SeveredNitrate presents Terror Train (1980)

Salutations Severedheads. 🧟 

I am your hostess Necrosecta and this is SeveredNitrate where we review horror flicks. And for our first pick, we're doing Terror Train. 

Do I really have to say Spoilers? This movie is 30+ years old. Whatever. SPOILERS!! Duh...

Trigger Warning:

-Swearing 

-Booze 

-smoking 

-pot 

-boobs

-murder 

-blood

Let's start off with the lovely cast: 

Jamie Lee Curtis as Alana 

Sandee Currie as Mitchy

Hart Bockner as Doc 

Timothy Webber as Mo 

Ben Johnson as Carne 

David Copperfield as The Magician 

and last but certainly not least Derek MacKinnon as Kenny the titular Terror on the Train. 

PLOT: 

Alana is asked to help with a prank for her frat. The prank was set up by Doc for a pledge named Kenny. This typical shy boy is tricked into thinking that Alana likes him and wants to sleep with him. However, when he shows up to the room and gets in bed he's greeted by a corpse. Kenny winds up in a psychiatric ward after this stunt because in his past he accidentally caused a death. Also, getting in bed with a corpse is rather jarring to the brain. 

Alana, Mitchy, and Mo had no idea that the body was a corpse. They all thought it was a mannequin. Seeing as she was the lure for this prank gone wrong she's livid at Doc and this hatred lasts for three years. 

Doc throws another New Year's party on a train but little does he know that an old friend has other plans for this party of his. Kenny quickly takes out Ed and Jackson, stealing their costumes, in turn, to keep his identity hidden and to get closer to his unsuspecting victims. 

During the party, a Magician and his assistant perform for the college students. The Magician seems to take an interest in Alana. However, the fun for Alana is ended when she finds the body of her friend Mitchy who was killed off-screen followed up with the death of her boyfriend Mo. 

The Conductor Carne starts a search for the killer, but he doesn't know who he's looking and the fact that everyone is dressed up doesn't help. Alana starts to suspect that Kenny has come back for his revenge. 

Doc agrees with her and they come up with the idea that the Magician is Kenny. They do look rather similar. When Carne goes to confront the Magician his assistant comes out instead and Carne ushers her away to safety. 

This gives Kenny time to attack Alana causing some damage but he gets it right back. Alana thinks she's defeated him and when they can't find the Magician this confirms her theory...until she finds the Magician dead and Kenny still alive. 

Kenny reveals himself to have been the female assistant the entire time, hiding in plain sight. Alana apologizes for what she did to him and he demands a kiss. When she gives it to him, he freaks out and is then pushed off the train with a shovel by Carne. 

The End. 

THOUGHTS: 

I enjoy this movie a lot. Honestly, I'm not a huge slasher fan but I keep coming back to this one. Kenny is a good slasher villain. Of course, I have to bring up the fact that this movie is controversial with Kenny being in drag. However, the actual actor is a professional Drag Queen so I let it go. Also, my trans friends told me it was okay after watching the movie with me. I did this for Sleepaway Camp too. 

I think the acting is solid. The twist was a good payoff. I sympathize with Kenny and I'm rooting for him throughout most of the movie. I feel bad for David and Jamie's characters though. The magician doesn't really deserve to die and Alana does really regret what she ended up causing. She even tries to follow up on how Kenny is doing. I think what I really like are the small details. Kenny, as the assistant, at one point is wearing a sparkly red dress, with a necklace dripping with red beads making his throat look slashed. And it's during this scene that he slits Mo's throat. Great touch! Also, the red dress is eye-catching so it distracts the crowd from Mo dying of blood loss. 

All the magic tricks are done in-scene. Because of course, they would be it's David-fucking-Copperfield. If you don't have him doing magic in your movie then why the fuck would you have him? Besides him being a bit cute. 

Mo and Mitchy kind of have it coming to them since they basically brush the whole incident off. Doc definitely deserved his death. 

Also, how does he get his name? Doc? I mean they're all in med school so shouldn't they all be called Doc if that's why his name is Doc. Another name that I take issue with, is Pet. I'm not sure if that's supposed to be short for something or not. Hopefully, her parents didn't really name their daughter Pet. 

Alana has an apparent fascination for trains...why? She mentions wanting to have a toy train as a kid but that's the last she mentions liking trains and there's nothing else to it. 

It's not a perfect film by any means but I feel like a lot of love and work went into the production. Plus, people who complain that this movie is bad then they haven't seen THINGS *shivers in boredom* 

Have you seen Terror Train? What did you think of it? What did you like or dislike? Do you have a request for me? I'm happy to watch something new feel free to ask. Thank you for reading! I hope you enjoyed the review! 

'Till next time stay twisted darlings. 

Lapshi! 

-Necrosecta 

Next time on SeveredNitrate: PROM Night