Horror Express (DVD)

...were really tight as the horror genre in respect of the Hammer style was going fast out of fashion. Hammer had secured their most ambitious project yet for filming taking the style of Hammer movies to a new dimension, however there was absolutely no money in their coffers to make the feature. A sacrifice was made that would cost Hammer deeply, their ambitious movie "Trans Siberian Terror" was sold to a Spanish company, along with the deal ...
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Quickly rebranded Horror Express or Pánico en el Transiberiano, the Spanish team had cast the rest of the movie, shot it, edited it, released publicity and had the movie in the cinemas in just under 4 weeks. The Spanish producers were keen to get involved in the genre knowing that they could produce bigger scale movies at a smaller cost due to taxing and financial help offered by the Spanish government. What they did not take into account ... more

While in 1973 my parents celebrated the birth of me, Hammer Studios commiserated over the lack of cash flow in there bank. Things were really tight as the horror genre in respect of the Hammer style was going fast out of fashion. Hammer had secured their most ambitious project yet for filming taking the style of Hammer movies to a new dimension, however there was absolutely no money in their coffers to make the feature. A sacrifice was made that would cost Hammer deeply, their ambitious movie "Trans Siberian Terror" was sold to a Spanish company, along with the deal came three exciting lead cast members Christopher Lee, Peter Cushing, and Telly Savalas.

Quickly rebranded Horror Express or Pánico en el Transiberiano, the Spanish team had cast the rest of the movie, shot it, edited it, released publicity and had the movie in the cinemas in just under 4 weeks. The Spanish producers were keen to get involved in the genre knowing that they could produce bigger scale movies at a smaller cost due to taxing and financial help offered by the Spanish government. What they did not take into account was the fact that Hammer movies had a certain charm about them; this new hybrid had no charm and quite a thirst for blood.

As the movie begins Professor Alexander Saxton (Christopher Lee) is searching the foothills of Manchuria for relics of past times. What he finds is a perfectly preserved man in ice. His plan is to get the body through the communist run countries and into Western Europe to have it age dated. At this point your already aware that the movie is different from the standard British or American horror tales; its far gloomier and devoid of emotion, add to this a rather eerie soundtrack to accompany this discovery.

Talking of Soundtracks we are thrown at this point into the opening credits, a bizarre combination of jolly and jolly threatening pieces of music accompanying a series of different lights and sinister shadows. The titles are written pretty much for the most part in Spanish so you know that your not watching something to familiar (Spanish films at the time were considered a laughable issue). The reason I draw attention to the titles is that it really is one of the most distinctive things of the movie, filled with menace and threat this clever but cheap method pulls the audience full force into something quite frightening.

At a train station in Asia, the body in the box has come to the attention of several passengers about to board the train. Creepy priest Father Pujarardov is performing tricks on the box for passers by claiming its pure evil. Dr. Wells (Peter Cushing) an old acquaintance of Saxton is also baffled and confused about the box, and certainly wants to see what's inside; so much so he bribes the baggage man to find out what's in the box, its this thirst for knowledge that gives us the horror from the movies title. When the baggage handler cracks open the box he is greeted by two bright red eyes, no sooner has he seen them than his eyes are bright red too; but with his own blood.

A creature unleashed, a creature that cannot be controlled; that cannot be defeated has emerged from this box. It's not a man at all, it's a shape shifting alien that can suck out the life from a human just by look, then it can become the very human it has emptied of life. As the creature makes its way through the train creating an army of emotionless zombies, notice of these events reaches a ruthless Cossack police officer Captain Kazan (Telly Savalas); his method of dealing with the issue is to massacre everyone aboard the train just to be sure that the creature is dealt with. And if you think that lot sounds bad, well things are actually about to get a lot worse!

I was a great fan of Peter Cushing and consider that this movie is bar far the most chilling movie he ever starred in. It's a movie lacking in human compassion and certainly one that has no qualms about who's going to get it next. Telly Savalas's appearance too gave me a shock, when you see someone playing a tough American cop with a wicked sense of humour to suddenly see them become a vicious killer with similar thoughts to Hitler it gives you quite a shock. I remember getting a little annoyed with Christopher Lee over this movie, because while playing the lead he not only falls into a secondary role, but shows no acting talent at all; maybe this could be annoyance caused by his sale to the Spanish for the movie.

I probably give the impression by my last statement that I never enjoyed this movie, that's far from the truth. I loved the starkness of the whole picture, and despite a rocky first 20-30 minutes the remaining hour of the movie is sure to keep you on the edge of your seat. While the movies style is nothing new nowadays back 33 years ago this sort of movie just would not happen and for that alone it must be commended for pushing the boundaries. In fact I never saw another big screen movie with such real fear until Blair Witch hit the screens over 25 years later. Horror Express, is not a frightening movie but certainly a disturbing one close up images of pupils being sucked from eyes or brains being wiped smooth are likely to give people the judders. The language used (no swearing I must add) also is very harsh and very graphic; I still have to say few films use such detailed language to describe certain things even to this day.

The DVD has no special features and is available everywhere for about £9.99 from 16th October 2006. While not being something the average viewer would enjoy anyone with a penchant for horror will find this a most welcome addition to there DVD library.

It's worth mentioning that had Hammer been able to keep 100% rights to this movie that they would possibly still be around; the movie did record business at the box office and was a success in 41 countries Hammer alone had only managed to achieve a success in 11 Countries at any one time; but maybe without the Spanish involvement the movie would not have worked anyway. 

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