A fun and entertaining occult science fiction horror mash up with a killer and a killer cast. 

• Entertainment factor: ★★★★★
• Bloody factor: ★★★☆☆
• Science fiction factor: ★★★★☆
• Occult factor: ★★★★☆
• Possession factor: ★★★★★

Horror Express is a science fiction horror that resembles the style of Hammer Horror films and has an evenly similar cast. It’s Murder on the Orient Express but with an unusual killer, a dangerous and deadly creature that has it in for the passengers on the Trans-Siberian Express train. It stars Christopher Lee, Peter Cushing, Telly Savales, Silvia Tortosaa. Directed by Eugenio Martin. Written by Arnaud d’Usseau and Julian Zimet.

Duration 1h 30m

Plot

Alexander Saxton is a scientist who has found an old fossil on his expedition and takes it with him on a train in a very big crate. However before the train leaves there’s a curious incident with a thief who wants to open the crate. He is found dead with white eyes. Something is hiding inside the fossil of an apelike human ancestor. Something that is not of this earth and that has its own deadly plans. 

On the train are also Doctor Wells with his colleague Miss Jones, Countess Irina Petrovski with her husband Count Marion Petrovski and their personal monk Pujardov and a police inspector Mirov and finally spy Natasha. 

Wells is curious about what’s inside the crate and he makes a hole in it to take a peek. But this action has deadly consequences. 

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Short Review

The film combines science fiction with horror and some humor. The way Saxon and Wells are competing and have to work together results in some fun. The creature itself is creepy looking. Its big and daunting and has a scary red glowing eye. That red eye shows that the fossil is possessed by something else. 

The kills are campy fun but still scary. The eyes of the victims start to bleed and turn white, all filmed in a trippy way. And the eyes have more to tell. Saxton and Wells discover strange images on the retina of the eye. Images seen from space and of prehistoric times. It’s a very fun idea and a very original scene. 

While the alien remains unnamed and unknown, it can absorb the brain of its victims and  soak up all the knowledge they have. It learns from its variety of victims, a thief, an inspector, a scientist, a technician and so it learns more. It can also use bodies as a vessel and jump from one body into another which reminds of The Thing (1982) which was released 10 years later. It results in a mystery, guessing who the alien is, whose body it possesses. It’s up to Saxon and Wells to figure it out, and to figure out how they can beat this thing. Luckily they get help from Pujardov. 

The finale is a fun romp where everything happens and anything goes. From a complete bloodbath and massacre to zombies and fighting with a saber and some smart thinking, this finale will be memorable.

The atmosphere is an original seventies film that blends a lot of characters, styles, genres with an alien creature with a variety of powers, that are more reminiscent to supernatural powers than science fiction-like powers. But it does work and results in a great fun mystery movie with some occult vibes, and organized chaos. While most seventies horror films are about surrealism, and psychological horror combined with the supernatural, there’s also a trend of wild crazy mashup films that combine genres with a big fun cast and a lot going on. A perfect example is Scream and Scream Again (1970) and The Abominable Dr Phibes (1971).

The sound of a moving train emphasizes the horror and the rhythm sets the pace of the horror. Although a lot of voices from non-English speaking actors are dubbed later on, it’s not interfering with the thrill of the movie. 

While Horror Express didn’t turn into a well-known classic or a cult horror film, it is very much worth your time to watch it. It’s entertaining, scary at times, original and will surprise you. A killer alien, possession, zombies, blood and violence, this oldie has it all.