Horror Express is fantastic mix of Euro-style horror, mixing elements of British Hammer Horror films with those of the more violent Spanish and Italian-style films of the 1970s. Horror Express makes me wonder how much of the film was intentional, because it's an uncanny mix of fun and horror, especially for '72. There's enough in this movie to please any B-movie fan including a prehistoric monster, crackpot science, alien possession, and zombies, not to mention other goofy elements like Russian cossacks (led by Telly Savalas!) and a Rasputin-esque mad monk (played excellently by Alberto de Mendoza). Peter Cushing and Christopher Lee are at the center of the picture, lending the film as much credence as it can possibly have. What better pair to have by your side when having to swallow some of the worst "science" put to film? The characters are flat and the plot is nonsensical, but somehow it manages to pull you in. What really makes the movie, though, is the creepy little things that just snowball to the end like the drained pupil-less eyes of the victims, the red glowing eyes of the possessed, and the creepy autopsy scene. The film is essentially The Thing on a train done Euro-horror style and it's really damn fun. Horror Express is the kind of forgotten horror film that you can only dream of stumbling upon. On the surface, it's no better than any other derivative horror pic, but it's so silly, energetic, and gleefully earnest that you can't help having a good time.
8/10
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