The Midnight Meat Train (2008)

A photographer's obsessive pursuit of dark subject matter leads him into the path of a serial killer who stalks late night commuters, ultimately butchering them in the most gruesome ways imaginable.

Director:

Ryûhei Kitamura

Writers:

Jeff Buhler (screenplay), Clive Barker (short story "The Midnight Meat Train")

Stars:

Vinnie Jones, Bradley Cooper, Leslie Bibb

2 wins & 6 nominations.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Bradley Cooper	...	Leon
Leslie Bibb	...	Maya
Brooke Shields	...	Susan Hoff
Vinnie Jones	...	Mahogany
Roger Bart	...	Jurgis
Tony Curran	...	Driver
Barbara Eve Harris	...	Detective Lynn Hadley
Peter Jacobson	...	Otto
Stephanie Mace	...	Leigh Cooper
Ted Raimi	...	Randle Cooper
Nori Satô	...	Erika Sakaki (as NorA)
Quinton 'Rampage' Jackson	...	Guardian Angel
Dan Callahan	...	Troy Taleveski
Donnie Smith	...	Station Cop
Earl Carroll	...	Jack Franks

Storyline

The photographer Leon lives with his girlfriend and waitress Maya waiting for a chance to get in the photo business. When Maya contacts their friend Jurgis, he schedules a meeting for Leon with the successful owner of arts gallery Susan Hoff; she analyzes Leon's work and asks him to improve the quality of his photos. During the night, the upset Leon decides to wander on the streets taking pictures with his camera, and he follows three punks down to the subway station; when the gang attacks a young woman, Leon defends her and the guys move on. On the next morning, Leon discovers that the woman is missing. He goes to the police station, but Detective Lynn Hadley does not give much attention to him and discredits his statement. Leon becomes obsessed to find what happened with the stranger and he watches the subway station. When he sees the elegant butcher Mahogany in the train, Leon believes he might be a murderer and stalks him everywhere, in the beginning of his journey to the darkness.

---

Plot Keywords:

photographer | subway | butcher | girlfriend | art gallery | 

---

Taglines:

The most terrifying ride you'll ever take

---

Genres:

Horror | Mystery

---

Motion Picture Rating (MPAA)

Rated R for sequences of strong bloody gruesome violence, grisly images involving nudity, sexual content and language

Details

Official Sites:

Lionsgate [United States]

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

7 August 2008 (Russia)

Also Known As:

Clive Barker's Midnight Meat Train

Filming Locations:

Burbank, California, USA

Box Office

Budget:

$15,000,000 (estimated)

Opening Weekend USA:

$34,394, 3 August 2008, Limited Release

Gross USA:

$83,361

Cumulative Worldwide Gross:

$3,533,227

Company Credits

Production Co:

Lakeshore Entertainment, Midnight Picture Show, GreeneStreet Films

Technical Specs

Runtime:

98 min 103 min (unrated)

Sound Mix:

Dolby Digital

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

In its official North American release, the film opened in one hundred two discount theaters, also called "dollar theaters" for their very low admission prices, rather than at regular first-run cinemas with normal ticket prices, which was a factor in its poor opening weekend box-office earnings.

---

Goofs

There are regular continuity problems with blood spatter. In the opening scene, we see a clean train car, then suddenly one of the doors and walls is splattered (this blood couldn't have come from splatter when the man fell). When the man slipped in the blood, we see a puddle extending down a few chair rows, but when the camera pulls back up there is almost no blood on the floor. At 53 minutes in, we see large blood spurts during an attack, including some getting on a window, but then when the camera changes positions there is no blood on the train car walls.

---

Quotes

Leon Kauffman: I've got a train to catch.

---

Alternate Versions

German version is cut by approx. 7 minutes to secure a "Not under 18" rating.

---

Connections

Featured in Phelous & the Movies: Phelous Aboard the Midnight Meat Train (2009)

---

Soundtracks

I Am Controlled By Your Love
Written by Willie Clarke & Clarence Reid
Performed by Helene Smith
Courtesy of The Numero Group
By Arrangement with Bank Robber Music

User Reviews

Good scare - Barker done proper

Mahogany (Vinnie Jones) is big bad butcher, whose weapon of choice is a mallet and an ice hook. Day after day, night after night he takes the 2 am train to hell, where unsuspecting passengers are massacred and then hung up like dead meat.

Leon (Bradley Cooper) is an up and coming photograph, who is trying to make it critically, but so far his work has been unable to break it. His biggest fan and believer is his beautiful fiancée Maya (Leslie Bibb). One chance session in the subway changes the direction of his life. First he photographs a model being harassed by some thugs and after saving her from them takes a picture of her entering the 2 am train...

Clive Barker has really been prolific with all the horror he has caused come to life on the big screen. It is enough to mention that his stories was the backbone of such classics as Hellraiser or Candyman. That said he has also been raped as a horror writer with atrocities such as Rawhead Rex.

This movie doesn't hit the highs or the lows, but I must say it was pretty decent and definitely one of the best genre movies I have seen lately. No matter has essentially idiotic the plot I have to say it did cut loose of the copycat phase in horror cinema we are currently at. It had a certain freshness to it not only in the way it was told, but also in subject matter itself. I won't go as far as to say it was breakthrough original, but it was darn intriguing all the way through.

I normally rate a good horror movie based on gut feeling. The moment you can't wait to know what will happen at the end of the movie or in the next scene for that matter and at the same time you have to fight with yourself to continue watching - that lets you know this horror flick is actually pretty good.

Definitely full of flaws and the graphic gore isn't my kind of horror meal. Acting was great and tech credits all round were superb. Ryûhei Kitamura deserves accolades for this horror movie. Maybe not a classic, but given the far fetched material he had to work with it is a triumph.