Terreur dans le Shanghaï Express

The atmosphere is decent, but the years have left their mark, watching this film today was no longer an experience. It’s possible that John Carpenter drew some inspiration for The Thing here, in which case Horror Express deserves our gratitude, but there’s no way I’m giving it more than 3*, it would be unfair to films that scared me more. (30/05/2008)

A journey along the Trans-Siberian Railway is no mean feat even without concentrated evil traveling on the train with you. But when the duo of Christopher Lee & Peter Cushing face off against it, you know it's going to be a battle. A standard horror game of "who ate off my plate" is played out in the simple location of a train traveling through a vast wasteland with no one to help you, but it’s filmed with maximum impact. The monster is still scary even today, and even after a plot twist with one major destruction, the tension doesn't wane and the film remains an excellent spectacle. All the actors deserve the lion's share of the credit, the music is also impressive, and the red eyes of Evil clutch the viewer by the throat. Then, at the end, we get to see the black humor of Telly Savalas, who really enjoyed playing his vodka-soaked officer. The film is an unmissable page in the thick textbook of horror. (05/07/2006)