Horror Express (1973)

Most undeservingly overhyped movie of all time??

I really wanted to like this movie. I feel terribly cynical trashing it, and that's why I'm giving it a middling 5. Actually, I'm giving it a 5 because there were some superb performances.

The movie is wildly uneven but lively and timely - in its own surreal way

Your blood may run cold, but you now find yourself pinioned to the story.

With both Peter Cushing and Christopher Lee starring, we're already off to a great start. Next we have the creature, which is very compelling conceptually - it would have felt right at home in a classic Star Trek episode. As you can guess by the title, the setting is a train, which serves to heighten the tension. Musically, one could mistake this for a spy-thriller, which the film did borrow elements off. In addition you even get zombie elements thrown in. Horror fans, and even the casual, will find something to like with this one.

Good sides Location. The whole story happens on the train. It's peculiar. Remember "Blood" (the video game)? The most thrilling level (my opinion) was on the train that was running through the darkness. Music. It's impressive. Actors. They are grand and gorgeous. All the ladies and gentlemen are hoity-toity from top to toe. Cossacks. To witness this kind of cliché (in costumes and behaviour) is entertaining.Bad sides Cossacks. Yes, they are in a bad one too. They are not just funny but pathetic too. And they are speaking English which makes them unrealistic (couldn't they hire real Russian actors with minimum lines and maximum show-off?). Russian characters here DO look fake. Western audience will not notice it probably.Ugly sides Words. Too much explanation near the ending (by the beast itself). It spoils the enigma of the initial scary moments. Too many words in a horror flick should be avoided. And making speeches about the terror from the outer space is boring. Fake monk. Absolutely unrealistic and loony monk. Instead of battling the beast he kneels before him asking for power, but in the beginning of the movie he acts like a prophet. His way of behaviour and looks are very unorthodox for an orthodox priest (too much make up is used by the actor, by the way), so the director shouldn't have put him in the movie (or at least on the train) at all to keep this feature running in the right direction. In "Exorcist" the priest is credible and perhaps that is why that cinema became a worthy classic. And do you remember the priest in "Prince of Darkness"? He is depicted as a buffoon too. Can't put "a worthy classic" tag on it too.Verdict: being very well polished on the outside (costumes, music, scenery), the cinema is shallow in its impact upon the viewer, mostly due to unrealistic characters. And there is not a single tough screen guy or a memorable lady to rely on or to sympathize with - just cannon fodder.Sorry for this sketchy comment, much is left to be added still.The IMDb rating for this one is OK, - a 5 out of 10 from my side. Thanks for attention.

When I first searched for "Horror Express" on YouTube, the Cushing/Lee credits made me assume it was a Hammer film. But to my surprise, none of the usual Hammer names appeared in the production credits, and realized that this was actually something different. I decided to give the movie a chance, and was rewarded with a pretty good movie. "Horror Express" is interesting in that the scope and feel of the story and the ideas at play are somewhat more inventive than the typical monster film from the period. What starts out as a "Yeti rampage" turns into something quite different: the thawed out "fossil" that breaks out of its locked coffin is more of a gorgon/basilisk than a killer ape, and its origins turn out to be extra-terrestrial rather than supernatural. And things get even more complicated when the "creature" is revealed to be able to possess minds as well as "draining" them - so it doesn't just kill its victims, it subverts and corrupts their very identities.And if it escapes from the train, it might cause untold damage at loose in the world...which raises the stakes even higher than just "personal survival". Putting the whole story aboard an exotic train traversing the wilds of Siberia was a clever choice that reinforced the claustrophobia and isolation of the setting as well as interesting props and sets. Cushing and Lee are their usual excellent selves - how many actors from that era could discuss "extra galactic intelligence"s with a straight face and make you believe it? And the rest of the cast keeps up. There's not a flat tire in the cast (although I think Savalas' accent. was somewhat jarring and out of place in this setting). IMO, "Horror Express" is one of the finest movies in its genre, and it is well worth hunting down and seeing if you haven't already.

An enjoyable film with great leading actors. Christopher Lee and Peter Cushing lead he cast with Telly Savalas making a brief but strong turn towards the conclusion. Dr Wells (Christopher Lee) finds a frozen Neanderthal man while on an expedition. Boxed up and ready to transport it's bundled onto a train and kept locked up on a China to Russia trans-Siberian journey. Prof. Saxton (Cushing) is also a man of science and a fellow passenger on the train. He pays the luggage guard to take a peak inside the locked box to validate Dr Well's claims and this is where the horror starts. Instead of being a Neanderthal man instead it's some kid of alien entity which can absorb the life force and memories of anybody it wants to and in doing so can take on their shape. So how do you stop a shape shifting, life stealing alien when you are confined to a train? Well, that's exactly what Dr Wells and Prof Saxton have to do, while at the same time dealing with the other train passengers who range from eccentric snobs to a Rasputin like mad monk. This is a truly cult classic film in which Lee and Cushing silkily navigate the script. The plot is original and there truly is tension evident even years after the film was released. It's a (John Carpenter) "The Thing" style film at least 10 years before the Carpenter classic, and what is more amazing is that all the action and story takes place in the confinement of a train. The plot, while being enjoyable and tense, pitches religion against science while dealing with something that neither can explain fully. The camera work is really good for the time of production and John Cacavas score is chilling and fits perfectly. Although I have mentioned Christopher Lee and Peter Cushing the other stand out name is of course Telly Savalas, his inclusion is powerful and commanding but I'd was left wondering why he only featured at the climax of the film rather than earlier, either way his appearance signals a potential end to the troubles faced by the passengers. Freddy Francis has done a great job in directing this and I recommend it to anyone who likes a fun, tense, roller coaster of horror. 7 out of 10.