horror express (1972)

ToyMan · January 11, 2006, 05:00:28 PM

i first became aware of this film upon reading fangoria's "101 best horror movies you've never seen". (fun book, by the way...)

almost a week later, (this is when i was living in chicago) late-night horror host "svengoolie" showed it on his program! it was sort of eerie, here was this film i had just recently become aware of, being shown on broadcast television!

after seeing it on television, and having read the very positive review it got in the fangoria book, i had to seek it out. as luck would have it, i found it at a second-hand video shop on the very first try, at about $8 or so! what luck! the version i bought is the "front row entertainment" release, which seems pretty decent. i actually picked up another cheapie version some months later for a friend, the "diamond entertainment" version, and the picture seemed pretty brown and wavy.

i'm pretty tempted to buy image entertainment's "euroshock collection" edition, though. does anyone else own this one? i'd like your opinions on it before purchasing it.

The Burgomaster · January 11, 2006, 05:47:25 PM

I own 2 versions of this movie on DVD. I bought the first one a long time ago (it was probably one of the first 20 DVDs I ever bought). I believe it is from Simitar, and the quality is about the same as a VHS tape. This movie is also included in the CHILLING CLASSICS 50 MOVIE PACK. I haven't watched that version yet, so I can't comment on the quality. I probably won't buy the Euroshock version. I like this movie, but I don't like it enough to own 3 copies of it!

ToyMan · January 11, 2006, 10:26:59 PM

i'm mainly looking to get the euroshock version because it's presented in it's original aspect, as opposed to full-screen.

peter johnson · January 12, 2006, 12:58:44 AM

I'd go for the Euroshock version & sell your other versions.
The problem with Horror Express is that the copywright was allowed to expire, and thus it became Public Domain & thus everyone and their mother knocked off cheapo copies of copies of copies of it.
It is difficult, if not impossible, to get back to a negative-quality print of this -- I don't even know who has one now -- but the Euroshock version that I saw has less glitches & burn marks, etc. than the other poor print VHS copies I've seen.
peter johnson/denny crane

Scott · January 12, 2006, 07:39:39 AM

Besides Christopher Lee and Peter Cushing you have Telly Savalas in HORROR EXPRESS (1973). Very good film.

Here are some nice images for HORROR EXPRESS (1973).

Telly Savalas also rides a train in PANCHO VILLA (1972).

AndyC · January 12, 2006, 01:16:11 PM

I was waiting to see how many posts it would take before somebody actually said something about the movie, and not the various versions they own :)

I love this movie. Incredible cast, far-out premise, and really bad science. And it's just representative of a particular style of movies I enjoy, from that sort of post-Hammer period of period horror, for lack of a better description.

ToyMan · January 12, 2006, 01:24:02 PM

discussing various dvd releases of the film was the intention of this thread.

AndyC · January 13, 2006, 09:46:29 AM

Exclusively? That sounds like fun!

Seriously, does it not seem even a bit odd for several people on this board to give a detailed account of owning multiple copies of a movie and not once comment the movie itself? You yourself told the entire story of reading about it in a book, catching it on TV by a strange coincidence, and looking for a copy. You mentioned that the review in the book was favourable, but never gave your own opinion. Neither did the next two people to post.

I'm not complaining. I just found it interesting.

ToyMan · January 13, 2006, 01:15:24 PM

well, seeing it on tv and then going out and buying a copy, then wanting to buy a superior version (as well as another copy for a friend) didn't clue you towards thinking that i might be a fan of the film?

BoyScoutKevin · January 13, 2006, 05:21:55 PM

I highly recommend this film. The "Hammer film," that Hammer should have made, but didn't.

I also highly recommend the book mentioned by ToyMan in his first post. I have a copy of it, and I use it as a guide as to what films I should watch. Some of the films listed in it are . . ., excluding "Horror Express,"

Cemetery Man
Deep Rising
Lair of the White Worm
Paperhouse
Session 9
Swamp Thing
Wendigo
etc.

AndyC · January 13, 2006, 08:06:45 PM

ToyMan Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> well, seeing it on tv and then going out and
> buying a copy, then wanting to buy a superior
> version (as well as another copy for a friend)
> didn't clue you towards thinking that i might be a
> fan of the film?

In fact, that was why it seemed so odd.

ToyMan · January 13, 2006, 10:13:45 PM

it's funny to note that this movie was essentially made because someone wanted to get their money's worth on a model train that was created for another, more famous film.

...and which film was that? i'm sure bskev can clue you in...

peter johnson · January 16, 2006, 01:25:20 AM

Opinions on the film itself?
Freakin' amazing!: Glowing red eyes, sinister disembodied voices, Telly Savalas having sex with a nubile young disposable thang beneath a bear-skin . . . Lawd, but this thing has a very high weirdo quotient, not to mention the grand Chris Lee & Peter Cushing in fine form.
It plays like a film made in a Soviet country before the fall of the Wall -- many very strange twists and turns & I love the "absorption" factor --
Jest a simple doozy --
love
peter johnson/denny crane

akiratubo · January 16, 2006, 07:08:27 AM

I like the part where the engineer asks Christopher Lee how the monk's chalk couldn't make a mark on the crate.

Lee's reply: "Hypnosis. Yoga. A conjurer's trick."

In other words: "I have no idea, so I'll toss out some buzzwords."

The completely accidental nature of what happens to the creature at the end was pretty amusing, too.

AndyC · January 16, 2006, 08:46:51 AM

Loved the science in this movie. The idea that erasing someone's mind would take the wrinkles out of his brain, because that's how the brain stores things. Or the creature's visual memory being in its eye, and you can actually put a drop of eye fluid under a microscope and see pictures -- well composed pictures of the exact images that will provide useful information.

The science is really silly. I don't know if some of it was intentional or not. But the amazing thing about these kinds of movies is that it's all presented with such style, you have no problem suspending disbelief for a while.