Terror Train (1980)

Man, I had high expectations with this one because of the premise and having Jamie Lee Curtis is the lead female role. The premise - a killer at a masquerade party aboard a train, a psycho who changes costumes, always using the one of his last victim and continues to kill aboard the train until stopped - sounds really interesting.

However, being that it was a party for a college fraternity and that it was a Hollywood film, they made all the kids ridiculously obnoxious and profane. Hey, you almost had to root for the killer against these arrogant punks.

Once again, this turns out to be one of those films in which the "coming attractions" made it look a lot better than it actually was, and it turned out to be just another sleazy film from the 1970s.

Fmovies: "Terror Train" is one of the better entries in the slasher cycle.

**SPOILERS**

Three years ago, Alaina Maxwell, (Jaime Lee Curtis) humiliates the class nerd in college during a prep rally by accident. When the class takes a trip on a train as a graduation party, she goes along with the others partying. Unknowingly, the entire class is being watched from the shadows by an unknown person. The class members start dying along the route, and the conductor, Carne, (Ben Johnson) is the one who keeps finding the bodies. He informs the class that a killer is on the train, but when they can't find him after a sweep, they demand to be let back on. Alaina finds that the killer is after her, and tries to fight him off and stay alive.

The Good News: As the slasher cycle started getting it'd feet in the late 70s, it was inevitable that the copy-cats would come out at some point. Fortunately, this is a copy-cat but a really good one. The familiar clichés found in the genre make for predictable viewing, but the way they're accomplished are what sets it apart. The film has some wonderful suspense moments that are courtesy of the spectacular camera work. After being locked out of her compartment, a figure approaches down a darkened hallway. This leads to a short chase where it's revealed to be a false alarm, but the idea was still there because of the camera work. The highlight, though, is the clever and downright creepy ending sequence where, after a brief struggle, a character locks them-self in a compartment in the same room with the killer. After several attempts to break in, the killer grabs a long pole and knocks out every light in the room, rendering it totally dark. It sets up a brilliant series of shock jumps that is only due to the camera making sure that the darkened part of the room is the main focus of the sequence. It's a great sequence that really sticks out. The double-twist with the killer's identity is nice, as the first one is pretty easy to guess, but the second one is a great one that does come from out of the blue.

The Bad News: There's really nothing in the way of gore here. A couple of after-effects and finding some bodies with knives and other objects found in them, but that's pretty much it. Considering that it has some deaths that needed some blood, as well as a couple off-screen as well, lowers the gore content pretty drastically. Considering the time it came out, this should've been a little more gorier. Plus, the film does fall into the slasher cannon of the time, so it is fairly predictable and really offers nothing new.

The Final Verdict: Coming out at the right time in horror history didn't hurt it at all. It's "Halloween" on a train, so that should really be the definitive response giving by this. Slasher fans with find a lot of good things here, but non-slashers will pretty much find this to be another by-the-numbers movie.

Rated R: Violence, some Language and Brief Nudity

The college students Doc (Hart Bochner), Michelle "Mitchy" (Sandee Currie), Mo (Timothy Webber), Alana (Jamie Lee Curtis), Edward "Ed" (Howard Busgang) and Jackson (Anthony Sherwood) plot a prank for their college mate Kenny Hampson (Derek McKinnon); however the joke goes wrong and Kenny ends up in a mental institution. Years later, Doc and Mo decide to celebrate their graduation with a costume party and a magician (David Copperfield) aboard of a train. In the embarkation platform, Ed is murdered by a killer that wears his costume of Groucho Marx. Then he kills Jackson and wears his costume of The Swamp Thing. The conductor Carne (Ben Johnson) discovers his body, but who might be the masked killer?

"Terror Train" is an average slasher, with a claustrophobic story developed in a moving train. The identity of the killer is discovered but the he and his victims wear costumes and is difficult to identify who might be him. My vote is six.

Title (Brazil): "O Trem do Terror" ("The Terror Train")

Terror Train fmovies. "Terror Train" is the final Jamie Lee Curtis horror movie (not including the "Halloween" sequels) and it certainly is a high note to go out on. The film doesn't have the substance and art that "Halloween" or "The Fog", but one might find that "Terror Train" is an above average slasher film that, like its fellow Curtis movies, relies more on story and thrills than blood and guts. This movie truly puts others like "Prom Night", "My Bloody Valentine", "Madman", "Happy Birthday to Me", and "Graduation Day" to shame, and one could easily argue that its better than the extremely popular "Friday the 13th" films.

"Terror Train" is a little more complicated than most slasher fares. It is about a fraternity holding a New Year's Eve costume party on a train but someone has boarded the train with a vendetta against the college kids for an accidental prank that occurred several years beforehand. While on the train, the killer takes on the costumed identity of whoever he kills, so who is the killer and who is just dressed up. Its got a great plot and the movie delivers some as well.

Jamie Lee Curtis and Ben Johnson are the stars of this movie, but other big names are included as well. David Copperfield is one of them; he does his job playing himself basically, but the true acting chops go to Hart Bochner, who plays the stuck up, rude, and mostly mean fraternity brother responsible for the accident years ago. Ben Johnson is of course good, but his role is limited to a train conductor. Jamie Lee Curtis is pretty much playing yet another heroine in a horror movie, and her performance is stellar but nothing special.

"Terror Train" is a great slasher film recommended for slasher fans. It has its plot holes, but overall its makes up for them with a good story, some decent suspense, and a great twist ending that you won't soon forget. It definitely doesn't fall off the tracks.

"Terror Train" is available on DVD only on a simple DVD with just the theatrical trailer included. The impending remake may bring about a special edition.

Three years after a prank gone wrong, a costumed killer is targeting some snotty college kids on board a train. I happen to like trains and I enjoy a good '80s slasher film as well. This one isn't half bad. Not great but good. Some will be disappointed as there isn't much gore. The cute girl quota is filled by Jamie Lee Curtis, Sandee Currie, Joy Boushel, and Vanity. Who can forget Hart Bochner and Ben Johnson? Well, quite a few people can but they're good here anyway. Of course the big selling point is David Copperfield playing -- wait for it -- a magician! The plot's fairly thin and the killer is hardly a surprise but it's all good fun with some suspense and a decent cast for the genre. All aboard!

A fraternity prank on a weakling of a student goes horribly wrong, when the victim is emotionally affected by it and ends up in an institution. Now three years have past and the senior fraternity friends have decided to celebrate their final outing with a New Year's Eve costume party on a train. But an uninvited guest has managed to stall away on the train by killing off students and using their costumes to pose as that person to lure their next victim. After a death or two - Carne the train's conductor discovers the bodies and he goes into investigation mode along with one of the initial victims, Elena.

All aboard the train of death… but you got to make some room for partying… and David Copperfield! Wow, let's break out the streamers, as that sounds like a great time. Yeah, it sounds like… but it doesn't entirely eventuate. Being there would be more fun than watching it. "Terror Train" is a competent looking slasher by director Roger Spottiswoode, but here we go again in the formulaic stakes, which isn't too bad because it's slickly done with a different and claustrophobic setting. But I found too many aimless spurts with tired gags and constant drinking and dancing - instead of giving us the real good stuff and when it finally does it's not terribly worth-the-wait. Damn even Copperfield gets enough screen time doing his bag of tricks that I was hoping he would magically disappear… off the train! Sure, his tricks are entertaining and what so, but was it trying to distract us from the really unoriginal story telling and a lack of suspense and blood. The novelty behind the plot with a costume party aboard a speeding train is a good idea with many possible outcomes, but the fractured script doesn't take full advantage of it and actually decides to display the usual ingredients, vague characters and stale clichés. Even the mystery side of the story is poorly executed with red herrings that don't work. It's slightly entertaining, but more effort could have gone into the story's structure and shock tactics. Most of the cut-away deaths are swiftly tame and slim-pickings. While, the film only goes for about 90 minutes, it does feel longer because of some long dry spells of dull chin-wag and tedious fooling around. There are some redeeming qualities in this fault-filled production. Firstly there is a richly thick atmosphere with the train being covered in shadowy patches and gloomy lighting that enhances the tight air. Sometimes it was that dim that a flare would have worked wonders. The film is filled with lush photography and a rattling score, although the profound disco music can be quite sore on the ears. While, the opening of the film was rather sleepy, there are a few intense builds ups and an explosive showdown between heroine and killer in the final third. Spottiswoode's capable direction keeps the film level with some flair and the performances by the always watchable Jamie Lee Curtis (who just reprises her signature scream queen role) and Ben Johnson is decent in a minor sense. The rest of the performances are forgettable with the usual cheeky, drunken frats and you got the stiff looking David Copperfield.

"Terror Train" is a modest slasher affair all round that at times is a bit too convenient, but while there are some restrictions it still mildly entertains.