Xpress Finally a high quality transfer where I can actually see the inside of the train and the monster,and Telly Savalas in his Red robed coat!
This is a movie I always liked and now have got the DVD since this shows it complete like it was at the Theatre.
Excellent story of the alien who uses "hosts" to survive,nice atmosphere of the early 1900's.
The opening and closing credits are fine,no problem here as another reviewer mentioned they were fuzzy ? , its a train at night with titles like the lights of the train and there never were any credits at The End, it just faded to black. Typical of 70's movies.
Great movie to watch on a rainy saturday afternoon.
Take Two Great Overactors, Add Telly Savalas, Mix Until Congealed... "Horror Express" is a fairly lame monster movie, made infinitely more viewable by the presence of arch enemies Peter Cushing and Christopher Lee. Essentially, in 1906 Lee discovers a frozen half man-half ape creature in Siberia whose fossil is immediately pronounced evil by a seemingly rabid priest. He puts the thing on a train across Russia and (surprise) it gets loose and starts killing people methodically.
The plot is fairly hokey, but the old school overacting from the principals is wonderful and there is an occasional bit of suspense wondering where the creature is. There is also a senseless subplot about spies and a formula for steel that helps distract the viewer from the rampaging beast, though why that was desirable as a directorial choice is debatable. There are minimal special effects other than the single glowing red eyeball that can absorb knowledge from a victim through his eyes, and who can store his memories in a liquid inside his own eyeballs. This sounds ridiculous enough (and is) but wait until you see the academics put drops of this eyeball liquid under a microscope and see images (like a brontosaurus) that the creature had seen in the past.
The print is dark and a bit grainy, but overall it's a lot of fun for aficionados of classic gothic horror movies set on a train.Horrifying "Express" Christopher Lee and Peter Cushing were "the best of screen enemies" (to quote Lee). So it's entertaining to see them in a different kind of movie, such as "Horror Express," a somewhat hokey horror movie that is made up for by some excellent performances and pervasive creepiness. You'll never look at a fossil quite the same way again.
Professor Saxton (Christopher Lee) uncovers a frozen ape-man in northern China, and has it crated and loaded on the Trans-Siberian Express. But after his colleague Dr. Wells (Peter Cushing) bribes the baggage man to peek inside, the baggage man is found dead, with bloody white eyes -- and the fossil is gone. More people fall prey to the creature before it's fatally shot by a Russian police officer.
But it soon becomes apparent that the creature may be dead -- but whatever was inside it has just moved on to its next host. Wells and Saxton try to puzzle out what they are dealing with, while a mad monk (Alberto de Mendoza) tries to help the possessed officer, believing him to be Satan. To top things off, a force of Cossack soldiers have arrived to deal with the threat...
"Horror Express" is one of those movies that would normally be B-grade all around -- capable, but nothing really memorable. The plot about a bodysnatching, memory-sucking alien is kinda hokey. But it's the presentation that makes it really interesting, with Lee and Cushing as a pair of scientists, and a sense of mystery around what the creature really is.
And it all takes place in the confines of a train, which gives the movie a claustrophobic feeling, as well as making it seem a bit like a horror version of "Murder on the Orient Express." The dialogue ranges from silly ("There's a stink of hell on this train!") to slyly satirical ("But what if one of you is the monster?" "Monster? We're BRITISH, you know!").
Lee and Cushing are the bright spots in here, as the uptight, scientific-minded Saxton and the friendly Wells, who keeps rubbing Saxton the wrong way. It's interesting to see them as allies ("friends" would be pushing it), and the the two actors give plenty of little details to their strong performances. Dracula and Van Helsing, they ain't. And Telly Savalas shows up briefly as a swaggering, likable Cossack captain.
It should be noted that the Geneon/Pioneer release of this movie is actually quite good for the price. No real extras, but the print is clean, clear and the colour hasn't faded. The only problem with this edition is that the menu is REALLY annoying, with a train whistle blowing every few seconds, and there's no captioning.
"Horror Express" is basically a B-movie with the usual weak and solid moments, but some grade-A talent making it worthwhile. Enjoyably spooky.
