Horror Express (1972) User Reviews (188)

A first class ticket of horror !!!

[Coventry · 8/10 · 22 December 2003]

Pardon my enthusiasm but Horror Express really is a must see for all fans of classic horror. It simply is one of the best horror movies made in the seventies and I can't think of many aspects about it that are negative. First of all it stars Christopher Lee and Peter Cushing. There.that should already be enough as a recommendation. These gentlemen are one THE greatest duo in horror ever and they didn't do their finest work just for Hammer Studio's exclusively. And the fun doesn't stop with these two icons.Horror Express also stars Telly `Kojak' Savalas in a delightful role. It's actually a shame that his screentime is rather limited because he manages to impress as much as Lee and Cushing. He clearly enjoyed playing Captain Kazan and he makes the most of his performance.

But Horror Express has a lot more to offer than just good acting. It's a powerful and fascinating story that delivers a good old fashioned amount of scares and atmosphere. The entire story takes place on a old train which is the ideal setting for a film like this. The old and noisy carriages create a unique atmosphere of claustrophobia and the `nowhere to run'-element is used to the max. The plotline itself surprisingly good and it keeps you alert during the entire movie. This is also thanks to the several other, interesting topics that are included in the movie like anthropology, religion and the evolution-theory. Sure, the entire screenplay is illogical and the plot contains as many holes as a small Swiss cheese but - seriously - who cares. I prefer this kind of silly inspiration and creativity a million times over the horror crap they make nowadays !! Horror Express is - simply put - a must see ! I'd even say it's essential viewing if you're looking for the highlights in the genre. It's original, creepy ( even pretty bloody and violent ), it contains enough humor to moderate things and most of all.it's very entertaining. Climb on board and find yourself a seat.Horror Express is one movie you won't regret watching !!

I loved it!

[Boba_Fett1138 · 8/10 · 23 October 2004]

The first halve of this movie is pretty standard seventies horror stuff like featured in most of the old Hammer movies. The second halve however really surprised and impressed me. I loved it!

I really love old-horror movies with both Peter Cushing and Christopher Lee in it. In this movie they are better than ever together. Their acting is superb and so is the rest of the cast even though it is a bit strange that almost all of the Russians are played by Spanish people. Telly Savalas also shows up in a fun role. Savalas is probably best known for portraying Ernst Stavro Blofeld in the James Bond movie "On Her Majesty's Secret Service" but he also played in classics like: "Cape Fear" (1962), "Kelly's Heroes", "Capricorn One" and "The Dirty Dozen". It's wonderful to see such fine acting in one movie because normally mainly it are just only Cushing and Lee who are the only good actors in a movie like this.

Also this movie is actually scary and gory and it has a really good atmosphere. It starts like some kind of monster movie like "Creature From the Black Lagoon" but the second halve of the movie is more like a Zombie movie like "Lifeforce" (which is an underrated horror classic in my opinion with a great soundtrack). A combination that worked really well for me.

The story stays simple and of course ridicules but it still is better than 90% of the other movies from the same genre and it actually goes deeper in trying to explain some of the things.

In my opinion a real horror classic!

8/10

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All Aboard for Horror Goodness...

[dr_foreman · 7/10 · 24 May 2007]

I have vivid childhood memories of "Horror Express." When I watched the film as a young 'un, I was vaguely traumatized by its imagery of dead people with white, blank, blood-leaking eyes. Creepy stuff, for a kid.

Now that I'm an adult, with plenty of gory movies under my belt, I've largely gotten over my childhood dread of this odd little film. And yet, "Horror Express" still packs a scary punch for me during its best scenes. The train setting is both romantic and claustrophobic, and the monster is effective in both its human and creature forms.

The script blends science fiction and horror to interesting effect, suggesting that the monster is some kind of "unholy" alien. I've seen a lot of horror/sci-fi hybrid stories on TV (in Kolchak, The X-Files, Doctor Who, etc.), but not too many in the movies - so "Horror Express" is fairly unique in its blending of genres for the silver screen.

This movie is also noteworthy for its first-rate genre cast. Of course, horror icons Peter Cushing and Christopher Lee are on hand (unusually, Lee has more dialog than Cushing - the reverse is usually true). But the really noteworthy piece of casting is Telly "Kojak" Savalas as a loud, bossy Cossack captain. To be honest, I think his glorified cameo is a little outrageous, and temporarily threatens to derail the film (pun entirely intended, I'm afraid), but ultimately he doesn't distract too much from the other, better-established characters.

Of course this is no masterpiece, but fans of what I call "good little horror films" should enjoy it immensely. It's got good ideas, scares, gore, eye candy, and cool actors - what more do you need, right?

Compact, eerie and intriguing low budget thriller

[rixrex · 23 May 2004]

An intriguing idea of a "spirit" of pure evil with the ability to jump from body to body aboard a trans-siberian train. Well done considering budget constraints, and claustrophobic. Lee and Cushing are fine, but it's Telly Savales who chews the scenery to good effect. He is an unexpected treat as a bullying cossack officer and good counterpoint to Lee and Cushing as civilized gentlemen. Don't expect a slick Hollywood production and you won't be disappointed. I watched this on late night TV spookfests everytime it was on during the late 70s and saw something new each time. It's something like a cross between Hammer and Argento, and a little bit of Corman, too.

"Monster? We are British, you know."

[coltras35 · 7/10 · 7 April 2021]

When you get two grandmasters of horror, Peter Cushing and Christopher Lee together in a film, you know you're in for a good ride, and that on the Trans-Siberian Express with a monster on the loose.

In 1906, Professor Sir Alexander Saxton( Christopher Lee, a renowned British anthropologist, is returning to Europe by the Trans-Siberian Express from Shanghai to Moscow. With him is a crate containing the frozen remains of a primitive humanoid creature that he discovered in a cave in Manchuria. Along for the ride is Doctor Wells, who doesn't get along with Saxton, but when the creature escapes from the box, and with the bodies piling up with their eyes turned white they have to act fast to stop it - but already the creature has found a new host ...

Not your typical monster on the spree romp, Horror express is sprinkled with some intelligence. The monster is curious about the earth. A brisk direction and elevated tension keeps this film simmering, but it's Cushing and Lee that add high credentials to this chiller. Telly Savalas has a small cameo. Silvia Tortosa and Helga Line provide eye candy.

Undeservedly forgotten horror film - one of the better examples of Lee and Cushing working together in the '70s.

[barnabyrudge · 6/10 · 18 February 2005]

Christopher Lee and Peter Cushing. The two go together like strawberries and cream, like white wine and fish. One is a glove, the other is a hand that fits perfectly inside. The Lee/Cushing partnership made many movies together during the '50s, '60s and '70s, including some of the finest Hammer horror movies. Of their three decades as screen partners, their work from the 1970s is probably their weakest - Nothing But The Night, Dracula AD 1972, and The Satanic Rites Of Dracula are inferior examples of their films together. However, even in he '70s "low period" they still served up the occasional gem. The Creeping Flesh was a nicely done horror flick with a wickedly unexpected twist ending, and this - known in America and Britain as "Horror Express" - is a powerful and inventive bloodcurdler with a sprinkling of science fiction.

In Siberia, 1906, anthropologist Alexander Saxton (Lee) finds a frozen creature which he believes to be the Missing Link. He transports the being back to western Europe by trans-Siberian train. Aboard the train are the usual assorted types:- a Polish countess (Silvia Tortosa); her husband (Jorge Rigaud); a mad monk seemingly modelled on Rasputin (Alberto De Mendoza); and a fellow scientist and long-time rival of Saxton's, the charismatic Dr Wells (Cushing). Midway through the journey, as the train passes through a desolate snowscape many miles from civilisation, the creature thaws out and begins killing the passengers. Wells carries out an autopsy on the corpses and realises that they are not up against the Missing Link, but a weird alien organism which inhabits the bodies of its victims and steals their memories. As the finger of suspicion falls upon each character, the scientists try to figure out which passenger is "carrying" the shape-shifting monster, while trying to keep everyone safe and alive.

Horror Express has its share of dumb moments (what horror film doesn't?) but in the main it is quite an intelligent and original piece. Some of the supporting actors are quite amateurish, too, giving performances that distract one's attention for the wrong reasons. However, Cushing and Lee are believable as always, and it's their straight-faced conviction which makes the story as spine-tingling as it is. There is also a well-developed subtext in the film condemning religious fanaticism, with Mendoza's character shown to be so unreasonable and misguided that his "Christian" rantings are every bit as disturbing as the teachings of a heretic. The atmosphere is spookily maintained, with lots of eerie scenes (which probably got many a heart fluttering back in 1973, in the pre-Exorcist days of the horror genre). In particular, the climactic sequence in which Cossack soldiers, led by Telly Savalas, board the train only to be zombified by the deadly alien, is a chilling episode. You may need to be a fan of old-school horror flicks to enjoy Horror Express, but if you are it's definitely one worth seeking out.

Solid thriller proves good movies of this type weren't only from Hammer

[lemon_magic · 7/10 · 1 May 2016]

When I first searched for "Horror Express" on YouTube, the Cushing/Lee credits made me assume it was a Hammer film. But to my surprise, none of the usual Hammer names appeared in the production credits, and realized that this was actually something different. I decided to give the movie a chance, and was rewarded with a pretty good movie.

"Horror Express" is interesting in that the scope and feel of the story and the ideas at play are somewhat more inventive than the typical monster film from the period. What starts out as a "Yeti rampage" turns into something quite different: the thawed out "fossil" that breaks out of its locked coffin is more of a gorgon/basilisk than a killer ape, and its origins turn out to be extra-terrestrial rather than supernatural. And things get even more complicated when the "creature" is revealed to be able to possess minds as well as "draining" them - so it doesn't just kill its victims, it subverts and corrupts their very identities.And if it escapes from the train, it might cause untold damage at loose in the world...which raises the stakes even higher than just "personal survival".

Putting the whole story aboard an exotic train traversing the wilds of Siberia was a clever choice that reinforced the claustrophobia and isolation of the setting as well as interesting props and sets.

Cushing and Lee are their usual excellent selves - how many actors from that era could discuss "extra galactic intelligence"s with a straight face and make you believe it? And the rest of the cast keeps up. There's not a flat tire in the cast (although I think Savalas' accent. was somewhat jarring and out of place in this setting).

IMO, "Horror Express" is one of the finest movies in its genre, and it is well worth hunting down and seeing if you haven't already.

Enjoyable shocker about vicious pre-historic monster terrorizing the Transiberian train

[ma-cortes · 7/10 · 26 May 2008]

Spanish-British co-production that is one of the most representative exponents of Spanish horror cinema, gaining great popularity in the early seventies. The film contains an atmospheric mix of hair-raising thrills and surprising chills, combined with a fantastic ending, though most of the action revolves around the attempts to chase and kill this strange creature.1906, in the remote Manchuria, professor Alexander encounters a long frozen corpse. When he smuggles it aboard the Transiberian train, then the monster is awakened and coming to life, breaking out, running rampant around the train and making a killing rampage. Meanwhile, archaeologist Alexander Saxton (Christopher Lee) meets professor Welles(Peter Cushing). Both join forces against the weirdo creature. The movie depicts the havoc and killing that begin when the monster escapes, lurks and terrorizes. The bulk of action surrounds their attempts to chase and intent on killing this bizarre creature. Meantime, the passengers and crew run afoul, they're forced to fight their lives and pursued by the killer beast which is making a brutal slaughter.

The film was a surprise at its premiere, getting a large international cast, starring the two most representative actors of Hammer Films and obtaining great success at the global box office, dealing with a ferocious prehistoric monster that is transported on the Trans-Siberian train, when the monster awakens and comes to life, subsequently running rampant around the train and causing an astonishing carnage. Well directed by Eugenio Martin, specialized in this type of genre productions, he makes an impressive film, knowing how to use very well the train where the action takes place, the models, the characterizations of the actors, as well as the special effects with lots of guts and gore. The film not only has nothing to envy, but also resembles the Hammer productions at the time. It displays lots of guts and blood but it seems pretty mild compared to today's gore feasts. It's an unrelenting shock-feast laced with nice acting by the two Hammer genre's stars that deserves its cult status. Furthermore, magnificent Telly Savalas , before Kojak, as a crazed Cossack commander and Alberto De Menzoza as a Rasputin-style monk. Lively secondary cast is frankly cool, so the supporting cast is downright great, made up of well-known Spanish actors, such as: Alberto De Mendoza, Silvia Tortosa, Angel Del Pozo, Víctor Israel, Helga Liné, José Jaspe, José Canalejas, José Marco, Barta Barri, Jorge Rigaud, among others.

This unfolds a bone-chilling and suspenseful musical score by John Cavacas. Next to a lush photograph with juicy atmosphere by Alejandro Ulloa, but unfortunately it becomes too murky in some edited prints. Good work by makeup supervisor Julián Ruiz and evocative sets by Ramiro Gómez. The film was well and competently directed by Eugenio Martin or Gene Martin. He was an expert in horror films (Hypnosis, A Candle for the Devil, The Fourth Mrs. Anderson) and Spaghetti Westerns (Pancho Villa, Bounty Hunter, The Bad River Man). Rating: 7/10. Above average. It is a relentless feast of shocks with enjoyable performances by the two stars of the Hammer genre, well worth seeing. A very decent horror film that seems pretty tame compared to today's gore feasts.

Great Yarn

[withnail-4 · 10/10 · 14 August 2000]

Judged on its own terms--as a 70s ghoul movie--this film should be rated a 10 out of 10! The plot is well-structured and tightly directed, and contains lots of great elements: 1906 setting, fancy trans-Siberian train ride, a ghoul, a mad monk, alien theorizing a-la-X-files, zombie soldiers stalking, Peter Cushing sawing the top of somebody's head off, a beautiful spy, eyeballs in a dish, a beautiful Polish Countess, and, believe it or not, it's all very cohesive! That's an admirable achievement

And the acting is great. The Monk is a scene-stealer. Christopher Lee gets to play a testy, priggish Edwardian scientist, and he does it very well. Cushing's character plays off Lee's stodginess as a laid-back deal-maker(yes, he actually smiles and cracks jokes)These two performances prove that Lee and Cushing were both gifted and versatile actors. Telly Savalas arrives for the final act, and proceeds to strut around and chew up the scenery on a level that would make Rod Steiger or Al Pacino jealous. This movie is one of the best of its type. Yes, in the first two minutes you can see signs of a limited budget, and yes, the microscope scene is ludicrous, but in a way, on the level of imagination and poetic license, it's pure genius.

Corrections: a certain "Dik" offered this information while commenting:

1. "An Italian film".(It's a Spanish/UK production) 2. "Lee plays an American Scientist"(the first thing you hear in the movie is Lee saying he is part of the ROYAL Archeological Society, and there's also a lengthy exchange about his character's Englishness: "Queen Victoria, crumpets, Shakespeare"...etc.(The commentator actually goes on about how Lee's portrayal of an American reflects how foreigners view Americans. Well...there's a little problem with that idea, isn't there?)

Brain-sucking Ancient Alien Vampire Body Snatcher for the Win!

[keatonpatterson · 7/10 · 30 July 2021]

Murder on the Orient Express meets The Thing with some extremely incorrect science and weird zombie stuff thrown in for the hell of it...and it WORKS!!! Cushing and Lee anchor a superb cast, including Telly Savalas who shows up for no reason except to be a badass and steal the show before becoming a bleedy-eyed zombie minion of the brain-sucking ancient alien vampire body snatcher. It's an amazing, wild ride with a whole lot going on, but it somehow manages to not go off the rails (until the end...literally). Great acting and practical FX make this trip more than worth while!

Handsomely Fascinating

[shandycr · 5/10 · 21 September 2023]

Horror Express is a real curio. Not merely because of the trans-European cast and crew and how difficult that must have made the production.

It's unique plot, that a what is essentially a 'Bigfoot' gets unthawed then goes on a rampage on train across Siberia, is rather genius and certainly I've not seen replicated.

Then having Telly Savalas as a gun-toting gangster on top of all the drama before the train does a 'Cassandra Crossing' is just ingenious. He's there because this film was made in tandem with the Spaghetti Western 'Pancho Villa' made at the same time. That's where the train comes from.

Cushing's deadpan delivery of his lines, especially whilst trepanning a victim, is hilarious. As is Lee trying to play it straight although often seeming on the verge of laughing.

It is, however, hermetically creepy and effective in the sense of being in one locale you can't get out of, and diabolical things happening. In that sense it's very effectively shot and edited.

Red Eyes, White Eyes - on a Train,Draining Brain

[Bogmeister · 8/10 · 3 March 2006]

All aboard the Trans-Siberian Express - non stop to the shores of hell. That's the interpretation of the priest character on board. But he's off-base; it's an alien monster that's causing all the trouble - a monster derivative of "The Thing" story, but about 10 years before John Carpenter presented his version. The creature is literally millions of years old, having passed through various forms as life evolved on Earth; then someone makes the mistake of storing it on board in a frozen apelike fossil. Next thing you know, certain individuals are behaving strangely, with glowing red eyes, and others turn up dead with eyes whited out (and brains drained). This, of course, benefits from the umpteenth pairing of Lee and Cushing; Lee is the arrogant scientist here and Cushing is again a doctor. Much of the entertaining dialogue stems from the conflict between science and religion, during the transitional phase of the early 20th century. The priest rants on about Satan; Lee calls it rubbish. Here's a typical quote from the priest: 'There's the stench of death on board this train; even the dog knows it.' The dog belongs to a couple of aristocratic Russians on board.

At the one hour mark, Savalas shows up as a power-mad Cossack with his soldiers, ready to kick everyone to hell and back. He manages to make quite an impression in the next 15 minutes as the death toll escalates. He and the two leads (British all the way) sort of ham it up, as if knowing they're in some crackerjack cheesy horror material, but there's also quite a bit of eeriness to the proceedings. The filmmakers managed to get the nice train set from an earlier big budget production and made good use of it. The train itself becomes nearly another character, hurtling through the dark with snow and a chill wind all around, and the interior set design is quite good. The musical score is also unusual; when one expects ominous tones during some sequences, instead we get a kind of tuneful melody. But the best thing about this is the concept itself - this thing, this form of energy, having been around forever and theoretically capable of curing all our ills, contents itself with the easy kill. Boy, does it like to drain brains.

Lee and Cushing star in above average Euro-horror!

[BA_Harrison · 7/10 · 20 July 2006]

After two million years spent trapped in the fossilised body of an ape-like creature, a murderous alien entity is freed when geologist Sir Alexander Saxton discovers the remains and ships them from Manchuria to Russia aboard a Trans-Siberian train.

Eugenio Martín's nifty slice of Euro-horror is an entertaining piece of hokum with a great international cast; UK horror icons Christopher Lee and Peter Cushing top the bill with US baldy Telly Savalas and a whole host of European stars ably filling the roles of victims.

With loads of atmosphere, a smattering of reasonable gore (including the removal of the craniums of a couple of corpses), a few laughable scenes ("it's a pterodactyl!"), and even some zombies towards the end, this film is great fun from start to finish and recommended viewing for fans of 70s horror.

Horror Express

[henry8-3 · 5/10 · 8 June 2022]

Anthropologist Christopher Lee boards the Trans Siberian Express with an ancient relic that turns out to be a live and rather nasty creature who proceeds to kill everyone he comes across. With new pal and fellow scientist Peter Cushing along for the ride they try to find and destroy the creature.

Trains have always been great film locations and this dumb fun is no exception. It is a bit dark and spooky and Lee and Cushing are fine company. Telly Savalas' Cossack Captain near the end of the film seems a slightly strange addition of another name to sell tickets but otherwise perfectly decent late night telly.

"There's Nothing In Your Head Of Any Use!"...

[azathothpwiggins · 17 July 2018]

HORROR EXPRESS stars Peter Cushing and Christopher Lee as rival scientists, Dr. Wells and Sir Alexander Saxton, respectively. When Saxton uncovers a frozen specimen in China, he must transport it back to England via train. Unfortunately, said specimen is far more than just some fossil! Apparent supernatural mayhem and death ensue.

Cushing and Lee are at their best, playing off each other like the twin horror icons they are! The story line is intriguing and quite original, providing an atmosphere of creeping dread to go along with its beastie!

EXTRA POINTS: For the Rasputin-like Father Pujardov (Alberto del Mendoza), who adds a heavy dose of hyper-religious blather and outright madness to the proceedings. Also, Telly Savalas makes a perfectly intimidating Cossack!

A unique and very influential horror film...

Peter, Christopher and Telly together - on a train!

[parry_na · 6/10 · 4 March 2020]

The involvement of Peter Cushing and Christopher Lee was something of a coup for producer Bernard Gordon, and it is true to say their presence does lift 'Horror Express' somewhat. However, for my money, their stoical, mannered characters aren't as much fun as Telly Savalas as Captain Kazan. Kazan has barely been onscreen for ten minutes before he has shot, stabbed and whipped others around him.

Using a (very realistic) miniature train from another film (possibly 'Pancho Villa' from the same year), Gordon, director Eugenio Martín and writer Arnaud d'Usseau have concocted a nicely claustrophobic horror chiller. On the Trans-Siberian Express, no-one can hear you scream.

Where things become a little dull is during the second half, when it has been established that the frozen creature captured by Saxton (Lee) is up something monstrous, and the audience has little to do but wait until it continues on its path. This leads to some nice creepy set-pieces, but not quite enough to sustain the interest and this leaves us waiting eagerly for the climactic moments to take place.

Cushing was unsure about making the film, but Lee gently talked him into it. The results are good, with some fine moments of stifled horror with something running (or moving languidly) amok in a confined area. Some nicely lit moments and eerie music courtesy of John Cacavas add greatly to this. My score is 6 out of 10.

There's a stink of hell on this train!

[utgard14 · 7/10 · 7 November 2013]

Horror Express is a great little horror film. It combines four things I enjoy: trains, snowy backdrops, the dynamic duo of Christopher Lee and Peter Cushing, and the theory of the missing link. It's an original and atmospheric film that is probably the best of any of the Spanish horror films of the 70's that I have seen. The special effects are pretty good and the direction is very nice for the genre and time.

But really it's the cast that sells Horror Express so well. Obviously, any film with Cushing and Lee in it is automatically worth seeing. Lee plays the crusty Brit stereotype to perfection while Cushing plays a more laid-back character than normal, which is pleasant to watch. He even cracks jokes! Most of the non-English actors do surprisingly good with a minimal amount of overacting. Alberto de Mendoza as Father Pujardov is the worst offender but it actually works well for his character, who seems a sweaty high-strung mess the entire time. Telly Savalas, billed as co-star with Lee and Cushing, doesn't show up until about an hour in and has a limited but memorable role. He hams it up in every scene but it's a real treat to watch.

Horror Express is a great movie to watch late at night. If you're a fan of the terrific actors involved or of movies that take place on trains, please give it a shot. It's worth it.

Alien On The Trans Siberian

[bkoganbing · 7/10 · 14 June 2011]

That crowning jewel of internal improvement in czarist Russia, the Trans-Siberian Railroad is the scene of a really good horror film from that team of classic horror film actors, Peter Cushing and Christopher Lee. And the film was not even done for Hammer Studios, it's a Spanish production.

The plains of Spain stand in for steppes of Russia in Horror Express. Anthropologist Christopher Lee has unearthed in the tundra the frozen body of a creature he thinks is the missing link. But the link thaws out and he starts running amuck on the train.

Then it turns out that this thing is not some link between man and ape, but some alien that landed here in our Cenezoic age and grafted with one of those apes. It absorbs intelligence from those around when killing them, but there wasn't much to absorb from the link between simian and sapien. Now it's got some good subjects to feast on for knowledge.

Horror Express is a very good science fiction/horror mix with a couple of the best in the genre starring. We also get Telly Savalas playing a Cossack leader who stops the train, but of course has no idea what he's dealing with. The film holds up very well from 1972 and is a must for horror film fans.

wonderful new print

[christopher-underwood · 7/10 · 18 August 2017]

Much loved, though I know it is, I've always had something of a problem with this film. Neither do I share many peoples love of Psychomania. Both are from the pen of Arnaud d'Usseau and I feel that it is in the area of the script that I have difficulty. Both, I feel, suffer from a slightly hokey Englishness. There are positives and I had forgotten just how effective the white and red eyes are. Apparently these caused problems in that whilst the actors had the lenses in they could see nothing! Still, they are very good and the effects generally are more gory than I remember (maybe its the wonderful new print). Of course, another factor is that I seem to be alone in finding many of Christopher Lee's performances stiff and monotonous. Here his tendency towards pomposity also seems to be allowed free reign and whilst Cushing works gallantly and realistically, I couldn't say the same for Lee. Alberto de Mendoza is great as a Rasputin style priest - keen to follow his leader, even if the devil himself. Helga Line is as serene as ever and Telly Savalas does a well over the top drunken Cossack. Too many shots of a toy train in the snow but the interiors are rather fine and though there are obvious limitations with a set confined to a train, director Eugenio Martin just about keeps things going.

Outstanding!

[BaronBl00d · 8/10 · 9 February 2000]

Picture a frozen ape man discovered by a British archeologist and scientist at the turn of the century, and being placed aboard a Trans-Siberian railway from China to Russia..and you have the beginning of Horror Express. Christopher Lee plays the man who finds this fossil, as he calls it, which turns out to be so much more. The film itself is beautiful as we see this elegant train traveling across snow-covered terrain(actually filmed in Spain). The cast of characters aboard are of equal interest. Peter Cushing plays a scientist named Dr. Wells. For Cushing, this is a fine performance of a scientist less hypnotized by the ethic of science and more worldly. He bribes officials to get train tickets, has a baggage man drill holes in Professor Saxton's(Lee's) discovery, flirts with both his manly lady assistant and a beautiful stow-a-way, and in general seems less serious than many of his former roles. Nice to see him occasionally smile. Lee's professor is quite typical of Lee, burly, officious, obnoxious, and willful. Both Cushing and Lee are extraordinary and sights to behold as they waltz through the script of finding the creature which is wiping the minds of various peoples. The rest of the cast is also very good with a Rasputin-like monk stealing scene after scene. Horror Express is fast-paced action, inventive science fiction, gory thrills, and chilling horror. Indeed it is worth a look!

Good horror movie

[stefanozucchelli · 7/10 · 12 November 2021]

Interesting horror movie that has many features in common with Carpenter's "the thing". A monster of space origin that can change its body is free to move in a confined space.

No one can escape and no one knows who to trust. The monster continues to kill without stopping and seems unstoppable. Nice performance by the whole cast, some effects are quite naive but overall it's a good movie.

Overrated Big Budget Bore

[thalassafischer · 5/10 · 15 September 2023]

I watch a lot of 70s horror including Hammer films on occasion but this movie isn't anything special even in an amusing way. The premise is outrageously stupid, maybe people were so poorly educated when Horror Express debuted they would actually believe a frozen animal corpse would come to life and start not only killing people but absorbing their memories and thoughts. Somehow he also boils the victims' eyes when he looks directly at them with eerie red evil vision.

Mostly Horror Express is a decent looking big budget flick and I believe this plays a part in why some viewers have rated it so highly. But all the money and fancy sets can't make the crappy script any better.

More than meets the eye

[I_Ailurophile · 8/10 · 29 October 2020]

The English title is a little dubious, and the Spanish title is little better. The production values leave a lot to be desired; some scenes are bathed in so much primary color you might think this could be a Dario Argento film if not for the lack of sharpness in the photography, and even beyond that the picture is often a bit fuzzy and the audio a little muddled.

Yet beyond those minor setbacks on the surface, 'Horror express' is a solid movie. One need not watch for long to gather that this is based on a story we've seen adapted elsewhere, yet it takes that basic concept in a little bit of a different direction, to rather great success. Even if the audience figures out the nature of the creature before the characters do, it doesn't detract from the fun of watching the mystery, horror, and bloodshed unfold.

Peter Cushing and Christopher Lee are fantastic, as always, and I can't fault the rest of the cast at all. Though the audience can guess at the core, there are a few unexpected turns in the narrative that help propel this train to its final destination.

There's not too much to say here--the flaws are noticeable, but minor in the grand scheme of things. This is a good, fun horror film within Lee & Cushing's vast collective filmography. For the fact that it's in the public domain, there's no reason not to check it out if you have 90 minutes to spare.

Outrageously entertaining

[tomgillespie2002 · 7/10 · 20 February 2019]

With a cast list boasting the names of both Christopher Lee and Peter Cushing and a claustrophobic setting aboard a high-speed train, it would be easy to assume that Horror Express is another low-budget gothic effort from Hammer, or perhaps a portmanteau effort from Amicus. It is neither, and is in fact a joint Spanish and UK production made at a time when gothic horror was falling out of favour with audiences, who were being treated to more graphic, socially-aware films such as Night of the Living Dead, and psychological horrors from the US. Helmed on a measly budget by Spanish director Eugenio Martin (so low-budget that the shadow of the camera and cameraman is clearly present in the very first shot), Horror Express actually deserves more attention. It may not be particularly original, but it's shockingly entertaining, utterly bonkers, and provides an interesting sci-fi twist to a familiar genre piece.

Stuffy British anthropologist Sir Alexander Saxton (Lee) discovers the mummified remains of what appears to be a primitive human in a Manchurian cave. With hopes of this find-of-the-century providing some insight on the missing link in human evolution, Saxton packs the body into a wooden crate and hops onto the Trans-Siberian Express from China to Moscow. Before boarding the train however, a Chinese thief attempts to pick the crate's lock, and is found dead just moments later with his eyes completely white. The discovery also catches the eye of Saxton's friendly rival Dr. Wells (Cushing), who pays a baggage handler to cut a hole in the box so he can sneak a peek. The porter is too found dead soon after, and the crate empty. With the beast now loose aboard a moving train, it isn't long until the bodies start to pile up. Saxton and Wells are on the case, but the commotion also catches the attention of Inspector Mirov (Julio Pena), Polish countess Irina (Silvia Tortosa) and crazy Orthodox monk Father Pujardov (Robert DeNiro lookalike Alberto de Mendoza).

It's a strange but enticing mixture of Agatha Christie and The Thing from Another World. The discovery that their foe is actually a body-hopping alien capable of devouring memories and knowledge with each kill allows for some whodunnit fun to be had in between the many gory moments, and gives the film a strange sci-fi kick that, while completely ridiculous, adds something different to an otherwise straight-forward monster flick. The special effects have also aged rather well. It isn't scary, but the sight of corpses frozen in shock with their eyes rolled to the back of their heads makes for a rather creepy sight, and graphic scenes of surgical procedures means that Martin's picture has a welcome nasty edge that helps it to distance itself from Hammer's campier gore. You can pick the film apart, but Horror Express is simply outrageously entertaining and never lets up. Once the horror starts, each scene seems to want to double-down on what came before, even introducing Telly Savalas late on as an intimidating, vodka-swilling Cossack officer named Captain Kazan. A must-see for any fans of European horror from the Lee/Cushing era.

What's with all the 10s?!

[planktonrules · 4/10 · 11 November 2008]

On IMDb, the score of 10 has become so bastardized that mediocre and silly films like HORROR EXPRESS receive gobs of 10s. Folks, get a grip. This is not GONE WITH THE WIND or DR. STRANGELOVE! Classic this film ain't! Sure, it's okay if you like Christopher Lee and Peter Cushing together in a film. Great. Enjoy. But don't be ludicrous and give movies like this a 10! There are just too many flaws and silly plot twists to merit such a score. Horror films that deserve 10s are rare and should be reserved for such films as Dracula (1931), FRANKENSTEIN (1931), NOSFERATU (1922) and perhaps a handful of others--not low budget Spanish films with overacting like you see by Telly Savalas and a super-strange idea for a horror flick.

Christopher Lee thinks he's solved the puzzle of the missing link when he finds some frozen primordial creature. However, unexpectedly, when the think begins to thaw on board a train, it comes alive and goes on a killing spree. Once killed, you'd think the movie would be over but somehow the creature transferred its consciousness into another and another killing rampage begins. It turns out that the creature is an astronaut from another galaxy! Despite having survived for so long living inside other creatures, it's apparently very easy to kill and the movie ends on a very anti-climactic note.

Pluses for the film were seeing Lee and Cushing, though Lee did seem a tad illogical and nasty--too much really. And as for Telly Savalas, he did a walk-on that frankly didn't fit the film and he seemed about as Russian as Flip Wilson. Where was his accent? What was his motivation? What was his role in the film? Beats me, actually. Minuses, aside from Savalas, were the silly plot, the character of the monk (who made no sense whatsoever--none) and the terrible conclusion. Not a bad film, but certainly NOT a classic to anyone but the Kool-Aid drinkers who would think to score this film a 10!