Horror Express (1973)

Why so much hype?

That was an excellent one.

It's easily one of the freshest, sharpest and most enjoyable films of this year.

There are moments in this movie where the great movie it could've been peek out... They're fleeting, here, but they're worth savoring, and they happen often enough to make it worth your while.

for actors more than for story. because it is the film of their. with few clichés and construct of terror, stereotypes and interesting solutions for a trip who is defined by mysteries in decent humor. for the portrait of characters and for the memories about similar films, about the same theme and not real different solutions. a film who preserves the flavor of a genre from a special period. and, sure, maybe, nostalgia.

Well, some writer's imagination was working overtime on this one. The story posits an elaborate theory of an organism or energy form entering a host body two million years ago, which now transfers from host to host when the prior one dies. Once situated, it claims further victims by sucking out their brains through their eyes. Yikes! This must all have been very confusing to Father Pujardov (Alberto de Mendoza) because he thought this was a vampire flick, exclaiming at one point - "Beware the Law of Satan". You really can't blame him though, there was plenty of confusing stuff going on.One of those confusing things was Captain Kojak showing up about an hour into the flick. I know, I know, it was really Captain Kazan, but Telly Savalas was just about ready to begin his run as the lollipop sucking detective of the popular TV series in a short while. He really did look fine decked out in that bright red Cossack costume, no wonder he was such a hit with the ladies.Considering this wasn't a Hammer film, it was a treat seeing Christopher Lee and Peter Cushing team up to solve a problem here instead of being adversaries. For a horror movie, I thought it was a bit surprising that the monster creature was done away with after about forty five minutes, but as I mentioned earlier, the life force kept hopping around to take advantage of whoever came it's way. Which led to a puzzling question - since the monster wanted Professor Saxton (Lee) to set him free inside the body of Pujardov, why wouldn't it have simply taken off earlier when it was atop the train's baggage car after taking it's first victim? Seems like a little plot hole there.What I got the biggest kick out of though was when the professor addressed the assembled passengers aboard the train, warning them all that they should remain situated in groups or pairs so as not to be left alone. So what does he do in the very next scene? - He's wandering around alone investigating things by himself - that just cracked me up. Almost as much as when he explained to Dr. Wells (Cushing) and the Countess (Silvia Tortosa) that his autopsy of the first victim revealed that the man's memory was removed! What!?!? How could he figure that one out? Well, I like to pan these flicks for their pseudo-intellectual babble, but all in all, this wasn't such a bad little horror film. It had an interesting cast and as I say, a lot of pains were taken to fabricate the wild story line. I tell you what though, by the end of the film, it'll make you think twice about booking your next red eye flight.

An enjoyable film with great leading actors. Christopher Lee and Peter Cushing lead he cast with Telly Savalas making a brief but strong turn towards the conclusion. Dr Wells (Christopher Lee) finds a frozen Neanderthal man while on an expedition. Boxed up and ready to transport it's bundled onto a train and kept locked up on a China to Russia trans-Siberian journey. Prof. Saxton (Cushing) is also a man of science and a fellow passenger on the train. He pays the luggage guard to take a peak inside the locked box to validate Dr Well's claims and this is where the horror starts. Instead of being a Neanderthal man instead it's some kid of alien entity which can absorb the life force and memories of anybody it wants to and in doing so can take on their shape. So how do you stop a shape shifting, life stealing alien when you are confined to a train? Well, that's exactly what Dr Wells and Prof Saxton have to do, while at the same time dealing with the other train passengers who range from eccentric snobs to a Rasputin like mad monk. This is a truly cult classic film in which Lee and Cushing silkily navigate the script. The plot is original and there truly is tension evident even years after the film was released. It's a (John Carpenter) "The Thing" style film at least 10 years before the Carpenter classic, and what is more amazing is that all the action and story takes place in the confinement of a train. The plot, while being enjoyable and tense, pitches religion against science while dealing with something that neither can explain fully. The camera work is really good for the time of production and John Cacavas score is chilling and fits perfectly. Although I have mentioned Christopher Lee and Peter Cushing the other stand out name is of course Telly Savalas, his inclusion is powerful and commanding but I'd was left wondering why he only featured at the climax of the film rather than earlier, either way his appearance signals a potential end to the troubles faced by the passengers. Freddy Francis has done a great job in directing this and I recommend it to anyone who likes a fun, tense, roller coaster of horror. 7 out of 10.

The movie really is a bit underrated I feel and worth taking another watch. This may not be the best film that Christopher Lee, Peter Cushing & Telly Savalas has made but it is worth while viewing for their fans and for fans of horror films in general. I consider this film a diamond in the rough.Imagine living during 1906, finding what you believe to be the "missing link" - a prehistoric creature in ice, putting that creature on a train with you and the creature thaws out - coming back to life and wreaking havoc, killing the passengers on-board. There are not many places you can run and hide on a train. Well that is what this film is all about.This is a must see movie for Christopher Lee and Peter Cushing fans alike. Horror fans in general may find they too will enjoy this gem.8/10