Terror Train (1980)

User Rating:

5.5/10   

Director:

Roger Spottiswoode

Writer:

T.Y. Drake (writer)

Release Date:

3 October 1980 (USA)

Genre:

Horror

Tagline:

The boys and girls of Sigma Phi. Some will live. Some will die.

Plot:

A masked killer targets six college kids responsible for a prank gone wrong years earlier and whom are currently throwing a large New Year's Eve costume party aboard a moving train.

Plot Keywords:

Costume | Train | Party | Prank | Student

Awards:

5 nominations

Cast

Ben Johnson	...	Carne, Train Conductor
Jamie Lee Curtis	...	Alana Maxwell
Hart Bochner	...	Doc Manley
David Copperfield	...	Ken, The Magician
Derek McKinnon	...	Kenny Hampson (as Derek MacKinnon)
Sandee Currie	...	Mitchy
Timothy Webber	...	Mo
Anthony Sherwood	...	Jackson
Howard Busgang	...	Ed
Steve Michaels	...	Charley the Brakeman
Greg Swanson	...	Class President
Vanity	...	Merry (as D.D. Winters)
Joy Boushel	...	Pet
Victor Knight	...	Walter the Engineer
Donald Lamoureux	...	Shovels the Stoker (as Don Lamoureux)

Also Known As:

Le monstre du train (Canada: French title)
Train of Terror

Runtime:

97 min

Country:

Canada | USA

Language:

English

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Sound Mix:

Mono

Certification:

Finland:K-16 (1990) (cut) | Finland:K-18 (1981) (cut) | West Germany:16 | Canada:13+ (Quebec) | UK:X (original rating) (1980) | Finland:K-18 (uncut) (2007) | Italy:T (VHS) (alternate rating) | Italy:VM14 (VHS rating) | Italy:VM18 (DVD rating) | Australia:R | France:-16 | Norway:18 | Sweden:15 | UK:18 (re-rating) (1989) | USA:R | South Korea:18 | Spain:18

Filming Locations:

Montréal, Québec, Canada

Company:

Astral Bellevue Pathé

Trivia:

The film's German title is 'Monster im Nacht-Express', which translates to 'Monster on the Night Express Train'.

Quotes:

Carne, Train Conductor: Have you ever shoveled any coal?

Movie Connections:

Referenced in Nightmare in Canada: Canadian Horror on Film (2004) (TV)

Good Premise, Annoying Characters

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.