“The boys and girls of Sigma Phi. Some will live. Some will die.” –Terror Train‘s tagline, aka the best tagline ever.
Saturday October 3rd marked the 35th anniversary to the Jamie Lee Curtis slasher Terror Train, and we thought we’d write a short piece to celebrate the film! It wasn’t my plan to write two tributes to the 1980 slasher film Terror Train in one year, but I couldn’t pass up an opportunity to celebrate the film’s 35th anniversary. Terror Train was the last original slasher film Jamie Lee Curtis would star in, and she went out on a high note. I realize I said back in December that I wasn’t Terror Train’s biggest fan, but I’ve watched the film twice since then and the more it sits with me, the more I like it.
Critically maligned upon its release, Terror Train still managed to earn back nearly twice it’s budget (it made $8 million domestically on a $4.2 million budget). This would probably come as a surprise to the late Roger Ebert, who wrote “The classic horror films of the 1930s appealed to the intelligence of its audiences, to their sense of humor and irony. Movies like “Terror Train,” and all of its sordid predecessors and its rip-offs still to come, just don’t care. They’re a series of sensations, strung together on a plot. Any plot will do. Just don’t forget the knife, and the girl, and the blood.” He was not alone in his sentiments.
I’m not sure why I like Terror Train so much. It’s certainly not a good movie, but it’s quite entertaining. Unlike many slashers at the time, Terror Train isn’t particularly gory. There are plenty of deaths sprinkled throughout the film, and the twist ending is equally clever and hilarious. That may not be what they were going for, but it is what it is.
The killer’s modus operandi of adorning his victim’s costumes after he kills them is also inspired. It’s not just a man in a mask, he could be anyone at the party. Adding to the tension is the fact that the entire movie takes place on a moving train. Sure, they could just stop the train, but what fun would that be? It takes an insanely long amount of time before the any bodies get discovered anyway.
Director Roger Spottiswoode, who would go on to direct films like Turner and Hooch and the 1997 James Bond film Tomorrow Never Dies, of all things, does a fairly decent job filming in the tight spaces of the train cars as well. The claustrophobia he and cinematographer John Alcott is able to instill in his audience is remarkable. For being filmed in 1980, it also looks good.
Interesting to note is that there was no magician character in the original script. One of the producers just really liked David Copperfield, so they wrote a role for him. This wasn’t the wisest decision, as his sole purpose is to provide the film its main red herring, but other than that he is just there to do some magic tricks in some overly-long magic show sequences. His off-screen death doesn’t help matters either. It would be fun to see the original version of the script without the magician character.
Curtis also does serviceable work as the lead character, even if she is just the standard “good girl” until she gets to let loose in the final act. She is definitely the most memorable character among a cast of interchangeable characters. At this point in her career (and after reading Ebert’s blurb about her in his review), it’s understandable to see why she wanted out of the horror genre.
Of course, no discussion of Terror Train would be complete without a discussion of its ending. I won’t repeat myself to much here, but I love the last 30 minutes of the film. If the first hour seems too slow for some, the final act redeems it completely. It’s a suspenseful, extended chase sequence between the killer and Jamie Lee Curtis, and while the identity of the killer is completely obvious, Terror Train manages to provide some imagination with the way he is revealed.
Terror Train is not a brilliant film. But in the plethora of Halloween ripoffs that were happening in 1980, it truly is one of the better ones. Do yourself a favor and give this one a re-watch this weekend to celebrate its anniversary. It may just surprise you! Just for fun, here’s a modernized trailer for the film made by YouTube user theSupercasa which is pretty cool (and doesn’t spoil the film like most 80s trailers did):