only instead of a couple of young girls being raped, beaten and humiliated in the woods, they're raped, beaten and humiliated on board a train. Of course, I knew that this was the case before I began watching the film; but I was honestly expecting the two to differ a lot more than they actually do. I do sometimes wonder about my mental health when I purposefully track down and enjoy films like this one and The House on the Edge of the Park; films that are famous purely for relentless violence, but I can rest easy with this one as it really isn't all that enjoyable. The plot follows a couple of young women that decide to take a train ride in celebration of the holidays. However, their bad luck is in when it turns out that a trio of lunatics have also decided to ride the train that day; and the meeting between the two parties is pleasurable for one side only!

The main problem with this film is the fact that the first hour is unbelievably dull and there isn't a lot going on in the way of plot or violence. The early scenes set up the movie - but they go on too long, and the film even descends into political discussion on several occasions - and I may be on my own here, but that's not what I want from an exploitation flick. What I do want from an exploitation flick is violence, and the film doesn't completely deliver on that front either. There are unpleasant scenes aplenty in the final third, but one sequence aside; they're not all that shocking. The saving grace of Night Train Murders is director Aldo Lado's attention to detail. He makes good use of his mobile setting, and the train always seems a claustrophobic and unpleasant place to be. Ennio Morricone's score isn't one of his best, and merely goes along with the common exploitation beat. Anyone who has seen The Last House on the Left will know how it all ends, but it fails to pack a punch because the characters are so hard to care for, and Lado doesn't manage to make the audience really hate the villains. Overall, this film isn't very good; but there are a few positives, and exploitation completists may get a kick out of it.

Last Stop on the Night Train fmovies. Two psychopathic men and their nymphomaniac associate get on the night train running from somewhere in Germany to Italy. They rape one girl, drive another to jump off the train, then go spend some time with the latter girl's parents.

It's always difficult to figure out performances in a movie that's been dubbed, even when the dubbing is good, as it is here. I thought this one might have inspired Michael Haneke's FUNY GAMES but concluded that there's very little sense of drama or black humor in it. Instead, it wound up about horrid people doing horrid things for no clear reason -- I don't believe "They're psychopaths!" to be sufficient motivation absent other items of interest, and there weren't any here. This was rejected for a theatrical license in Great Britain when it first was released. I do not approve of censorship, but can certainly understand why. I cannot recommend this movie except to those who enjoy blood sport solely for the gore.

Well, I was planning to provide this review with the title "Last Train on the Left" but that seems to be a pretty obvious choice. Nighttrain Murders tries to pick in on the success of Wes Craven's milestone as close as possible. They even managed to find a main villain resembling David Hess, who played the merciless bastard in Craven's film. The film means well and all but, it just lacks the budget, talent and inspiration to become of any importance. The entire first hour (in which two girls travel to Italy by train, in order to celebrate the Holiday season) completely lacks suspenseles or depth and it seems to be endless. Eventually, the girls are being humiliated and tortured by two madmen and a nympho-bitch. From then on, everything goes rather quickly and, before you know it, the father of one of the girls already avenged the death of his daughter. Totally "Last House on the Left" in other words...only less fascinating and only half as disturbing. Although it looks like a sleazy Italian production, the film hasn't got much violence or bloodshed in it. One scene is pretty disgusting to watch and you'll recognize which one I mean immediately. Besides that, it's nothing more but a waste of a terrific musical score by Ennio Morricone. Avoid! Unless your a fan of rare cult stuff of course.

Two psychopathic men and their nymphomaniac associate get on the night train running from somewhere in Germany to Italy. They rape one girl, drive another to jump off the train, then go spend some time with the latter girl's parents.

It's always difficult to figure out performances in a movie that's been dubbed, even when the dubbing is good, as it is here. I thought this one might have inspired Michael Haneke's FUNY GAMES but concluded that there's very little sense of drama or black humor in it. Instead, it wound up about horrid people doing horrid things for no clear reason -- I don't believe "They're psychopaths!" to be sufficient motivation absent other items of interest, and there weren't any here. This was rejected for a theatrical license in Great Britain when it first was released. I do not approve of censorship, but can certainly understand why. I cannot recommend this movie except to those who enjoy blood sport solely for the gore.