La ragazza del vagone letto (1979)

Director:

Ferdinando Baldi

Writer:

George Eastman (writer)

Release Date:

December 1979 (Italy)

Genre:

Thriller

Plot:

Three thugs commandeer a couple of cars on a moving train and spread terror among the passengers.

Plot Keywords:

Train | Gun | Terror | Rape | Female Nudity

Cast

Silvia Dionisio	...	Juliet
Werner Pochath	...	David
Zora Kerova	...	Anna
Gianluigi Chirizzi	...	Peter
Carlo De Mejo	...	Ernie
Giancarlo Maestri
Fausto Lombardi	...	Phil
Gino Milli	...	The Conductor
Roberto Caporali		(as Roberto Caporale)
Antonio Maimone		(as Antonino Maimone)
Gianfranca Dionisi
Rita Livesi
Gianfilippo Carcano
Andrea Scotti
Cesare Gelli		(as Cesare Galli)

Also Known As:

Terror Express (International: English title)

Runtime:

UK:80 min | West Germany:84 min

Country:

Italy

Language:

English | Italian

Color:

Color

Sound Mix:

Mono

Certification:

Finland:K-18 (1990) | Iceland:16 | West Germany:18 (nf) | Norway:18 | Canada:18+ (Quebec)

Company:

Rinascita Cinematografica

Trivia:

The uncut pre-cert UK video, on the Fletcher label, was seized by a number of police forces during the 1980's video nasty scare, although the film may have been mistaken for L'ultimo treno della notte (1975).

"Now serving sleaze in the restaurant car..."

As the other comments have made clear, "Terror Express" is another entry into the "Last House on the Left" subgenre that garnered some interest in the '70s and early '80s. When juxtaposed against the unflinching violence of LHotL, "Terror Express" is a mild affair, going instead for the more marketable fixture of steamy sex scenes (which are choreographed and paced in a manner to curb all boredom). Clocking in at around 80 minutes, the film doesn't waste much time with needless details, and instead gets right down to business (so to speak) as 3 smarmy thugs take over a compartment of an express train, inciting rapes and a few violent confrontations. The violence lacks the sadistic bite of LHotL and is more action-oriented. The cast plays like a "who's who?" of Italian gore veterans, from Zora Kerowa ("Make Them Die Slowly"/"New York Ripper"), Venantino Venantini ("City of the Living Dead"), Carlo de Mejo ("City of the Living Dead"), Fausto Lombardi ("Rats: Night of Terror"), and a bunch of actors from Andrea Bianchi's "Burial Ground" (no, not the creepy dwarf).

"Terror Express" ultimately amounts to highly entertaining, lowbrow trash. It looks as if everyone involved had a blast on the project, and this enthusiasm is infectious toward the viewer. Some of its stabs at social commentary are flat (and downright laughable), but honestly, who sees an exploitation flick of this nature for the writing?