The Film (5/5)

    Professor Alexander Saxton (Christopher Lee) boards the famed Trans-Siberian Express train after acquiring what he believes is the true "missing link" during an expedition in Siberia.  On this train he meets up with a competing anthropologist played by Peter Cushing. Soon after the train departs, a body count begins to rise, and it turns out the "missing link" might be an alien with the ability to change bodies leaving the passengers of the Trans-Siberian Express and the Professors to search out the alien before he can escape into the world.

    Horror Express is easily in my top 10 horror films of all-time. This film which I used to find on lots of public domain VHS and DVD collections never really caught my eye, and I largely ignored it, until about 15 years ago when a friend lent me his DVD of Jess Franco's Jack the Ripper, which contained Horror Express and Satanic Rites of Dracula as well. Deciding I'd rather not get off the couch I played all 3 films, and found myself drawn into Horror Express' charms.

    Horror Express was directed by Eugenio Martin under the name Gene Martin. Martin at the time was known as a director of Spaghetti Westerns, with Horror Express being his second  foray into the horror genre.  And it could largely be considered his greatest long term success. The film has an Agatha Christie-esque vibe (obviously channeling Murder on the Orient Express), mixed with sci-fi, and horror to create something unique and limitlessly entertaining. The film has a solid creepy atmosphere, bound together with a feeling of timeless classic cinema, and a strange otherworldly vibe.

    The film is, of course, grounded by the 3 central performances by Christopher Lee, Peter Cushing, and in the third act Telly Savalas.   The film has a red-eyed ape looking creature killing people and draining their brains, before being killed and entering other bodies. This is an absurd premise, that the casts takes quite seriously and it shows. The performances from the 3, plus the rest of the cast are perfectly tailored to the material, while also giving the whole production an element of class. Further, the direction of Eugenio Martin keeps things going at a brisk pace, causing the film to never feel truly overlong, and never the slightest bit boring.

Audio/Video  (4/5)

    Severin Films released Horror Express in 2011 with a transfer that I thought was quite respectable bordering on excellent. Arrow Video in 2019 decided to take a crack at horror express offering a new 2k restoration from original film elements, presented 1:66:1 in a 1080p transfer.  Everything here looks splendid, and while it's not a huge upgrade from the Severin disc, it feels more natural and does offer improvement over the earlier Blu-ray. Colors are stable, detail is excellent, and there is a nice organic grain field present over the film.

    Audio is handled by a HD mono track in English with subtitles. Audio comes through crisp and clear without any obvious issues.

Extras (4/5)

    The Arrow Video Blu-ray is chock full of excellent extras. The disc kicks off with a commentary by Stephen Jones and Kim Newman.  Stever Halberman offers a video appreciation of the film. While Ted Newsom gives his thoughts on the film, and his late friend, the film's producer Bernard Gordon.   There is also a splendid archival interview with director Eugenio Martin.   This is followed by a piece on Bernard Gordon and his dealings with the infamous Hollywood "Blacklist" of the 1950's.   Ther are further interviews, an introductin by horror scribe Chris Alexander, and much more.

Overall

    Horror Express is a classic of Eurohorror cinema. It blends sci-fi, suspense, and horror into a unique and entertaining package. The Blu-ray from Arrow Video looks and sounds amazing, and comes HIGHLY RECOMMENDED.