Terror Train (1980) User Reviews

HALLOWEEN on the rails

[virek213 · 7/10 · 29 September 2001]

The 1980 horror film TERROR TRAIN might best be described as HALLOWEEN on the rails. In it, a fraternity has a party taking place on a train speeding through the Canadian night. And then, one by one, without anyone knowing it (a situation made even more complicated by the fact that everyone's dressed up in disguises), they all get bumped off in shocking and violent fashion by a maniac. And as with HALLOWEEN and THE FOG, the heroine at the center of this is none other than Jamie Lee Curtis.

But unlike most HALLOWEEN-inspired bloodfests, TERROR TRAIN does boast a lot of good things to lift it above the worst of an always-bad bunch. The director here is Roger Spottiswoode, who served as a film editor for some of Sam Peckinpah's films, including his 1971 horror film STRAW DOGS. The train's conductor is portrayed by veteran character actor Ben Johnson, a stalwart of both John Ford and Peckinpah who won a Supporting Actor Oscar in 1971 for THE LAST PICTURE SHOW. Even more, the atmospheric cinematography of TERROR TRAIN is provided by the legendary British camerman John Alcott, whose groundbreaking work for Stanley Kubrick, including 2001: A SPACE ODYSSEY and THE SHINING, is legendary. Furthermore, the violence and bloodshed are surprisingly kept relatively down; and while the revelation of who the killer is may not in and of itself be so surprising, it does give the opportunity for both Johnson and Curtis to be heroes.

TERROR TRAIN may not be everyone's cup of tea (and it doesn't really compare to HALLOWEEN); but for those willing to take a spooky ride, it is well worth it.

A Slasher Movie On A Train...Different

[acidburn-10 · 7/10 · 5 September 2009]

Jamie Lee Curtis was once again cementing her status as the Scream Queen, after the successes of "Halloween", "The Fog" and "Prom Night", but this one unfortunately wasn't as successful as the previous ones and remains the least remembered. But that doesn't mean that this movie is bad. A Slasher movie set on a train is something different I suppose, which makes Terror Train a stylish and inventive and really makes the most of it's settings. And I also loved the fact that the killer uses different costumes for each murder, pure genius.

The only draw back on this movie is that most of the murders happen off-screen, but more than makes up for it in the performances like Derek MacKinnion who plays Kenny a very well rounded performance, Ben Johnston does well in his role as the train conducter and even real life magician David Copperfield plays his part well. Hart Bochner plays the coward Doc annoyed me and glad he got his just desserts and once again Jamie Lee Curtis is brilliant as the lead heroine and gives the best chase scene in this movie which is the main highlight of this movie in my books.

All in all "Terror Train" is an underrated gem and a highlight on Jamie Lee Curtis's glowing CV.

Standard horror slasher with a stupendous scream queen : Jamie Lee Curtis

[ma-cortes · 6/10 · 9 July 2005]

The picture narrates how a group of fraternity executes an initiation prank to a young boy who is emotionally frightened . Years later , a masquerade party is celebrated on chartered hired train and someone mask wearing realizes a series of body count scabrously murdered . The train chief (Ben Johnson) will try to track down the killer among the numerous students (Jamie Lee Curtis, Hart Bochner , D.D.Winters : Vanity). The psychotic murderer is wearing the costume of each successive victim . Who's the killer ? .

Jamie Lee Curtis , as usual , interprets a scream girl (similarly at Hallowen , The fog , Prom night and Road games) in the role of a young student besieged by a cruel and sadist murderer . Jamie Lee Curtis shot this film back to back with the similarly themed slasher film Prom Night in late 1979 ; both films were shot in Canada ; Prom Night in Toronto and this one in Montreal . David Copperfield (as always) acts showing his magic numbers . The film has enough scares , it is plenty of shocks , terror and great loads of bloody and gore . Although technically well made is mediocre and offers a few novelties . Nice cinematography by John Alcott , photographer of ¨Clockwork Orange¨ and many classic English films . The film was professionally directed by Roger Spottswoode . He'll posteriorly attained many success and he'll direct much better movies , such as : ¨Shoot to kill¨ , ¨Under fire¨ and even one with James Bond/Pierce Brosnan . Rating: Average but entertaining .

Very Good

[genedurham · 26 July 2000]

This movie is really good. It is a very creative idea isolating people on a train. I really just love this movie. Good acting, some suspense, and I loved how the killer was there the entire time. This movie really surprised me. I've seen comments these other users have made, complaining about how it was a Halloween rip-off. Don't base the fact of whether or not you're going to view this movie on these opinions. This movie is nothing like Halloween and it isn't so much trying to be Halloween. If you say this movie is a Halloween rip-off you may as well say that about every other slasher movies. It is silly to not watch this movie because some other person who had way too HIGH expectations about this movie says it was bad. It is a great movie, but if you watch it with high expectations of another Halloween you'll be disappointed.

I'm going off the rails on a terror train

[utgard14 · 6/10 · 7 February 2014]

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!

Desperate To Board It... Dying To Leave It

[marcus_stokes2000 · 7/10 · 27 September 2007]

*Terror SPOILERS*

December 31st; three years after a cruel prank on a freshman which ended with the young man going insane, a fraternity, led by the mean-spirited and true jerk Doc (Hart Bochner) boards a train with the intention of partying into the New Year.

But aboard with them, there is also the freshman, who has murder in his mind...

This is probably the most obscure of Jamie Lee Curtis' horror movies, not exactly easy to find, but even though there is quite the cheese, it's thrilling and refreshing, compared to the dreck you find around today (most of them remakes).

It also uses a very interesting and seldomly used location; a train. I have to confess that I have a fondness for trains and thrillers, and this meshed both quite well together.

For anyone who wants to be mildly thrilled, or have some cheesy fun, I recommend 'Terror Train'. It's not great, but you won't regret having watched this 'feel-good' thriller! Terror Train: 7/10.

Narrowly one of the better Halloween rip-offs that flooded cinemas in the early 80's

[Colbridge · 4/10 · 17 November 2021]

Directed by Canadian Roger Spottiswoode Terror Train is narrowly one of the better Halloween (1978) rip-offs that flooded cinemas in the early 1980's having a more original premise than most by being a slasher movie set on board a moving train.

After we see a horrific prank go wrong in a medical college which traumatises a student we fast forward three years to a New Year's Eve costume party where the same group of students are now graduating and celebrate by going on a train trip, only to be terrorised by a mystery killer who picks them off one by one. It's a familiar story of someone with a grudge out for revenge but with the added gimmick of having a magician on board (featuring real life magician David Copperfield) to confuse reality with illusion.

This was the only slasher film 20th Century Fox distributed and it has sustained it's credentials for having the then scream queen Jamie Lee Curtis on board, fresh off of Halloween. This was also the directorial debut of Spottiswoode who would go on to greater success with Turner & Hooch (1989), Air America (1990) and the James Bond film Tomorrow Never Dies (1997). Terror Train is however a low budget low rent affair with little imagination or flair despite the promising premise.

I was due to see this at my local cinema in 1980 but at the last minute my girlfriend didn't want to go so I never got to see it. 40 years later I finally caught up with it but it hasn't aged as well as Halloween or some of the others that followed like Friday the 13th (1980), so I'm not sure if I would have enjoyed it as a young person on it's release. It's competently done but lacks tension or scares. A curiosity for fans of Jamie Lee Curtis.

Decent Train-Set Slasher

[juliamacon · 7/10 · 2 September 2020]

A mean spirited prank sends a coed into a mental hospital and he plans his sweet revenge on the classmates who sent him there while on a New Year's Eve train party.

It's a simple set up, but a lot of it is effective. There's a surprising lack of gore, but the killer's multiple disguises are downright eerie. A late in the game twist does genuinely surprise as well. Actors such as Ben Johnson, Jamie Lee Curtis, and Hart Bochner elevate the threadbare material throughout and the finale ends up being more intense than it probably should be as the masked madman terrorizes Curtis throughout the train.

Good Premise, Annoying Characters

[ccthemovieman-1 · 4/10 · 4 June 2007]

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.

Average Slasher Movie

[claudio_carvalho · 6/10 · 23 April 2015]

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")

Note: On 09 Sep 2022, I saw this film again.

Another case of cashing in on the success of the scream queen...

[Fella_shibby · 5/10 · 24 November 2018]

I first saw this in the 80s on a vhs.

Revisited it recently.

By now horror fans must have seen umpteenth number of times the story where the killer who is been bullied, comes back for revenge but the only difference here is that the action takes place not in some campus or institution but in a train which has a conductor played by Ben Johnson who doesn't get to shoot with a gun but strike with a shovel.

Another good aspect apart from the train setting was the switching of costumes/guises by the killer but the ending ruined everything for me.

One of the better Halloween follow-ups

[Nightman85 · 9/10 · 19 June 2005]

Of the slasher films that Jamie Lee Curtis would appear in after the masterful Halloween (1978), Terror Train is truly the best. It's also one of the better genre entries of the early '80s.

College students hold a costume party on a train, only to have a masked stranger come aboard with murder on their mind. But is this murderer really a stranger?

As slasher films go, Terror Train really has a lot going for it. The claustrophobic setting is an ideal place for suspense and it works! The direction is compact and nicely done, making great use of the rather creepy-looking masks that the killer wears. This film also boasts one of the most suspenseful chase sequences in the genre! The cinematography is slickly-well done. The music score is unique and beautiful (especially Alana's theme, heard mostly in the beginning of the end credits).

The cast is also in good form. Jamie Lee is good as her likable heroine self. Handsome Hart Bochner does well as the two-faced frat leader. Veteran actor Ben Johnson is a welcomed addition as the train conductor. Even David Copperfield manages to be a little menacing in his role as a mysterious magician.

All together Terror Train does well, making for a good slasher-thriller with a few tricks up its sleeves. Definitely a highlight among 80's slasher films.

*** 1/2 out of ****

A decent, fun slasher flick

[Dragoneyed363 · 7/10 · 31 December 2008]

I really was not expecting much from viewing Terror Train, quite honestly, and I don't think many would. I did not know much about anyway, but I had been really wanting to see it regardless, because it looked cool and it starred Jamie Lee Curtis, who we all know was a big horror star back in the 80s, and I enjoyed all the films she starred in as well. It seemed like it would be a fun watch, and it was.

Well, this was no Halloween or The Fog, but I liked it all the same, even if it is not as classic, professional, and suspenseful. The plot is a college fraternity hosts a New Year's Eve costume party upon a moving train. Simple enough, and sometimes simple plots are the best kinds of plots to go with, though the simplicity of Terror Train makes it seem dull and mediocre at times. I liked the very cool and unexpected twists this movie had though, and even though sometimes the characters were annoying, they were nicely done and they commingled with the type of atmosphere the film had perfectly.

It tries to be more than it is at times, but if you can appreciate B-Movie horrors, or are just a horror fan in all, it is a good time, though nothing to really praise. Overall, Terror Train was very interesting and a nice edition to the slasher genre. There's not much I can really say about it, but it's satisfying in a sense, and I recommend it if you think you'll get any enjoyment out of watching it.

If It Weren't For J.L.C., Nobody Would Remember This Movie

[MetalGeek · 3/10 · 7 December 2009]

That's right, I said it. "Terror Train" apparently has a rep as a minor classic in the slasher genre, but after viewing this rather boring film last night I'm puzzled as to the reason why, exactly. The only thing I can think of is that this was part of Jamie Lee Curtis' three film hat trick that earned her the title of the premiere "Scream Queen" of the early 80s (the other two films, of course, are the original "Halloween" and "Prom Night"), and for that it automatically gets a free pass from horror geeks even though the movie itself isn't very good at all. I'll grant that "Terror Train" has an original setting and a few decent set pieces but the finished product was slow moving, filled with annoying characters and wasn't terribly gory or scary, even by 1980 standards.

Our story opens during a college fraternity's New Year's Eve party in which a prank on a pledge (involving a corpse in a bed that he thinks is going to be a real girl) goes horribly wrong and said pledge ends up institutionalized. Three years later, the same fraternity is throwing another huge New Year's bash (it is apparently an annual tradition), this time on a train trip through the mountains. A gaggle of stereotypical drunk party animals board the train in a variety of distracting costumes, and as the train leaves the station, we learn that a homicidal killer has climbed aboard as well, as he kills one of the frat brothers with a sword, steals his disguise, and leaves him behind on the tracks.

Once the train is moving, not much happens for a while. Jamie Lee Curtis' character is still wracked with guilt over her part in the pledge-hazing fiasco three years before, she argues with the a-hole frat brother who set up that prank to begin with, then the bodies eventually start turning up. A kindly old train conducter fills the Dr. Loomis role (if you catch my drift) when he discovers the first corpse in a sleeper berth and he spends the rest of the movie trying to keep a lid on it to avoid mass panic while also trying to figure out who the killer is. After several more (relatively bloodless, offscreen) kills, comes the predictable showdown between J.L.C. and the masked slasher.

The problem with "Terror Train" is that even though you'd think a train would be a pretty claustrophobic setting for a horror film, the killer is able to roam freely around the cars, some packed with crowds of people no less, and yet he remains undetected till the middle of the movie, which doesn't seem terribly realistic to me. Since the introductory scene pretty much blares a neon sign as to who the killer is going to be later on, the attempts at making a murder mystery out of it once the train gets going are unnecessary and somewhat laughable. (Do they really think we're going to suspect someone else after they telegraphed it so heavily before the opening credits, for cryin' out loud?) In addition, there are simply too many characters in this movie!! The train is packed with what seems to be hundreds of revelers, yet the body count ends up being rather small by comparison. You don't need a cast of thousands in a slasher flick. Take eight or ten people at most, set'em up in an isolated place, and add a nutty killer and you've got your movie. "Terror Train" seems to have delusions that it's a high class Agatha Christie murder mystery rather than just another slasher flick. The cameo appearance by famed magician David Copperfield (!) as the on-board entertainment seems like it was jammed into the movie at the last minute just to have a celebrity name attached to the project.

Though it has a run time of just over 90 minutes, "Terror Train" moves so slowly that it feels like twice that long. Unless you absolutely have to see every movie ever made in which stupid teenagers get hacked up by a masked psycho, feel free to miss this "Train."

A Well Done Slasher That Doesn't Fall off the Tracks

[captaincracker · 13 June 2007]

"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.

Pretty silly, but you might enjoy it anyway

[GroovyDoom · 6/10 · 4 June 2005]

As far as 80s slasher movies go, "Terror Train" could easily be mentioned among the worst of them. It has a very silly story involving a fraternity that pulls a vicious stunt on a naive young pledge by getting one of their girlfriends (Jamie Lee Curtis) to lure him into bed with a corpse at a New Year's Eve party. It sends him over the edge and he goes to a mental hospital. Three years later, the fraternity holds another New Year's Eve party, this time on an old steam engine locomotive train. A killer slips aboard and exacts revenge on the partygoers. Is it the prank victim from three years ago, and if so, where is he? It's the kind of premise that only happens in slasher movies and not in real life.

However, "Terror Train" does have a few big things going for it, and I was surprised at how much I liked it anyway. John Alcott does wonders with the movie's cinematography here, and it helps that the train sets are very realistic and claustrophobic. Alcott plays some of my favorite horror film cards, working movie magic with shadows and lighting. This is the main reason that anything in the movie works at all, because "Terror Train" actually has very little suspense as far as the story goes. The kills are mostly unscary in and of themselves, but the photography and the design of the shots really stretches the material as far as it will go. There are a couple of great "boo" shocks that might give you a thrill, including a few well-orchestrated "hand-grab-from-nowhere" moments.

The filmmakers were also lucky that they had some acting talent on hand. Obviously their trump card was Jamie Lee Curtis, who was the number one box office draw for these types of films at the time. She is absolutely luminous in this movie, especially since most of the other characters are completely flat. Watching this film, you can really see why she became a star; she was already light years ahead of the material, and this was still near the very beginning of her career. Ben Johnson also turns out to be a major presence in the film as the conductor, and if any real comparisons are to be made between this film and "Halloween", Johnson would be the in "Dr. Loomis" spot opposite Jamie Lee here.

But comparisons to "Halloween" are mostly superfluous. The director wasn't going for John Carpenter here, and he does have a nice sense of style. What brings the film down is a heavy sense of deja vu, not to mention the huge lapses in logic, which are right on the surface here. For instance, there is a rather obvious conversation near the beginning of the film where the conductor reveals that the train has no radio. We also spend a lot of the movie wondering why Jamie Lee Curtis' character would be involved in such a mean prank. Of course the script dictates that she didn't know the extent of what was going on, but we still question whether she's the "good girl" or not.

The script isn't very sly in terms of its plot exposition, and the murders themselves are unrealistic (especially one victim who is smashed into a bathroom mirror). You also might wonder how the killer could manage donning all the different costumes in the film, especially when his identity is revealed at the conclusion (you'd have to have already seen the movie to understand, but it involves a spoiler I would not dare give away because it is one of the big pleasures of "Terror Train").

David Copperfield is actually very memorable as...well, as a magician. Ironically, his illusions are way more interesting than this entire movie. A few of the tricks look like they were done with "movie magic" instead of real time, but they're very entertaining nonetheless.

Of course the goods come at the climax of the film, where JLC must go up against the psycho killer alone. At this point her characters still hadn't learned how to actually finish the killer off with the first strike, choosing instead to inflict what must be flesh wounds in hopes of warding him off. But the final confrontation is genuinely creepy, if a little unbelievable.

The violence isn't quite as graphic as other films of the genre. There is a severed head (rather unconvincing) and a few bloody scenes, but otherwise it's fairly tame stuff. Nothing in the movie quite gels, and I can't really say "Terror Train" is any kind of classic, but its own relative obscurity actually works in its favor at this point. Aside from its initial cable-TV run in the early 80s, as well as a brief release on video & laserdisc shortly after, the film almost disappeared into obscurity until its recent DVD revival. Therefore the few shocks it contains are not yet overexposed, and the film isn't often seen. Even though it's not a great film and in many ways is quite stupid, I did enjoy it anyway and I will probably be watching it again.

This is definitely worth a viewing and an underrated old school classic

[kevin_robbins · 7/10 · 3 May 2021]

Terror Train (1980) is a fun movie I watched for the first time in a long time for free off Amazon Prime. The storyline focuses on a fraternity and sorority that get together and rent a train to throw one last graduation party. Little do they know there is a killer onboard ready to get revenge for a historical prank gone bad. This movie is directed by Roger Spottiswoode (Tomorrow Never Dies) and stars Jaime Lee Curts (Halloween H20), Ben Johnson (Angels in the Outfield), Hart Buchner (Die Hard), David Copperfield (Now You See Me 1 & 2) and Vanity (The Last Dragon). The storyline and execution of this is pretty fun and entertaining and the kill scenes are solid, I loved the Lizard in the bathroom and bedroom kill sequences. Copperfield is definitely awkward at times in his "seducing scenes" and the end was a bit clumsy (when the killer loses his mind and comes to his conclusion), but overall this is definitely worth a viewing and an underrated old school classic. I'd score this a solid 6-6.5/10.

Slasher that was interesting just because of the premise, but it doesn't have complete character, but has forgivable killer...

[FireWave · 5/10 · 1 July 2012]

For horror movies, 80's were golden era, especially when we are talking about movies in which starred Jamie Lee Curtis. I don't like her role of Alana in this massacre. She was bland, irrational and uninteresting. But I have to admit, that she managed to show us great acting skills and strength near the climax of movie, when she was confronting with murder. I like Mitchy from all characters, but she has little screen time and that time was wasted. She seemed just a comic, naughty girl at the beginning, but later she became like a real hooker. I didn't like that transformation. Boys were idiots, except Jackson who was real fun to watch, but he left train early. Coperfield was interesting thing and i enjoyed his tricks. He add something fresh to this movie and to the genre. Killer is pathetic, not so much scary, but he little shocked me at the end. Also I like how he died. Atsmophere of this movie is boring, delivering nothing suspenseful, because you know who the killer is all the time. All murders are off screen, well almost and not so creative. Aside from suspense-free, bland setting and 2-dimensional characters I like the end,premise, Alana's chase and Coperfield, but it's totally hard to believe in killer. He can't show any emotion, like a statue.

Watch this, if you don't have anything special to do, but don't expect too much. It little disappointed me , because, like I said that was golden era for horror movies, but most likely I watched too many horror movies and that's the reason why I thought this was too much rotten and little fresh.

5/10

Keeps you guessing. Good movie for the time it's been made

[d_penn · 7/10 · 27 October 2022]

A very middle of the road slasher film that's saved by the third act as it focuses more on the leads Ben Johnson and Jamie Lee Curtis, who both give good performances. The train location is a nice change of pace from a house or the woods where most slashers generally take place, the costume party does make it more plausible for the killer to be on the loose without people catching on, the cinematography is good, also surprise appearances from Vanity and David Copperfield are a plus. However, with ever good thing there is about the film there's also a bad, the characters are generally unlikable, there's very little to no sex or nudity and the kills are mainly off screen and what is shown is unimaginative, especially considering magic was a big part of the movie. Some of the decisions the characters make, the leaps of logic in the story and the "twist" at the end are eye rolling and cringe inducing. There are better slasher movies, there are better Jamie Lee Curtis slasher movies. You definitely won't regret watching this, but you're not missing much if you skipped it either.

*Good movie with a twist. Keeps you guessing.

Halloween on a train and relying too much on Jamie Lee to carry the film.

[paulclaassen · 4/10 · 7 December 2023]

Ok, so the story is about a guy named Kenny who avenges those who played a prank on him which lead to him being hospitalized - erm, a psychiatric hospital to be more specific. I suppose one could say he was so traumatized by the prank that he snapped. That would explain a lot of the events in the film better - especially his desire to actually kill those who played the prank on him...

It's not until a year later that he gets the chance to avenge the handful of teenagers who pranked and humiliated him. In celebration of their graduation, a bunch of grad students go partying on a train. The film takes a long time setting up the characters and the film is significantly slower paced than most slasher movies of the time. A lot of time is spent showing off David Copperfield's illusions. Yes, the real deal is part of the movie performing some of his tricks.

It felt like the film was relying way too much on Jamie Lee Curtis to carry the film after her success with 'Halloween' in 1978. It's almost as if they decided to make Halloween on a train, with scream queen Jamie Lee once again fighting for her life. We also once again have a masked assailant...

I honestly didn't find the characters all that captivating, nor the story for that matter. Many of the scenes were unfortunately also much too dark. For me, this is a forgettable 80's horror slasher. There are far better ones out there.

The Only Slasher to Take Place on Train

[gavin6942 · 7/10 · 7 October 2010]

A few years after a prank sends a fraternity pledge to the mental institution, the fraternity has a big party on a train. Why a train? Why not? This idea goes horribly wrong when a costumed killer arrives... how do you escape from a train?

Kenneth Nelson says "its claustrophobic setting, impressively violent killer, and top-notch performance by Jamie Lee Curtis help it stand out from the rest of the pack." Now, I'm no fan of Curtis, though it's hard to deny she was pivotal in 1978-1980 for bringing the title of "scream queen" upon herself. And this film is frankly better than "Prom Night".

Released in 1980, near the beginning of the slasher trend, the idea had not gone stale yet. In fact, had it been released a film years later, it might have kept the subgenre alive longer. Without a school or a neighborhood as the background, this film really stands out as one of a kind. Thirty years later... how many train films have we seen? (Sure, "Midnight Meat Train"...)

A young David Copperfield is the entertainment, with card and coin tricks. He is the real star of the film. Him, the ongoing discussion about what is better: a train or an RV, a conversation which seems surprisingly contemporary.

In short, see this film. I'm not a Jamie Lee Curtis fan, and wish anyone but her had played the part... but she does a decent job, the story is good, the kills are nice... and how often do you see someone get murdered by Groucho Marx?

Ok slasher....but....

[LaverneandShirleysucks · 4/10 · 15 January 2021]

When Jamie Lee was locked in the cage and fought the killer, she stuck a long nail into his eye the same way she did to Michael Myers in Halloween, yet in the final scene, both the killer's eyes were uninjured. That glaring plot hole ruined the whole film for me.

A true ride to terror

[K.Klown · 8/10 · 21 March 1999]

This is perhaps the best slasher film made during the decade of the 80's. I had the good fortune of seeing this film on Halloween night with a group of friends, and it did not disappoint. Jaime Lee Curtis was her usual spectacular self, and the direction of Roger Spottiswoode kept this film moving at about the same speed as the train itself. Another great thing about "Terror Train" is that it relies on true suspense and good performances for its thrills, not the excessive gore and blood that has hindered most of the slashers of this sort. Give it a peek!

Next stop your death!

[lost-in-limbo · 6/10 · 15 June 2006]

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.

It doesn't know what it wants to be

[smatysia · 2/10 · 11 July 2012]

Not good. It doesn't really know what it wants to be. Could be just another slasher pic, but it's not really gory enough for that. (Thanks for small favors) It could be a thriller, but it is too weird and a bit too bloody for that. It could be exploitation, but there aren't nearly enough boobies for that. It has Ben Johnson, and I just couldn't remember where I'd seen him before. Three quarters of the way through it hit me: Sam the Lion!! Only nine years later and he's slumming in a film like this. Tsk, tsk, tsk. The train seemed awfully wide and roomy. And there was a small surprise at the end that I did not see coming, so credit for that. But really, there is no reason to watch this movie.