[crabapple]

Here is my imdb review for "Horror Express," which I thought I saw listed on one of the things. Thanks to anyone who voted this movie onto the list...it is really deserving of attention, and thanks to cheap public domain dvds, it is also fairly easy to find!


HORROR EXPRESS

It's got a stylish, modern title, and its opening titles are in a slick, hyper-modern font...from the opening moments, this is clearly a film for the modern mind. But it's actually a period film...and it closes with a rock music version of its theme...I guess we could call this Period Cool!

A frozen ape creature dug up in an archaeological expedition comes to life and begins killing the passengers of the Trans-Siberian Express. That may sound like sufficient material for a low-budget horror piece. But two sparring scientists on the train quickly discover that much more is going on. The enigmatic creature appears to be getting smarter with each person it kills--indeed, it appears to be draining the minds of its victims and absorbing their intelligence. There's more, much more--and you're going to have to watch the film to find out what happens.

This is one of the best horror films of the 1970's...featuring many creative ideas and a fine cast including Christopher Lee, Peter Cushing, Telly Savalas (who steals the show during his brief appearance) and Silvia Tortosa. Everyone is lots of fun, and while this film is fairly gory, it's no mere bloodbath. It requires constant attention from the viewer as the story is actually rather complex. And unlike the characters we find in most current horror films, the characters in "Horror Express" are intelligent people, and their attempts to analyze the strange science-fictional situation in which they find themselves are most engrossing. Heck, even the monster in this movie is smart.

It's strange to consider that, though it features all the trappings of a horror film, it has little of the conventional atmosphere...it's very thinky, and so cleverly funny that the word "giddy" can be used to describe it. The cast seems to have enjoyed the opportunity to work with such an interesting story. It transcends its genre.

So much fun that the rough edges from its low budget are easy to ignore. One of the most enjoyable things Lee and Cushing did together.