Review of Horror Express (1972) by Cory T — 12 Oct 2013

Christopher Lee and Peter Cushing are two of the most recognizable and venerated horror icons of the 50's and 60's. Their reunion in the 70's should be cause for a jubilant celebration from genre enthusiasts but 'Horror Express' is a senselessly shoddy vehicle for them.

The film begins in highbrow HP Lovecraft fashion with Lee spelunking into a cave and unearthing a Neanderthal creature encased in ice (which resembles a frugal Halloween Adventure costume with vermilion-red glowing eyes).

The rivalry between Lee and Cushing is amiably funny with Lee scoffing at the pompous Cushing's bribery for a luxurious seat aboard the locomotive. Cushing is so consumed with status that he nefariously pays a train attendant to drill into Lee's crate to inspect the contents.

Unfortunately the score is more appropriate for a Russian espionage picture than a sinister murder-mystery. Instead of viciously massacring the passengers, the creature's gaze is the catalyst for embolisms and that truly saps the attacks of any feral appeal.

The silliest motive behind the creature is its appetite for absorbing knowledge. For a film with such a short running time, the stalking-the-prey scenes drag on and ultimately that is exactly the effect of 'Horror Express' as a whole: an interminable, rudderless ship with no thrust behind it.