Terror Train

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Terror Train is a slasher film from 1980 about a killer who seeks revenge against a group of pre-med students. Said group of pre-med students played a cruel joke on a nerdy kid during a New Year's party, which led to the kid spending time in a mental hospital. Three years later, the students are all attending another New Year's party, this time aboard a train. I won't lie, I really enjoy this movie. I can easily poke holes in the plot. They don't really give any legitimate explanation for how the killer gets around on the train. Somebody should be able to see him. The character development is thin. Yes, this is a legitimate flaw in the movie. The thing I feel like I constantly bring up when I review 80s slashers is that, even though I recognize this as a necessary criticism to bring up, it has never particularly bothered me. The kills are kind of standard. They aren't awful, but they don't stand out too much either. I felt it was important to get these three points out of the way because they really are the only issues I have with this movie. One of my favorite elements of this movie is that the killer doesn't stick to one costume. It makes it creepier since you never actually know which costume the killer is in until he actually strikes. It's something I find interesting considering the Groucho Marx mask he initially wears is the mask that is the most associated with this movie. Hell, it's the mask on the poster. This is one of the rare examples where a slasher movie actually has some pretty strong acting. You kind of know that Jamie Lee Curtis is going to give a good performance. Her character is one of the few that actually has some development to her. It makes sense since she plays the movie's final girl. Hart Bochner (who would go on to play Ellis in Die Hard) also does a solid job as the main douchebag of the movie. The guy actually understands how to sell the right emotions, and he's legitimately believable when he does so. Actor Ben Johnson is also good as the train's conductor. An older gentleman doesn't often get to be the actual hero in a slasher movie. This is one of the things I honestly appreciate about this movie. I love the way they shoot the train. The shadows and lights can give it an eerie look and feel when the filmmakers need to build some atmosphere, and want characters isolated. David Copperfield is fine in the movie as a magician. Even though it's kind of obvious the man's not an actor, his charisma is actually enough for him to carry himself through the movie. Overall, while Terror Train doesn't reach the heights of slashers that came before it like Halloween, Black Christmas, and The Texas Chainsaw Massacre, I still think it's a solid entry in the slasher genre that deserves to be seen.

7 / 10