Horror Express (1972)

In 1906, in China, a British anthropologist discovers a frozen prehistoric creature and must transport it to Europe by train.

Director:

Eugenio Martín (as Gene Martin)

Writers:

Arnaud d'Usseau (screenplay), Julian Zimet (screenplay)

Stars:

Christopher Lee, Peter Cushing, Alberto de Mendoza

1 win & 1 nomination.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Christopher Lee	...	Prof. Sir 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 (as Helga Line)
George Rigaud	...	Count Maryan Petrovski (as Jorge Rigaud)
Alice Reinheart	...	Miss Jones
José Jaspe	...	Konev - Conductor (as Jose Jaspe)
Víctor Israel	...	Baggage Man (as Victor Israel)
Juan Olaguivel	...	Creature (as Juan Olaguibel)
Vicente Roca	...	Station Master
Barta Barri	...	First Telegraphist
José Marco	...	Vorkin (as Jose Marco)

Storyline

An English anthropologist has discovered a frozen monster in the frozen wastes of Manchuria which he believes may be the Missing Link. He brings the creature back to Europe aboard a trans-Siberian express, but during the trip the monster thaws out and starts to butcher the passengers one by one.

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Plot Keywords:

journey | train | china | monster | anthropologist | 

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Taglines:

A nightmare of terror travelling aboard the Horror Express!

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Genres:

Horror | Sci-Fi

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Certificate:

R

Details

Country:

UK Spain

Language:

English

Release Date:

December 1973 (USA)

Also Known As:

Horror Express

Filming Locations:

Estudios Madrid 70, Daganzo, Madrid, Spain

Box Office

Budget:

$300,000 (estimated)

Company Credits

Production Co:

Granada Films, Benmar Productions

Technical Specs

Runtime:

91 min (Blu-ray)

Sound Mix:

Mono

Color:

Color (Technicolor)

Aspect Ratio:

1.66 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

This is the second movie adapted from the novella "Who Goes There?" by John W. Campbell, Jr. The first being The Thing from Another World (1951).

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Goofs

After the guards check the room with two sleeping children, we see a door open in the compartment and in the background we can see the quivering eyes of the kids pretending to sleep.

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Quotes

Father Pujardov: The beast is not dead.
Inspector Mirov: I put four bullets into him.
Father Pujardov: [smiling] You think evil can be killed with bullets? Satan lives. The Unholy One is among us.

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Alternate Versions

In the isolated music and effects track on the Image Entertainment DVD, the piano piece played by the Countess (which the creature whistles back to her) is completely different from what is played in the final mixed track. Oddly, while the piano piece is changed, the whistling is the same.

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Connections

Featured in Chiller Theater: Horror Express (2005)

User Reviews

Great Yarn

Judged on its own terms--as a 70s ghoul movie--this film should be rated a 10 out of 10! The plot is well-structured and tightly directed, and contains lots of great elements: 1906 setting, fancy trans-Siberian train ride, a ghoul, a mad monk, alien theorizing a-la-X-files, zombie soldiers stalking, Peter Cushing sawing the top of somebody's head off, a beautiful spy, eyeballs in a dish, a beautiful Polish Countess, and, believe it or not, it's all very cohesive! That's an admirable achievement

And the acting is great. The Monk is a scene-stealer. Christopher Lee gets to play a testy, priggish Edwardian scientist, and he does it very well. Cushing's character plays off Lee's stodginess as a laid-back deal-maker(yes, he actually smiles and cracks jokes)These two performances prove that Lee and Cushing were both gifted and versatile actors. Telly Savalas arrives for the final act, and proceeds to strut around and chew up the scenery on a level that would make Rod Steiger or Al Pacino jealous. This movie is one of the best of its type. Yes, in the first two minutes you can see signs of a limited budget, and yes, the microscope scene is ludicrous, but in a way, on the level of imagination and poetic license, it's pure genius.

Corrections: a certain "Dik" offered this information while commenting:

1. "An Italian film".(It's a Spanish/UK production) 2. "Lee plays an American Scientist"(the first thing you hear in the movie is Lee saying he is part of the ROYAL Archeological Society, and there's also a lengthy exchange about his character's Englishness: "Queen Victoria, crumpets, Shakespeare"...etc.(The commentator actually goes on about how Lee's portrayal of an American reflects how foreigners view Americans. Well...there's a little problem with that idea, isn't there?)