terror train, very effective

[speanroc]

got a chance to catch this on cable last night , it was letterboxed, and i found this film very effective in being scary and creepy, i guess because of the costumes and the aanonymous nature of the characters and the fact that it being set on a creepy multicrevase compartment excersion trainwith dark corriders and many hidin spots to set up potential scare scenes...

anyone else find this film effective?

[WesReviews]

I love Terror Train.

My favorite part is when the killer busts the lights while JLC is trapped inside the cage thingy. Classic slasher moment!

[_pi_]

Yes, love this film too. The final minutes are nerve-wracking, if I'm to use a dvd-cover-friendly describtion. I rented this after a bunch of horrordvds.com posters recommended it and it's by far one of my favorite early 80s slashers and my 2nd favorite Jamie Lee slasher (after Halloween, of course).

Why Anchor Bay UK decided to release this in 4:3 is beyond me, though.

[speanroc]

the version i saw last night on cable was cropped

[indiephantom]

still pissed that this wasn't released in Canada. Someday I'll get off my lazy buttocks and order an import.

[rhett]

Originally Posted by indiephantom

still pissed that this wasn't released in Canada. Someday I'll get off my lazy buttocks and order an import.

Yeah, I really don't understand how that works. I can see if it isn't allowed in Canada if Alliance Atlantis or some other company has done their own version of it (FAST COMPANY, NAKED LUNCH, DEAD RINGERS, etc.) but I do not understand it when they do that to a title without any Canadian release. And why does this apply for TERROR TRAIN and not MY BLOODY VALENTINE, which is readily available here, despite being a Paramount product. Color me confused.

[indiephantom]

Rhett, did you import it?

Originally Posted by speanroc

the version i saw last night on cable was cropped

Wait... I thought you said it was letterboxed?

[rhett]

No, not yet, indie. I really should though, since it is selling for only $14.49 over at amazon.ca. It, at the very least, deserves a review on the site.

[indiephantom]

Originally Posted by rhett

No, not yet, indie. I really should though, since it is selling for only $14.49 over at amazon.ca. It, at the very least, deserves a review on the site.

Didn't realize it was that cheap. I'll certainly put it down as "to buy" eventually.

[wago70]

Great film that has a certain charm. Curtis is just terrific to watch. Vanity is easy on the eyes, that's for damn sure! I love the whole ambiance in the film. The train is so cramped and creepy that several scenes gave me the willies.

[Korngold]

I'm afraid I must chime in here and voice my disapproval of the film. My good friend Wes here recommended it and I found it to be boring. You could cut out all the stuff with David Copperfield and have a much leaner, meaner film.

I'd say this is the weakest entry in Jaime Lee Curtis slasher career. Halloween Resurrection beats it, but she's only in that for twenty minutes.

[KillerCannabis]

I just picked this up last night on DVD and watched it for the first time. Very cool. A perfect blend of all things that make an 80's horror film so enjoyable. Plenty of good creepy moments and plenty of Jamie Lee's over-the-top screams. Transfer could have used a bit more work, but as with many genre titles, I'll take what I can get.

For whatever it's worth, I think Terror Train is extremely underrated as far as 80's horror movies go. It has a certain creepy atmosphere that a lot of films back then went for but never achieved.

[ekent]

I bought Terror Train recently after reading this thread. Terror train was not very good IMHO, and there was little to no atmosphere at all. I think that the film could have been much more effective if the camera was never still (the train motion effect). Some scenes used camera motion to simulate movement, and others you could tell that they were obviously filming in a parked cart. I'd advise a borrow or a rent if possible, before buying this one.