Forgotten Horror Spotlight - Terror Train (1980)

A little something new that I'll be doing is showing some much deserved appreciation to some of the lost, forgotten or just criminally ignored horror films of days past. As genre fans it is out duty to pay homage and keep the classics alive. Sure some may be cheesy or unintentionally funny or still downright scary but these movies have earned their place in the pages of the horror hall of fame!

Terror Train (1980) - This film came to my attention some time ago. I have always had a special place in my heart for the slasher sub-genre and this one was recommended to me as a "can't miss." So, I tracked it down and tuned in to watch and I was pleasantly surprised that I did. The set up is as follows:

A college fraternaty prank goes bad and a student ends up in the mental ward. Four years later, it's graduation time, and the members of the fraternity decide to have a costume party aboard a train to celebrate thier graduation. Unknowingly to them, a killer has slipped aboard, picking them off one by one, disguised in the costumes of the victims.

Now picture, if you will, one of those old murder trains that people paid for to solve mysteries. Add into the mix a whole bunch of drunk kids in Halloween costume, a genuine slasher and Jamie Lee Curtis and you'll start to get a better feel for this flick.

True the story is simple and true the acting is a bit stiff in places but we at least have a dose of originality, some pretty good scares, a whole lot of tension and some decent little twists thrown in. When all is said and done, what more can we want? Curtis proves here once again why she will always be the true scream queen, playing the damsel in distress just as well as she had two years prior in Halloween. And again, the whodunnit mystery thrown in is more than enough to keep you guessing.

My one complaint with this film is the lack of time spent on the killer. We only catch glimpses but not enough to truly fear him the way we do Michael or Jason. Also, the mask is a little too comical but hell, it beats sitting through more watered down PG13 kiddie horror.

If you love a good slasher movie but aren't quite in the mood for the ones sitting on your shelf, find a copy of Terror Train, dust it off and try to solve the mystery. After all, we need to keep these gems alive!!!


Highlight scenes: The scene where Curtis is chased through the train cars is suspenseful and expertly lensed. We really get a sense of terror and the confinement of the location just adds to it.

The scene where our heroine is locked in the gated room with the killer just outside is pure horror genius. Pitting her face to face with the killer with next to nothing between them ratchets up the tension.

The corpse scene in the bed is pretty unexpected and a little disgusting. Effective setup for the film.