Starring: Ben Johnson, Jamie Lee Curtis, Hart Bochner, David Copperfield, Derek McKinnon Directed By: Roger Spottiswoode Average Rating: Aspect Ratio: 1.33:1 Audience Rating: R (Restricted) Binding: DVD Format: Closed-captioned, Color, DVD-Video, Full Screen, Widescreen, NTSC Label: 20th Century Fox Number of Items: 1 Region Code: 1 Release Date: September 07, 2004 Running Time: 97 minutes Theatrical Release Date: October 03, 1980
Great idea I loved the idea of the movie and a review sold me on the movie, so I bought it. I taped the movie while it was playing on a movie network but I never got around to watch it and taped over it. Anyways, loved the idea of the movie as I said. The original art work to the movie was better, I think they just put Jamie Lee Curtis on it so they could help sell the movie. The movie was decent but it was boring at times and the killings weren't all that great. If you love Curtis in horror films then you might check this movie out, its not the worst movie she's ever done. If your a causal horror fan then you might still want to check it out because it is better then the horror movies they put out today. I think when done right someone could remake this movie and make it a classic.
Halloween and The Fog are much better Terror Train
Having introduced one of my children to "Halloween" and "The Fog", which she loved, we are now making our way through all of Jamie Lee Curtis's old horror movies. "Prom Night" was awful, just awful. This was only marginally better.
The movie starts out with a prank played at a frat party for pre-med students. Young geeky Kenny is told a naked woman is waiting for him upstairs, so he reluctantly goes up to the bedroom and strips. Jamie Lee Curtis is behind a curtain, telling him it's her first time too and encouraging him to kiss her. Except the body in the bed is a cadaver from the local medical school. Yeah, that would traumatize anyone. The kid ends up in a mental hospital (like so many of these horror movies). So it's no surprise when Kenny shows up for the fraternity train trip three years later.
There's a bit of foreshadowing when the train's engineer gripes about there being no transmitter or telephone on the train, just in case something bad happens. No kidding. David Copperfield (the real-life magician) plays the magician at the party. Kenny is his assistant.
The "party" takes place at night, and with the dark lights and cramped quarters, watching this can make you a bit claustrophobic. And it's a costume party, so part of the time, you're not sure who you're looking at.
MINUSES: --really bad music --cheesy costumes --claustrophobic atmosphere which doesn't necessarily make it scarier --cheesy magic tricks
PLUSES: --a "smoking will give you cancer" moment by Curtis when she's doing a trick with Copperfield --seeing mean people get what's coming to them --clever twists and turns because the killer keeps taking the costumes of the people he just killed (so you never know where he is)
Wikipedia says there's a new version of this being remade with Thora Birch. I'm not sure why. It was BORING.
A MUST-HAVE This film is a must-have for any horror film collector. Nail-biting suspense film that delivers without all the typical blood & gore of films of its genre.
I'd initially seen this at the cinema when it was first released & consider it one of the finest ever made! The atmosphere is eerie & creepy. The perfect setting for this film & its plot. I wonder whatever became of Derek McKinnon & what he looks like today. He portrayed his part well, as had most of the cast. I strongly recommend seeing this film to others.
Enough atmosphere to satiate devoted horror fans... This film can withstand repeated viewings even by the most scrutinizing horror film fanatics. Upon first watching it in the eighties, it left an impression on me. Since then, I dust it off and view it every so often, always finding something different that I didn't notice before. It has lost its gloss over time, but it really exemplifies a period in horror film production that can't be ignored. Of course, Jamie Lee Curtis is there to give it star power. But beyond that, the claustrophobic train and the Hitchcockian themes lend itself to a nice engaging mystery. And the ending is a real surprise. If you are over-saturated with "Halloweens" and "Friday the 13ths", this serves as a nice diversion.
Terror Train Rocks! My reviews of slasher films probably make one think I must have worked on these films...actually no, but I have written, produced and directed 15 independent low budget horror films.
I have an affinity for the slasher genre, especially the early 80's when horror was at it's best.
Terror Train's plot is as simple as most slasher films, but yet it remains towards the top of my slasher favorites for a number of reasons:
Jamie Lee Curtis is great as the heroine of the film, the kills are inventive and effective, the pace of the story moves quickly and the camera-work and score really highlight this film.
Another nice thing is that the killer uses a lot of trickery and he becomes almost omni-present at times. The beginning of the film sets the tone and the cruel prank that is played is actually quite gruesome, which mentally disturbes young Kenny and scars him for life. I can understand why.
Now Kenny is a bit older and much more devious as he sneaks onto the train, getting revenge on those who wronged him. This is a standard horror plot. I've even used it in one of my films, but it's the approach that makes Terror train unique.
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