Jamie Lee Curtis is stalked by an insane, revenge-seeking classmate aboard a train. Watch it again before the remake comes out in 2008.
With the approach of Halloween, the desire to watch old and new scary movies returns. There are the classic favorites: Halloween, The Fog (1980), The Exorcist, Nightmare on Elm Street, the list goes on. But there are always some that fall through the cracks. Without having to search for obscure titles or even films not yet released on DVD, there are plenty lesser known horror films with great scares to be had.
Jamie Lee Curtis' Fourth Scream Queen Movie
A prime candidate for revisiting or discovering for the first time is 1980's Terror Train. Despite being the fourth of Jamie Lee Curtis' "scream queen" series, it's the least known of her early horror films. It's not without gore, but it relies largely on the psychological for its scares. It's about what you don't see, what might happen, and paranoia. But fear not: there is indeed a psychopathic killer out to murder those he believes deserve his revenge.
The film starts out at a fraternity house, where pre-med students are throwing a New Years party, complete with the pledges instructed to lose their virginity by the end of the night. Doc (Hart Bochner) talks Alana (Jamie Lee Curtis) into helping with a prank on Kenny (Derek McKinnon), the painfully shy freshman. Unfortunately, the prank goes horribly wrong and Kenny ends up in a mental institution. Three years later, just prior to graduation time, the same students host another New Years party--this time a costume shindig--on a train. As everyone climbs aboard in the rowdy chaos, it goes unnoticed when someone murders one of the students, dons their costume and sneaks aboard.
The film takes its time, developing characters and showing the tensions that have never been resolved between Doc (with his callous personality) and Alana (with her still naive sweetness), despite Alana's boyfriend Mo (Timothy Webber) being Doc's best friend. There's even a magician (David Copperfield) aboard, hovering between mysterious and kitschy. He's focused on his craft and enjoys the seductive role a magician can play, often serving as a distraction and a potential red herring as the night wears on.
The killer begins picking off students, switching costumes and averting suspicions from those who begin to notice weird behaviors. Before too long, however, bodies begin to appear. With nowhere to escape, Alana finds herself trapped with the killer; she's left to defend herself with no one to help her, leading to a great deal of suspense and tension. For a 1980s horror film, Alana does more than a fair job trying to protect herself--it's a far cry from the lesser slasher films of the era.
Terror Train Remake In the Works
Unfortunately, Terror Train has not escaped the remake craze. 2008 will see the release of the new version about student athletes on a deathly train ride in Europe. Thora Birch (Ghost World) plays the role of Alana, with a working title of Train. Considering how rarely horror films today rely on real tension rather than blood and gore, it's unlikely it will rival (or even come close to) its predecessor. Terror Train is a simple story executed very well. The characters support the pace as the scares unfold and the cinematography is very effective and creepy. It makes for great watching with the lights out.
