TERROR TRAIN (1980)

Director: Roger Spottiswoode

Writers: T.Y. Drake, Daniel Grodnik (uncredited), Judith Rascoe (uncredited)

Producer: Harold Greenberg

Cast: Jamie Lee Curtis, Ben Johnson, Hart Bochner, Timothy Webber, Sandee Currie, Derek McKinnon, Joy Bouschel, Vanity (as D.D. Winters), David Copperfield, Anthony Sherwood, Howard Busgang, Greg Swanson, Steve Michaels, Donald Lamoureux, Charles Biddles, Sr., Elizabeth Cholette, Thom Haverstock, Peter Feingold, Richard Weinstein, John Busby, Andrea Kenyon, Roland Nincheri, Elaine Lakeman, Gerald Eastman, Charles Biddles, Jr., Nadia Rona, Larry Cohen, Brenda Gagnier, Phil Albert 

At a New Year’s Eve college fraternity party, freshman Kenny Hampson (Derek McKinnon) is traumatized by a gruesome prank played on him by his fraternity brothers. Three years later, the same college pranksters are hosting their last big party on New Year’s Eve aboard an old steam engine train. Among the many masked and costumed students, a killer moves about unnoticed by acquiring new disguises from each new victim. 

The Flashback Fanatic movie review

1978’s Halloween initiated the slasher film craze and stardom for Jamie Lee Curtis as its heroine. She soon appeared in a rapid succession of horror films that would be assured of success by her very welcome presence in them. Terror Train is one of those released just before the bloody wave of slasher flicks would crest the following year.

This film was early enough in the trend that it still felt fresh, even as it hit all the bases that the slasher film would usually run through: There is a nasty tragedy that is the root cause of the murderous mayhem years later, the horror is linked to a holiday, the killer is masked, most of the victims are young adults, and the bodies are bloody.

What really sets Terror Train apart is its setting. The bulk of the story occurring during a masquerade party aboard a passenger train traveling through an isolated winter wilderness makes for an interesting situation. Once it is apparent that there is a murderer about, the conductor can’t just call the cops and the kids can’t just flee for home. Everyone is in the middle of nowhere during freezing winter weather. They all need to stay on that train and get back to civilization. 

Despite its nasty subject matter, Terror Train is given pretty classy treatment. Suspense is given as much attention as the jump scares. The lighting and cinematography create a lot of atmosphere and the editing effectively displays the psychological trauma suffered by the killer. 

Jamie Lee Curtis makes for the likable lead in a cast of simple characters that are only revealed by how they clown around or conflict with each other during just two nights: the New Year’s Eve party college pledge prank that opens the film and another New Year’s Eve party aboard the train three years later. That is really all that is needed to make this story work within its novel setting as people get picked off one-by-one. 

The film’s dramatic friction is provided by Curits’ character Alana. She resents that her boyfriend Mo (Timothy Webber) remains friends with Doc (Hart Bochner) who masterminded the nasty prank that kicks off the story. She is also probably feeling guilty because of the role she played in that scheme. Alana may be the heroine of this film, yet she is not completely blameless. 

Despite the fact that Mo pals around with that asshole Doc (soon to major in proctology?), you have to admire this pre-med student’s willpower as Mo tries to avoid playing doctor with the drunk and curvy exhibitionist “Pet” (Joy Boushel). 

Other notable cast members are veteran actor Ben Johnson as the train conductor, magician David Copperfield as the mysterious magician providing party entertainment, and Sandee Currie as Alana’s leggy best friend Mitchy. Playing another coed named Merry is D.D. Winters who would gain fame in the '80s as the pop music star Vanity. 

Terror Train was the directing debut for former film editor Roger Spottiswoode. Although he is blessed with cinematographer John Alcott, Spottiswoode should be credited with making a very polished looking film that set a pretty high bar for the many other slasher films to come. Spottiswoode would go on to direct big-budget mainstream fare such as the Pierce Brosnan/James Bond film Tomorrow Never Dies (1997) and the Arnold Schwarzenegger starring sci-fi flick The 6th Day (2000). 

So if you are as morbid as this flashback fanatic, ringing in the New Year aboard Terror Train should be an easy resolution for us all to follow through on. Just don’t get blood in my bubbly. Cheers!