Terror Train (1980)

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 | Prank | Train | Party | 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
Andy Malcolm	....	foley artist
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:

Filmed aboard actual train cars that were converted to allow space for large camera equipment for the production.

Quotes:

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

Movie Connections:

Referenced in "Backstory: Halloween" (2002)

Decent entry, if not overtly spectacular

"Terror Train" is one of the better entries in the slasher cycle.

**SPOILERS**

Three years ago, Alaina Maxwell, (Jaime Lee Curtis) humiliates the class nerd in college during a prep rally by accident. When the class takes a trip on a train as a graduation party, she goes along with the others partying. Unknowingly, the entire class is being watched from the shadows by an unknown person. The class members start dying along the route, and the conductor, Carne, (Ben Johnson) is the one who keeps finding the bodies. He informs the class that a killer is on the train, but when they can't find him after a sweep, they demand to be let back on. Alaina finds that the killer is after her, and tries to fight him off and stay alive.

The Good News: As the slasher cycle started getting it'd feet in the late 70s, it was inevitable that the copy-cats would come out at some point. Fortunately, this is a copy-cat but a really good one. The familiar clichés found in the genre make for predictable viewing, but the way they're accomplished are what sets it apart. The film has some wonderful suspense moments that are courtesy of the spectacular camera work. After being locked out of her compartment, a figure approaches down a darkened hallway. This leads to a short chase where it's revealed to be a false alarm, but the idea was still there because of the camera work. The highlight, though, is the clever and downright creepy ending sequence where, after a brief struggle, a character locks them-self in a compartment in the same room with the killer. After several attempts to break in, the killer grabs a long pole and knocks out every light in the room, rendering it totally dark. It sets up a brilliant series of shock jumps that is only due to the camera making sure that the darkened part of the room is the main focus of the sequence. It's a great sequence that really sticks out. The double-twist with the killer's identity is nice, as the first one is pretty easy to guess, but the second one is a great one that does come from out of the blue.

The Bad News: There's really nothing in the way of gore here. A couple of after-effects and finding some bodies with knives and other objects found in them, but that's pretty much it. Considering that it has some deaths that needed some blood, as well as a couple off-screen as well, lowers the gore content pretty drastically. Considering the time it came out, this should've been a little more gorier. Plus, the film does fall into the slasher cannon of the time, so it is fairly predictable and really offers nothing new.

The Final Verdict: Coming out at the right time in horror history didn't hurt it at all. It's "Halloween" on a train, so that should really be the definitive response giving by this. Slasher fans with find a lot of good things here, but non-slashers will pretty much find this to be another by-the-numbers movie.

Rated R: Violence, some Language and Brief Nudity