Horror Express (1972)

Savalas Cossack Captain Kazan "investigates"

 Shudder just recently dropped this on the streaming site and I was all there for it. Admittedly, I do wish Telly Savalas and Helga Liné had more time available in the film than given, but it was fun to see such a snooty, rather icy snob archeologist/scientist Lee realize his found prehistoric fossilized ape (potentially the missing link) is but a shell for an alien being accidentally left behind by his crew, now moving from human host to human host in order to stay alive. Cushing, in Lee's field, was also in the general area doing research (his assistant is unfortunately alone with the alien being, inhabiting the inspector (Julio Peña), while investigating the baggage car), hitching a ride out of Shanghai.

Julio Peña's inspector is "occupied"

Lee isn't aware that the creature in his crate has such a presence seemingly hostile to anyone on board a train driving through Siberia. Those eyes and the blood that drains down the face is just so eerie. Basically optical eyes of either red (when the being in a host human body initiates that death stare that causes anyone the alien locks eyes with to bleed from their own eyes and lose their intelligence and wisdom as the brains are "drained") or white (the eyes of victims go white and they collapse soon after since the alien drains their brains "smooth") are what the director and effects team depend on to creep us out. And damned if they don't accomplish just that!

I have read about Cushing's devastating personal loss during the making of this film and how Lee was there for him during that very difficult time. That really speaks to just how astonished I am at how Cushing could be going through all of that and still bring the performance he does in this film. Cushing's Dr. Wells takes an interest in Liné's mysterious Natasha, appealing to his generosity and sympathies in that she is a stowaway in need of help. Natasha, in the form of Liné's ravishing redhead, turns out to be a spy caught when sneaking out covertly by the alien, her eyes bleeding and turning white, her mind blanked. It is a bummer. She looks quite fetching in her dinner dress, but her role was so insignificant, I have to admit that the Natasha character really isn't all that important to the overall plot. Instead the casting of Countess Irina (Silvia Tortosa) seems to really fill the major female role in the film. George Rigaud, as Irina's Count father, basically royalty in their neck of the snowy woods, is an Italian horror regular in such films as "All the Colors of the Dark", "The Case of the Bloody Iris", "Death Walks on High Heels", and "Knife of Ice". Rigaud's Count Maryan throws his status and prestige around, with his own car on the train.

This isn't a Fulci film, though, if you were just offered the two images above, you'd think he directed Horror Express (1972)

Alberto de Mendoza is the monk who seems to have a wobbly, shaky allegiance to God or Satan, at different times, seeming to dedicate himself to either one when it would suit him. He follows the inspector around when he sees what happens to Cushing's assistant in the baggage car. Eventually Mendoza even offers his body to the inspector to occupy. Traveling as entourage to the count and countess, Mendoza looks as if his mental state is fracturing from the very beginning. He certainly seems to fit the tone of this horror film.

Lee and Cushing, along with the other passengers, are taken aback by Savalas, soon stopping and boarding the train when they receive word of trouble via telegraph. Savalas, to his credit, makes his fifteen or so minutes in the film count. He dominates the screen, giving a robust performance, dragging from his cigarrillo, bossing folks around, whipping Mendoza with a cat o'nine tails, wanting answers and using his authority to intimidate. But Savalas and his officers soon realize they aren't dealing with some ordinary killer. Just locking eyes with the soldiers and Savalas does the trick and their eyes go white, dropping like flies as they scream out. Savalas does try to use his sword and pull himself up...it's all for naught. So Savalas and Liné might look like prominent names in the cast but their roles were very limited. In fact, I'm sure they probably had the same amount of screen time. Lee and Cushing eventually study the eye of the fossil creature, taking samples from it, looking through a microscope, seeing images of dinosaurs and even the earth, telling them that they are dealing with an alien from another galaxy. That is quite a development! The disconnecting train car and getting a message to the telegraph office is convenient plotting to help the heroes, but I don't mind it all that much.

This is a hell of a lot of fun to me. A creature feature on board a train with an alien going body to body if need-be, with Lee and Cushing hoping to stop it before this being is able to go into the population...this kind of cult plot is right up my alley. And the film is claustrophobic and taut...yes, the alien is on the train but so are our heroes. Sometimes a scientific, anthropological find should perhaps stay where it was found...

4/5

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Scientist Lee brings on board a train a fossilized corpse not knowing it houses an alien force with the ability to drain the entire intelligence from the human brain resulting in the macabre bulging whiteness of the eyes. This alien force also has the ability to transfer itself from host to host and does so before it dies into the Inspector on board the train. Lee's competitive scientist Cushing(probably over who can that make that BIG discovery first)joins forces with him to find a way to stop the alien before it sucks the intelligence out of everyone on board. They find it has a weakness for light and often does it's brain sucking in the dark. Once the alien fixates it's unique powers on your eyes, control takes over resulting in death. Soon the Siberian police, (ordered by Russia)led by Savalez, enter on board wanting answers to who is responsible for the killing. Lee and Cushing find out, through a thorough autopsy on the first creature's eyes that this alien force was around during prehistoric times as they discover pictures of dinosaurs and the earth as it is entering from another planet. While the eyes that light red seem hokey by today's standards, there's a jarring unpleasantness to the white bulging eyes that seems to work. The film has an intelligent script and story so that takes it a long way when the special effects seem a bit weak. The idea that this alien force was around during prehistoric times and it's keen, unique abilities provide great suspense within the story on how Cushing and Lee will be able to stop such power. Certainly worth a look if not just to see the entertaining cast. -June 23rd, 2006, IMDb