A photographer's obsessive pursuit of dark subject matter leads him into the path of a serial killer who stalks late night commuters, ultimately butchering them in the most gruesome ways.A photographer's obsessive pursuit of dark subject matter leads him into the path of a serial killer who stalks late night commuters, ultimately butchering them in the most gruesome ways.A photographer's obsessive pursuit of dark subject matter leads him into the path of a serial killer who stalks late night commuters, ultimately butchering them in the most gruesome ways.
- Awards
- 2 wins & 6 nominations
Nori Satô
- Erika Sakaki
- (as NorA)
Michael Shawn McCracken
- Father #1
- (as Michael McCracken)
- Director
- Writers
- All cast & crew
- Production, box office & more at IMDbPro
Storyline
Did you know
- TriviaIn its official North American release, the film opened in one hundred two discount theaters, also called "dollar theaters" for their very low admission prices, rather than at regular first-run cinemas with normal ticket prices, which was a factor in its poor opening weekend box-office earnings.
- GoofsWhen Leon is showing Maya the newspaper article dated December 19, 1895, a closeup of the newspaper shows a column of copy containing the words, "bikini-clad babes and tanned hunks". Putting aside the unlikelihood of that style of news-writing in 1895, the term "bikini", as regards clothing, was not coined until the mid-1940's.
- Quotes
Leon Kauffman: I've got a train to catch.
- Alternate versionsGerman version is cut by approx. 7 minutes to secure a "Not under 18" rating.
- ConnectionsFeatured in Phelous & the Movies: Phelous Aboard the Midnight Meat Train (2009)
- SoundtracksCatching Up To You
Written by Joe Diaco
Performed by Alt-Ctrl-Sleep
Courtesy of Lakeshore Records
Featured review
Tries hard, almost gets it right
Getting this out of the way: THE MIDNIGHT MEAT TRAIN is an OK movie. For a gory horror movie, its even better than OK. You'll be entertained enough, and if I could give it another half star, I would.
In spite of the clever gimmick of a 2-in-the-morning subway train that serves as a human slaughterhouse, this film isn't all that original. As in any number of slasher films, dozens of people get their tickets punched in the most gruesome of ways. Atmospherically, it brings to mind SE7EN with its sickly, noir lighting, and sets and locations that reek of decay. Mostly, the characters are true-to-type: the well-meaning loved ones who naively gaslight the hero; the disingenuously skeptical, eerily detached good-guy cops who, predictably, aren't good guys at all; the supernaturally strong and indefatigable villain you can't seem to kill.
In other words, THE MIDNIGHT MEAT TRAIN remains faithful to most conventions of its genre. Yet with all its conformity, it still tries to be more than just another horror flick, and it almost succeeds. Unfortunately, the God-from-the-Machine ending propels the story down a disappointing track, transporting the premise from a plausible if highly improbable tale of exorbitant perversity into something that's far less terrifying.
As THE MIDNIGHT MEAT TRAIN comes to its terminus, one wishes for what could have been if the writers, producers, and director had tried just a little bit harder. It could have been great instead of just OK. As it stands, with its lack of follow through, this movie comes dangerously close to being a waste of Bradley Cooper's talent.
Still and all, it's a trip worth taking for fans of the macabre. All aboard.
In spite of the clever gimmick of a 2-in-the-morning subway train that serves as a human slaughterhouse, this film isn't all that original. As in any number of slasher films, dozens of people get their tickets punched in the most gruesome of ways. Atmospherically, it brings to mind SE7EN with its sickly, noir lighting, and sets and locations that reek of decay. Mostly, the characters are true-to-type: the well-meaning loved ones who naively gaslight the hero; the disingenuously skeptical, eerily detached good-guy cops who, predictably, aren't good guys at all; the supernaturally strong and indefatigable villain you can't seem to kill.
In other words, THE MIDNIGHT MEAT TRAIN remains faithful to most conventions of its genre. Yet with all its conformity, it still tries to be more than just another horror flick, and it almost succeeds. Unfortunately, the God-from-the-Machine ending propels the story down a disappointing track, transporting the premise from a plausible if highly improbable tale of exorbitant perversity into something that's far less terrifying.
As THE MIDNIGHT MEAT TRAIN comes to its terminus, one wishes for what could have been if the writers, producers, and director had tried just a little bit harder. It could have been great instead of just OK. As it stands, with its lack of follow through, this movie comes dangerously close to being a waste of Bradley Cooper's talent.
Still and all, it's a trip worth taking for fans of the macabre. All aboard.
helpful•20
- vandeman-scott
- Aug 5, 2020
Details
- Release date
- Countries of origin
- Language
- Also known as
- Clive Barker's Midnight Meat Train
- Filming locations
- Production companies
- See more company credits at IMDbPro
Box office
- Budget
- $15,000,000 (estimated)
- Gross US & Canada
- $83,361
- Opening weekend US & Canada
- $34,394
- Aug 3, 2008
- Gross worldwide
- $3,534,313
- Runtime1 hour 40 minutes
- Color
- Sound mix
- Aspect ratio
- 2.35 : 1
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