Terror Train (1980)

Overrated

Ok... Let's be honest. It cannot be the best movie but is quite enjoyable. The movie has the potential to develop a great plot for future movies

It is an exhilarating, distressing, funny and profound film, with one of the more memorable film scores in years,

The film never slows down or bores, plunging from one harrowing sequence to the next.

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")

Looking at the plot for 1980's "Terror Train", one could easily dismiss it off hand as a copy of "Halloween"(1978), with the exception of it taking place on train. However, for all the similarities between the two films, there is something to be said for "Terror Train" and its ability to tell a fun, engaging story. The film opens with a fraternity party prank gone wrong involving nerdy Kenny Hampson, the too smart for their own good frat boys, and an unwitting Alana Maxwell (Jamie Lee Curtis). Fast-forward a few years later and we find the same fraternity getting ready for a New Year's Eve costume party on board-that's right, you guessed it-a train. Little do they know, however, that one of their companions has been murdered, his costume stolen, and now a killer stalks the drunk college kids, taking their costumes after each murder so in order to confuse his victims! Will Alana and her friends figure out who the killer is before it's too late? A big part of the fun of "Terror Train" comes from the mystery and simple tactics used by the filmmakers. By giving the killer different masks and identities, the producers here are able to incorporate a sense of mystery into the story. Who is the killer? What's his motive? Does this have something to do with what happened to Kenny Hampson? Another factor that adds suspense is where the film is set. Unlike in, say "Halloween", you can't just run out of the house or building because on a moving train rolling through the dead of winter, there's simply no where to run except to the next car and then the next, until you run out of cars to run to. First time director Roger Spottiswoode does well in creating a claustrophobic atmosphere and it's obvious he watched and learned when he was an editor for the legendary Sam Pekinpah. As far as acting is concerned, everyone here does an admirable job. Jamie Lee Curtis, despite the fact she must of been tired of the slasher genre by now, gives everything she has to the part and in typical fashion for her characters, does an excellent job of playing scared but still turning out to be the heroine we all know she is. In addition to her, we have character acting great Ben Johnson in the role of down to earth train conductor Carne, who finds out he has a lot more to worry about than just drunken college kids! With his friendly demeanor and good old country accent, Johnson is able to provide a beacon of hope and stability on the train ride from hell. And in what has to be one of the most random casting decisions ever, David Copperfield (Yes, THE David Copperfield) has a spot here as the mysterious magician hired to put on a show and does an excellent job, both as an actor and of course in magic. He couldn't have been much older than twenty here, but even then you'll wonder how he is able to do what he does without being endowed with supernatural powers. In short, "Terror Train" is a film that was made during the time when slasher pictures still had some quality to them and for that reason, no horror fan should pass up the chance to see it. So climb aboard, enjoy the ride, and watch your costumed friend very closely, because you just never know who might be under there!

From the late 1970's to the early 1980's Jamie Lee Curtis was the most popular horror genre heroine to ever hit theaters. With her unique yell and brave actions, audiences couldn't get enough of the legendary "Scream Queen". Apparently, Terror Train (1980) is the product of a producer named Daniel Grodnik after having a dream of John Carpenter's Halloween (1978) taking place on a train and the result is quite obvious too. And although it is a unique idea, the end result is less entertaining than one would think. The flaw, like many other films is located in the writing department.The character arcs are the same like many slasher films. Some time in the past, a less popular kid among others is humiliated or neglected in some fashion and ends up losing his mind and starts to kill people. And it just so happens Jamie Lee Curtis is right in the middle of it. But here's where things are different if one wants to compare it to Halloween (1978). First, the villain here has a clichéd back-story. John Carpenter didn't want Michael Myers to have a back-story - making him unrelateable to the audience. Here, the audience can relate, but the explanation used for his spontaneous killing spree is way overused.Plus it doesn't help that it seems like there were too many characters to name in this movie. Of course, they are just fodder for the killer, but half of them aren't given any depth to begin with. For example, before the train gets underway, the conductor has a conversation with a lady who seems to be the stationmaster. They seem to have some kind of relationship but it's never looked at again. What's the point of bringing it up then? I did like the finale to the film because it did have a surprising climax but then right after that, it cuts directly to the ending credits. None of the loose ends are tied up, almost like everyone was hunky dory and the writer T.Y. Drake decided he didn't need to write anymore. It was just too abrupt.For direction, I can't say Roger Spottiswoode did a bad job since this was his first debut at a theatrical film, but I also can't say he did a great job. It was just fair - nothing out of the ordinary. The actors who were on screen the most did a fair job as well. The best was obviously Jamie Lee Curtis and second best was David Copperfield (a magician) playing a magician. And if it wasn't Curtis kicking and screaming, it would be Copperfield showing off all his neat tricks. As for the villain played by Derek McKinnon, he wasn't bad either and he definitely didn't look straight in the head, which helped make his character look just as weird.Weird is actually the way I will describe the killer. Michael Myers is creepy but this guy is just weird. Here's why: he is injured so many ways in this picture just like Michael Myers would be in Halloween (1978), yet they are too different characters. Myers is a hulking 6-foot giant. The killer in this movie looks about 5 foot 5 inches and isn't bulky. He's a thin guy. So tell me how several injuries can keep this guy going? Plus it's also more acceptable for Myers because no one knows if he was human or not. But the killer here is, so why is he practically unkillable? The writing Mr. Drake, the writing!The music provided John Mills-cockell wasn't great either. I mean, it had all the elements to sound like it belonged to a horror film but it never felt scary. There were no tunes that gave me goosebumps or made me cringe. So how can I say it was effective if it didn't affect me? Sorry, no credit here either. Good thing he hasn't scored many other films. It's not to say this movie wasn't watchable though. If you like slasher films, take a look see because you may end up liking it, but if you want a villain that'll make you quiver even after the film has ended, I can't guarantee that this picture will do that.Jamie Lee Curtis and real life magician David Copperfield are the best characters and the plot is an obvious mix of ideas but it's still unique. But what makes it average is the weird villain and mediocre writing.

The college days, fraternity and sorority gathering together for a New Year party. There, they have a young pledge who is very timid, goes to meet this young woman. The woman in the bed though wasn't her, it was a corpse! What happens next is far from funny. He ends up in a mental hospital. Now that they are seniors, the gang have their party, on an steam train. How nice. That is why they call it, "Terror Train". Everyone are supposed to enjoy their last year of college, now suddenly, no one is able to go off into the world. All because of a prank done 3 years earlier. The victim has escaped, and has boarded on the train undetected by anyone. One by one, he gets those responsible in gruesome fashion. But when he confronted Alena (Jamie Lee Curtis), he became very unhinged when he kissed her. It appeared that his act of revenge dominated his judgment, and it really sent him over the edge. Jamie Lee Curtis is known well in "Halloween" and "Prom Night".David Copperfield shed some light with his magic. He made the movie more fun. Riding the can be either fun or scary, this movie has a lot in store. 2 out of 5 stars