Movie plot
It follows a college student as she boards a party train for Halloween, and ends up fighting for her life when a mysterious assailant begins killing the people one-by-one. Released in 1980 the original Terror Train was one of the many slashers to be released in the wake of Friday the 13th and Halloween. Benefiting from the presence of that film’s star, Jamie Lee Curtis it did well at the box office and has built a following over the years. There was even an attempt to remake it in the early 2000s, but that ended up morphing into Train, a film that sucked even by torture porn standards. Since the original was a favourite of mine, I was initially interested when I heard it had been remade and was scheduled for an October release. However, when I heard Tubi was involved, a lot of that interest faded. As much as I love their library of films, I think we can all agree their originals frequently leave a lot to be desired. It could also have used a better director. Philippe Gagnon (Psycho Prom Queen, The Secret Sauce) takes Terror Train through its paces efficiently, but without the energy or tension that Roger Spottiswoode brought to the 1980 version. It feels more like one of the many Lifetime movies he’s done than a horror film. It’s never actually dull but it never shows any spark or intensity either, it’s just sorta there. It also doesn’t help that while the performances aren’t bad, the cast is competing against performances by Jamie Lee Curtis, Ben Johnson, Hart Bochner, David Copperfield, and Vanity in the original. To be fair, Terror Train does take its own track during the final act. While the film’s big twist is fairly obvious, it’s also the one time the film shakes off its lethargy and creates some excitement. If Gagnon could have delivered more scenes like these it would have been a much better film. As it is it’s watchable, especially on a streaming service where you’re not putting out a rental fee, but hardly essential viewing. Terror Train is currently available on Tubi in the US. Here in its Canadian homeland, it’s available on Crave.
Overview of the movie
Terror Train (2022) Key
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