All aboard . . .
. . . next stop terror!
We begin our little journey with Professor Alexander Saxton's (
Christopher Lee) retrospective narrative of his discovery of what he believed to be an ancient fossil - the supposed missing link (
Juan Olaguibel). Had he known what it was that he had truly found he may not have been so quick to board that train with his precious discovery and seal the fates of so many on board.
From the beginning of the trip Professor Saxton is at odds with one Dr. Wells (
Peter Cushing). It seems as though they may have a bit of a professional rivalry going on. This relationship works well throughout the film but eventually they do have to work together to defeat the horror that has been unleashed (or rather, has unleashed itself) onto the express.
Suffice it to say that what Saxton has brought on board is a very bad thing. It turns out that it is not a just a fossil, or a simple devil as thought by a somewhat mad holy man, Yevtushenko (
Angel del Pozo). Rather it is a being from another galaxy who was left behind by accident and has survived for centuries in other creatures of the earth. With the ability to store memories in its eyes and to jump from being to being, this creature is extremely difficult to kill. But kill it they must and in the final scenes it is a struggle between good and evil (although intergalactic evil) and who will prevail is something you will have to watch Horror Express to find out.
With an interestingly Russian performance by
Telly Savalas as a Cossack captain,
Horror Express was quite entertaining. Honorable mentions in the acting department also go to
Julio Pena who played the ever inquisitive Inspector Mirov, as well as to
Alice Reinheart who played Miss Jones, Dr. Wells faithful assistant. She also wins the award for looking the freakiest after the creature did his damage to her. The creature itself also deserves mention for being quite nimble for having been frozen all of those years. And one has to admit that it was an innovative story for its time to say the least.
A definite recommend especially if you are looking for something just a tad bit different to pass the time.
Horror Express Movie Cast and Credits
Directed by
Eugenio Martín (as Gene Martin)
Writing credits (WGA)
Arnaud d'Usseau (screenplay) and
Julian Zimet (screenplay) originally as Julian Halevy
Cast (in credits order)
Christopher Lee .... Professor Alexander Saxton
Peter Cushing .... Dr. Wells
Alberto de Mendoza .... Father Pujardov
Silvia Tortosa .... Countess Irina Petrovska
Julio Peña .... Inspector Mirov
Ángel del Pozo .... Yevtushenko (as Angel del Pozo)
Helga Liné .... Natasha
Alice Reinheart .... Miss Jones
José Jaspe .... Conductor Koniev
Georges Rigaud .... Count Maryan Petrovski (as Jorge Rigaud)
Víctor Israel .... Luggage Worker
Faith Clift .... American Passenger
Juan Olaguivel .... Creature (as Juan Olaguibel)
Bernabe Barta Barri .... First Telegraphist (as Barta Barri)
Peter Beckman
Hiroshi Kitatawa .... Krasinsky
Vicente Roca .... Station Master
José Canalejas .... Russian Guard
José Marco .... Vorkin
Allen Russell .... Captain O'Hagan
Telly Savalas .... Captain Kazan
rest of cast listed alphabetically:
Fernando Villena .... (uncredited)
More Reviews of Horror Express
Horror Express Movie Review from Audio Video RevolutionHorror Express Movie Review and Information Page at The Internet Movie Database
