Another one of Jamie Lee Curtis’ “scream queen” movies from the 80’s and a surprise casting of David Copperfield (amazingly playing “The Magician” as it notes in the credits). The film follows the now common cliche of a group of young people doing something horrible to an unpopular kid and then later, having to pay the price for their past mistake & guilt. The killer’s “Groucho Marx” mask is cheesy and yet kind of disconcerting because it’s so unexpected at the beginning. And because things are set on New Year’s Eve during a costume party, the film uses the “killer changing costumes” trope providing a new disguise after each kill.
Jamie Lee Curtis plays a similar heroine in a lot of these scream queen films but I feel like this one of her stronger and more interesting versions of the character. I’ve also got to mention the veteran actor Ben Johnson who plays the train conductor. He’s so good and adds a level of believability and gravitas to the whole thing. There’s a weird magic thing going on the whole time that actually becomes some of the most entertaining parts of the film. There’s also the obligatory disco music that sounds so out of place today.
Terror Train is one of the more enjoyable horror films from the era thanks to Jamie Lee Curtis’ charisma and an interesting premise using a train to put a new take on the slasher genre.