Have the conductor punch your ticket. Throw your luggage into the overhead compartment and grab your popcorn. With the summer travel season upon us, it’s time to count down the top five horror films that involve traveling by trail. Here they are:
“Terror Train”
“Terror Train” was released in 1980 and starred the scream queen herself, Jamie Lee Curtis. David Copperfield also starred in the film, which I found a little disconcerting. Nonetheless, the storyline centers on a group of college kids that decide to attend a costume party on New Year’s Eve. The party is held aboard a train of course. During the party, the guest list slowly dwindles courtesy of a masked killer. The killer turns out to be the kid at school that all the “cool kids” picked on, which is just one more reason why your mother was right about the importance of playing nice with others. My favorite scene was the final moment between the killer and Jamie Lee Curtis’s character.
“Midnight Meat Train”
“Midnight Meat Train” was released in 2008. It was directed by Ryuhei Kitamura and starred Bradley Cooper and Brooke Shields. In my opinion, the film was basically a splatterfest. The storyline focuses on a photojournalist in pursuit of a subway loving serial killer by the name of Mahogany. Oh and did I mention that the serial killer is centuries old and counts reptile people as part of his social circle? Sounds like the start of a typical subway train related horror film right? Wrong! The film eventually twists and turns its way into a niche of its own. One of my favorite scenes is when the character Leon stumbles onto the reptile people’s lair.
“Creep”
The 2005 train film, “Creep”, gives travelers one more reason not to make use of the subway system. No, the reason has nothing to do with reptile people or high ticket prices. It has to do with a cannibal by the name of Craig. Craig likes to capture hapless subway passengers and turn them into a meal. My favorite scene occurred at the end of film when Franka Potente’s character gives Craig what he deserves. The film was directed by Christopher Smith and starred Jeremy Sheffield and Franka Potente.
“Night Train”
“Night Train” was released in 2009. It was directed by Brian King and starred Danny Glover and Steve Zahn. From my perspective, the film seemed a bit like an amalgamation of Stephen King’s, “Needful Things”, and Richard Kelly’s, “The Box.” The storyline focuses on a trio of people who come into contact with a little box of diamonds that has the power to conjure up more than the tax man. All things considered, I thought it was worthy of a spot on the list.
“Train”
“Train” was released in 2009. It was directed by Gideon Raff and starred Thora Birch, Kavan Reece and Gideon Emery. In my opinion, the film is a nasty piece of business that can be hard to watch in spots. I definitely wouldn’t recommend it to the squeamish. I also found the storyline to be reminiscent of the horror flicks, “Hostel”, and “Touristas” with some exceptions. First, the college kids that get picked off one by one are on their way to a wrestling championship instead of enjoying a vacation. Second, the carving for dollars takes place aboard a train that’s making its way through Eastern Europe instead of a hostel or a tropical locale. There is also a less than stellar hospital scene that helps separate it from other, similar story lines.
Killeen Gonzalez enjoys watching horror films with her family. She has also traveled extensively.
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