Terror Train (1980)

User Rating:

5.5/10   

Director:

Roger Spottiswoode

Writer:

T.Y. Drake (writer)
(more)

Release Date:

3 October 1980 (USA)

Genre:

Horror

Tagline:

The boys and girls of Sigma Phi. Some will live. Some will die.

Plot:

A masked killer targets six college kids responsible for a prank gone wrong years earlier and whom are currently throwing a large New Year's Eve costume party aboard a moving train.

Plot Keywords:

Costume | Train | Party | Prank | Student

Awards:

5 nominations

Cast

Ben Johnson	...	Carne, Train Conductor
Jamie Lee Curtis	...	Alana Maxwell
Hart Bochner	...	Doc Manley
David Copperfield	...	Ken, The Magician
Derek McKinnon	...	Kenny Hampson (as Derek MacKinnon)
Sandee Currie	...	Mitchy
Timothy Webber	...	Mo
Anthony Sherwood	...	Jackson
Howard Busgang	...	Ed
Steve Michaels	...	Charley the Brakeman
Greg Swanson	...	Class President
Vanity	...	Merry (as D.D. Winters)
Joy Boushel	...	Pet
Victor Knight	...	Walter the Engineer
Donald Lamoureux	...	Shovels the Stoker (as Don Lamoureux)
Charles Biddle Sr.	...	Donnelly the Chief Porter
Elizabeth Cholette	...	Maggie the Dispatcher
Thom Haverstock	...	Bill Chase (as Thomas Haverstock)
Peter Feingold	...	Senior
Richard Weinstein	...	Pledge #1
John Busby	...	Pledge #2
Roland Nincheri	...	Bus Driver
Andrea Kenyon	...	Bunny Girl
Elaine Lakeman	...	Nurse
Gerald Eastman	...	Porter #1
Charles Biddles Jr.	...	Porter #2
Nadia Rona	...	Corpse
Larry Cohen	...	'Crime' band member: Keyboard Vocalist
Brenda Gagnier	...	'Crime' band member: Bass Guitar
Phil Albert	...	'Crime' band member: Drummer

Directed by
Roger Spottiswoode

Writing credits
T.Y. Drake		(writer)
Daniel Grodnik		story (uncredited)

Produced by
Lamar Card	....	executive producer
Don Carmody	....	line producer
Harold Greenberg	....	producer
Daniel Grodnik	....	executive producer

Original Music by
John Mills-Cockell

Cinematography by
John Alcott

Film Editing by
Anne Henderson

Casting by
Ingrid Fischer
Anna St. Johns

Production Design by
Glenn Bydwell

Art Direction by
Guy J. Comtois		(as Guy Comtois)

Costume Design by
Veronica Hadfield		(as Penny Hadfield)

Makeup Department
Michèle Burke	....	makeup artist
Alan Friedman	....	special makeup consultant
Joan Isaacson	....	makeup artist
Louise Mignault	....	makeup assistant (as Louise Mignault Rundell)
Huguette Roy	....	hair stylist

Production Management
William Zborowsky	....	production manager

Second Unit Director or Assistant Director
Lamar Card	....	second unit director
David McLeod	....	second assistant director
Blair Roth	....	third assistant director
Ray Sager	....	assistant director

Art Department
Raymond Larose	....	draftsman
Jean-Pierre Laurendeau	....	assistant props
Maurice Leblanc	....	property master
Rosanne Moss	....	assistant to production designer

Sound Department
Ellen Adams	....	dialogue editor
David Appleby	....	sound re-recording mixer (as Dave Appleby)
Fred Brennan	....	sound effects editor
Bo Harwood	....	sound mixer
Sharon Lackie	....	dialogue editor
Jean-Marc Magnan	....	boom operator
Michael O'Farrell	....	sound effects editor
Dino Pigat	....	sound re-recording mixer
Michael Rea	....	assistant sound editor
Helen Watson	....	assistant sound editor
Don White	....	foley recording mixer

Special Effects by
Joe Elsner	....	special effects (as Josef Elsner)

Camera and Electrical Department
Peter Benison	....	additional photographer
Lou Bogue	....	gaffer
Alan Carruthers	....	still photographer
Don Caulfield	....	key grip
James Devis	....	camera operator
Normand Foy	....	best boy
Jonathan Goodwill	....	clapper loader
Paul Gravel	....	focus puller
Pierre Lapointe	....	assistant key grip
Allen Smith	....	additional photographer (as Al Smith)
Jerome South	....	grip
Yves Tessier	....	electrician
René Verzier	....	additional photographer

Costume and Wardrobe Department
Susan Hall	....	wardrobe mistress
Jenepher Hooper	....	set costumer
Lise Pharand	....	seamstress

Editorial Department
Thomas Metzger	....	color timer
Susan Shanks	....	assistant editor

Music Department
Kirk Hawkes	....	music editor

Transportation Department
Michael Bernardelli	....	driver
Victoria Frodsham	....	driver (as Vicki Frodsham)
Donna Noonan	....	driver
Roy Perryon	....	driver
Joe Sanchez	....	driver
Michel Siry	....	driver captain
Steve Wilkins	....	driver

Other crew
Victoria Barney	....	assistant to producer
Don Carmody	....	production executive
Paulle Clark	....	assistant production accountant
Marie Renée Collette	....	stagiere
David Copperfield	....	illusion creator
Lucie Drolet	....	production accountant
Kathy Flynn	....	production secretary
Brigitte Germain	....	continuity
Ginette Hardy	....	unit coordinator
Paul Lamontagne	....	location manager
François LeClerc	....	assistant location manager
Holly Levine	....	publicist
Louis A. Massicotte	....	assistant to executive producer
Sandy Rochester	....	production assistant
Caryl Wickman	....	dialogue director
Paul Wisenthal	....	train coordinator

Production Companies

• Astral Bellevue Pathé
• Sandy Howard Productions
• Triple T Productions

Distributors

• Astral Films (1980) (Canada) (theatrical)
• Cine-Studio (1981) (Finland) (theatrical)
• Twentieth Century-Fox Film Corporation (1980) (USA) (theatrical)
• Astral Video (Canada) (VHS)
• Future Film (2007) (Finland) (DVD)
• MRA Entertainment Group (2005) (Australia) (DVD)
• Magnum Video (????) (Finland) (video)
• Oy Europa Vision AB (????) (Finland) (video)

Other Companies

• Berger Novek Entertainment PR  publicity
• Pathé Sound and Post Production Center  sound facilities

Also Known As:

Le monstre du train (Canada: French title)
Train of Terror

Runtime:

97 min

Country:

Canada | USA

Language:

English

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Sound Mix:

Mono

Certification:

Finland:K-16 (1990) (cut) | Finland:K-18 (1981) (cut) | West Germany:16 | Canada:13+ (Quebec) | UK:X (original rating) (1980) | Finland:K-18 (uncut) (2007) | Italy:T (VHS) (alternate rating) | Italy:VM14 (VHS rating) | Italy:VM18 (DVD rating) | Australia:R | France:-16 | Norway:18 | Sweden:15 | UK:18 (re-rating) (1989) | USA:R | South Korea:18 | Spain:18

Filming Locations:

Montréal, Québec, Canada

Company:

Astral Bellevue Pathé

Trivia:

The observation type passenger car used in the film called the 'Denehotso' is being restored and is now located at the Arizona Railway Musuem in Chandler AZ.

Quotes:

Carne, Train Conductor: Have you ever shoveled any coal?

Movie Connections:

Referenced in Dead Teenager Movie (2006) (V)

A slasher set on a train. Simple but great!

Within its genre this movie is simply a great and effective one. It's a real typical early '80's slasher but with as an original point its setting. The movie for most part is set on a train, which makes the movie its story simple but at the same time also provides it with the right atmosphere and material to create a good and effective genre movie with.

The story is quite ridicules, I mean why doesn't the train just stop when the first killings start to occur but the story for most part is still being made believable by its professional approach of it all. Even though this was Roger Spottiswoode's first ever directed movie, the movie looks and feels like it got made by a genre expert, who had been in the business for at least a decade already.

It's a typical slasher that is basically about a killer killing the one after the other med-student, who are celebrating new years eve on a train. You also don't really know who the killer is, since its being implied that it could very well be one of the passengers and its not just simply the kid Ken who got pranked badly at the beginning of the movie.

The movie progresses nicely, though it of course is not being very surprising all. It has a good atmosphere that helps to build the suspense of the movie. Like most early slashers, it's not being very gory by todays standards but those who are into the genre and familiar with this type of movie shouldn't really mind this.

It's a nice little extra that the movie also stars the queen of scream Jamie Lee Curtis, in the early days of her horror-career. It's quite weird to also see magician David Copperfield in this. Strangely enough it's also his only acting role, which makes you wonder why he only said yes to this particular movie. It's not like it is his greatest moment, though he also isn't exactly any worse than some of the other actors within this movie.

It's too bad that the movie sort of looses its touch toward the end, when things seem to get rushed. This probably also has to do with the fact that this movie got shot in only about a month time.

A bit too unlikely to consider this movie the best the genre has to offer but within its genre it's simply still a great and maintaining enough movie, especially of course when you're a fan of the genre.

6/10