Horror Express (1972)

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It's as nutty as a Dundee Cake is Horror Express, but a wonderful slice of horror it is. Boasting Christopher Lee and Peter Cushing as a twin elegant force that are fighting evil, pic is in safe hands. As the title suggests, story takes place on a train, a Trans-Siberian Express no less. Anthropologist Prof. Sir Alexander Saxton (Lee) has discovered a creature frozen during one of his mountain expeditions, and has it safely locked up during the train journey. Yeah, right! Pretty soon grisly deaths start occurring so Saxton and Dr. Wells (Cushing) must find out what the beast is and how to stop it - if it can be stopped that is...

It's a splendid amalgamation of films like And Then There Were None and The Thing from Another World. Although it's often cheap looking, the modest budget actually makes the "B" movie roots engage rather than hinder. Telly Savalas' introduction late in the day doesn't make a lot of sense, and he hams it for all he's worth, but again there's a horror charm about it as the blood does flow and eyeballs do pop. While the revelation and modus operandi of the creature, the science aspects of it, contains good thought and doesn't insult the viewers in spite of the nuttiness of it all.

Great fun, so go buy a ticket and get on board. 7.5/10

***Originally titled "Panic on the Trans-Siberian Express"***

A British anthropologist (Christopher Lee) discovers a frozen prehistoric “missing link” in 1906, Manchuria, and transports it to Europe by train. All hell breaks loose when the eerie thing escapes and preys on the passengers. Peter Cushing plays a colleague while Telly Savalas hams it up as an intimidating Cossack officer in the last act.

A joint UK/Spanish production, “Horror Express” (1972) isn’t a Hammer film, but it has the aura of one, and I love Hammer films. The best way to describe it is as a meshing of "The Thing,” "Murder On The Orient Express," “Ten Little Indians,” "Trog," "The Good, the Bad and the Ugly" and a few Hammer flicks with Lee & Cushing. The horrific creature obviously influenced Chris Claremont’s Proteus, aka Mutant X, in the X-Men comic seven years later.

You might be curious as to why I included "The Good, The Bad and The Ugly" in the list; it's because the quality score by in John Cacavas will bring to mind that popular Western composition, except that it's a more eerie and fitting for early 70’s horror. Another highlight is that it features two gorgeous redheads: Helga Line, who was 39 years-old during shooting, and 24 year-old Silvia Tortosa as a Countess.

In its time "Horror Express" was cutting edge horrific entertainment. It may be dated now, but the film at least takes its subject seriously and is never campy. I’d give it a higher rating except that it loses its mojo in the last act and becomes dull. Up to that point, though, this is stellar early 70’s Gothic horror.

The film runs 88 minutes and was shot in Madrid, Spain.

GRADE: B

Christopher Lee, Peter Cushing and Telly Savalas - yes, Kojak himself, star in this Anglo-Spanish horror flick about a beastie unearthed in China that wreaks havoc on the train that is bringing it back to Europe. The story is actually quite good; though the quality of the print I saw was pretty dreadful so sadly it became more of a perseverance exercise, than one of enjoyment. The direction is quite taut, and it builds to quite an exciting crescendo. As you'd expect, the music and dubbing are not quite what they might be, and the exterior sets could do with some more glue - but that isn't too off-putting. Give it a go.