Amazing Stories (TV Series) Ghost Train (1985) User Reviews

The usual Spielberg touch: great effects, little else of merit

[Leofwine_draca · 5/10 · 2 November 2016]

It seems that GHOST TRAIN was the first-ever episode of AMAZING STORIES and as such it was directed by the man who originated the series, Steven Spielberg. The story is about an old man haunted by memories of an train crash that he inadvertently caused decades ago and the way in which his mind manages to summon a ghostly copy of the train in the present day.

Really, this self-contained story encapsulates everything that's wrong about the latter-day Spielberg as director: he's obsessed with special effects and not much else. Thus the story of GHOST TRAIN is light and ill-formed and the whole thing just seems to be an excuse for the special effects showcase at the climax. It's an uneven piece for sure and aside from getting the chance to see Lukas Haas (WITNESS) in support it really doesn't have much going for it.

Real Estate Disaster

[Hitchcoc · 6/10 · 20 May 2014]

"The railroad comes through the middle of the house, since the company bought the line." I think that's how the old song went. A nice couple builds a house on property they own, having left Chicago. They have a little boy and an insufferable grandfather. He is living in the past and instead of being happy for what he has, begins to do some amateur surveying. He somehow knows that the house is "built in the wrong place." He and the little boy build a bond as he spouts his weird views on things. The little boy is filled with resentment for being forced to live in the hinterlands. On a bulletin board is an old unused ticket from a past time. It is eventually decided that one of the rooms of the house is right in the path of a train (there are no tracks, of course, but what the heck). What eventually transpires is totally predictable. Of course, we know that ticket is coming into play at some point.

"You mean a real train used to come right through here?"

[classicsoncall · 7/10 · 6 October 2021]

Oh wow! I remember seeing this episode of 'Amazing Stories' when it originally aired back in 1985. I had seen some of the previews and thought this was a series I would like to get into. This first show did whet my appetite for more, so I'll continue watching further episodes from here to see how they've aged over time. I thought this one offered a poignant and sympathetic treatment of a young boy (Lukas Haas) bonding with his elderly grandfather (Roberts Blossom), who comes to visit the family of his son at their new home. The setting of the newly built house in the middle of a prairie will remind you of the one in "Field of Dreams", although that film came out a few years later.

Old Pa becomes immediately intrigued by the location of the Globe home, as it sits in an area in which he grew up himself. Instead of fond reminiscing however, the elderly man is saddened by the fact that he inadvertently caused a train derailment at the site when he fell asleep on the train tracks as a young boy, about the same age as grandson Brian. Tantalizing Brian's imagination with tales of how he grew up among native Indians, Old Pa states that he will be leaving for good when the next train arrives, which is destined to travel directly through the Globe residence.

It was at this point when I originally saw this picture that I imagined the Ghost Train of the title to be just that - a phantom train with ghostly passengers aboard. Instead, the coming of the train shakes the house to it's very foundation, and crashes right through the wall of the house leaving much of it in splinters. Old Pa makes peace with his grandson along with the passengers who met their demise so many years ago, by boarding the train and heading for his own final destination. It was a bittersweet ending for the series' first episode, which made such an impact with this viewer, that I readily recalled it while watching today.

A good ghost story

[sonnyschlaegel · 8/10 · 7 January 2007]

The story is about an old man (about 80 years old) who comes back to his home town. He visits his son's family and tells them he's going to leave again soon on the ghost train. Many years before, when the old man was a child, he made a train crash: he put his ears to the rails in order to know when the train would come, but he fell asleep. The conductor put on the brakes, which made the train derail. Everybody was killed. The old man says that the train will come back soon and that he wants to leave with it...

I liked this episode very much; the story is good and the acting, too. I guess the old man wants to leave on the ghost train (that is to leave with the ghosts of the dead passengers) because he feels remorse for causing the death of so many people and wants to pay for his sin (although it was unintentional). He probably wants to make the ghosts (souls) of the dead passengers find rest after so many years.

I think if you like ghost stories you will probably enjoy this episode very much.

Good Series Got Off To A Poor Start

[ccthemovieman-1 · 3/10 · 30 August 2007]

What a horrible start to a good television show. All of the baloney in this opening episode so typical of the Steven Spielberg agendas that he spewed forth in his first decade of movie making. Here we get a child that knows more than his parents and/or his parents don't believe him; we get the American Indian had "the right" to scalp people because it was their land first message. "Scalping" someone is okay?! Unbelievable. We also get a ludicrous "ghost" story that makes no sense, even considering that it's a ghost story. The is a poor man's Poltergeist and E.T. episode.

It was nice to see little Lukas Haas who was a memorable little Amish boy in the great film "Witness," that also came out about this time. That was about all that was good about this show. Thank goodness, all the episodes got far better as the season went on from this opening turkey.

Tears in my eyes

[nicci1972 · 8/10 · 22 March 2021]

Very cute and touching. Good episode even in 2021. The subject matter was treated with care and I really liked Old Pa even within the 20 minutes of meeting him.

Weird but nonsensical

[planktonrules · 4/10 · 23 June 2015]

Grandpa is convinced that his destiny is with some train that wrecked decades ago. In the end, the train comes for him--with ridiculous results.

This premier episode of "Amazing Stories" seems to encapsulate what was wrong with this Steven Spielberg-produced show. While the series had excellent production values and some wild special effects, the quality of the writing seemed irrelevant. A few of the shows were amazingly good but too many had one-dimensional, almost cartoonish, characters. And, too often there was an emphasis on glitz as opposed to substance. Such is "Ghost Train"--a show with some eye-popping visuals but a story that really makes no sense at all and lacks depth.

Excellent Fiction Writing!

[Aegelis · 9/10 · 26 January 2023]

Great opener for the series, a bit of mystery, suspense, a touch of comedy, and a whole lot of heart. Difficult to discuss without giving away the ending, but there was an opportunity to take an easy route here, but instead we saw a lot of grit and realism that helped bring the story to life. Actors filled their roles well, especially the older Opa and the grandson. A few 'hammy' moments perhaps, a lot more music than needed, but at least it is well composed music.

Definitely a must-see, though not sure if it's one to re-watch over and over unless there's an appreciation for the details. Shareable family television.

Don't worry the train will come back for you better late than never!

[blanbrn · 8/10 · 9 March 2019]

This episode 1 from season one of "NBC's" "AS" series directed by show creator Steven Spielberg was a good kick off to the series as it started with a good historical and sentimental feel! Called "Ghost Train" the story revolves around Opa Globe an old man and grandfather who meets his 9 year old grandson and tells him of stories of life and old time history of Indians and war. However 75 years ago an incident happened that involved a train a just miss! However some things are better late than never as good things come to those who wait! Finally it may be all aboard time for Mr. Globe! As a crash thru his grandson's house will complete the journey overall good well done episode and fine start to the series.