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[tab title="Movie Review"]

Terror Train

No one screams like Jamie Lee Curtis. No one.

"Climb aboard the Terror Train if you dare.  This release from Scorpion Releasing, newly minted in 2K and sharper than ever, is only available through Ronin Flix and is in limited supply"


 Combine those ear-piercing screams with a creepy Groucho Marx mask, a young David Copperfield, a ghostly train ride, and you have sure fire success for a late October night full of terror and mystery.  Rising above the typical slasher flicks of the early 1980s, Terror Train entices its audiences with standout visuals and a revenge plot aboard a private train trip that goes horribly macabre.

It’s winter.  For a group of students celebrating their rapidly approaching graduation with a New Year's party, a costume party aboard a private train trip feels like the best way to celebrate their freedom from medical school.  Alana Maxwell (Curtis), her best friend Mitchy (Sandee Currie), and their boyfriends Mo and Doc (Timothy Webber and Hart Bochner) soon discover that someone from their past – a New Year’s Eve prank gone incredibly wrong - has returned for cold and calculating revenge. {googleads}

But who is it?  Could it be the mysterious and charming magician (Copperfield)?  Or is it the enigmatic train conductor (Ben Johnson)? Some masked and extremely insane guest?  Only screenwriter and folk singer T.Y. Drake knows and, with the amount of red herrings he tosses in to the script, he’s not talking.

Terror Train features Roger Spottiswoode (Tomorrow Never Dies) in his debut as director.  While definitely not astounding, his focus on mood and sensation throughout the movie is to be commended. He also allows for plenty of misdirection as the audience tries to figure out who is haunting the partiers. It’s a regular mystery dinner party aboard an art-deco train - courtesy of production designer Glenn Bydwell - bound for hell and Spottiswoode keeps the tension tight.Terror Train

Make no mistake, though. Terror Train burns down the tracks because of Curtis’ performance. Riding her soaring star, after the success of Halloween, The Fog, and Prom Night, Curtis was hot property and her performance here is on par with her previous outings. Vulnerable and definitely no stranger to the concept of a horror express to Hell, her strong performance, once again, defies her 21 years of age.

Climb aboard the Terror Train if you dare.  This release from Scorpion Releasing, newly minted in 2K and sharper than ever, is only available through Ronin Flix and is in limited supply, slipcovered, and featuring a 9x11 mini poster.

4/5 stars

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[tab title="Blu-ray Review"]

Terror Train

Blu-ray

Blu-ray Details:

Home Video Distributor: Scorpion Releasing
Available on Blu-ray
- April 7, 2020
Screen Formats: 1.85:1
Subtitles
: English SDH
Audio:
English: DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1English: DTS-HD Master Audio 2.0
Discs: Blu-ray Disc; single disc
Region Encoding: Locked to Region A

Time to shelve your previous copies of Terror Train!  Starring Jamie Lee Curtis, Ben Johnson, Hart Bochner, David Copperfield, fans of this horror tale get to take an excursion into terror in this cult classic shocker from director Roger Spottiswoode (Tomorrow Never Dies). It's New Year's Eve and a group of college co-eds have planned a masquerade bash aboard a chartered train. What they didn't plan on was that a knife-wielding psycho would crash the party and begin slaughtering the guests one by one! Who is this brutal costumed killer? Could it be the mysterious magician (David Copperfield) with a talent for swordplay...a former frat pledge with an axe to grind...or any number of other guests, both invited and uninvited?  This release from Scorpion Releasing contains a NEW 2K scan of the original interpositive, NEW supplemental material, a Limited Edition Slipcover, and 9x11 Mini Poster with artwork by Devon Whitehead while supplies last.

Video:

This is not the Scream Factory version.  This 2K scan was minted AFTER that release.  Presented in a crisp 1080p transfer, Terror Train’s print is dominated with reds and greens that absolutely burst with color.  It’s a dark film, for sure, but the costumes are detailed and the art deco design is bursting with a nice level of clarity.  There are a few scratches from time to time as it isn’t a complete restoration. Black levels are solid and skin tones are natural.  The new scan adds a bit more clarity to the dark levels and is worth the upgrade.

Audio:

Audio wise, the DTS-HD MA 5.1 lossless soundtrack is clear and the dialogue is never lost or hard to hear.  The engine is roaring strong here.

Supplements:

Commentary:

  • None

Special Features:

Housed in a nice slipcover that boosts new cover art, Ronin Flix continues to spoil its fans with a nice array of NEW bonus material that is dominated by interviews with various members of Terror Train’s crew.  Production executive Don Carmody, producer Daniel Grodnik, production Designer Glenn Bydwell, and composer John Mills-Cockell are featured in separate interviews as they discuss the making of the film and their thoughts on its legacy.  Rounding out the collection is a theatrical trailer, a TV spot, and a gallery of promotional items.  

  • New 2K Scan of Interpositive
  • Director Roger Spottiswoode Interview
  • Judith Rosco Interview
  • Production Executive Don Carmody
  • Producer Daniel Grodnik Interview
  • Production Designer Glenn Bydwell Interview
  • Composer John Mills-Cockell Interview
  • Theatrical Trailer
  • TV Spot
  • Still Galler1

Blu-ray Rating:

  Movie 4/5 stars
  Video  4/5 stars
  Audio 3/5 stars
  Extras 4/5 stars

Overall Blu-ray Experience

4/5 stars

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[tab title="Film Details"]

Terror Train

MPAA Rating: R.
Runtime:
97 mins
Director
: Roger Spottiswoode
Writer:
T.Y. Drake
Cast:
Ben Johnson, Jamie Lee Curtis, Hart Bochner
Genre
: Horror
Tagline:
A nightmare journey to hell... All aboard... if you dare!
Memorable Movie Quote: "Oh, they'll watch. Why don't you go on out there? Do some close up magic? Warm them up?"
Theatrical Distributor:
MGM
Official Site: https://www.thehustle.movie/
Release Date:
October 3, 1980
DVD/Blu-ray Release Date:
April 7, 2020.
Synopsis: Take an excursion into terror with Jamie Lee Curtis and Ben Johnson in this classic shocker from director Roger Spottiswoode (Tomorrow Never Dies). It's New Year's Eve and group of college co-eds have planned a masquerade bash aboard a chartered train. What they didn't plan on was that a knife-wielding psycho would crash the party and begin slaughtering the guests one by one! Who is this brutal costumed killer? Could it be the mysterious magician (David Copperfield) with a talent for swordplay...a former frat pledge with an axe to grind...or any number of other guests, both invited and uninvited?

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[tab title="Art"]

Terror Train

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