Horror Express *** (1972, Christopher Lee, Peter Cushing, Telly Savalas, Alberto de Mendoza, Helga Liné, Silvia Tortosa ) – Classic Movie Review 3,778

Eugenio Martin’s Spanish-British 1972 thriller film Horror Express is an enjoyable express ride down the track of terror, in a tale jam packed with enough incidents for half a dozen regular horror films.

Director Eugenio [Gene] Martin’s Spanish-British 1972 sci-fi horror thriller film Horror Express [Pánico en el Transiberiano] is an enjoyable express ride down the track of terror, in a tale jam packed with enough incidents for half a dozen regular horror films.

Christopher Lee stars as Sir Alexander Saxton, a British anthropology professor bringing back the remains of a Missing Link-type monster from the frozen depths of Siberia aboard a trans-Siberian express at the turn of the last century (it is 1906).

Soon the monster thaws out and starts to slaughter the passengers one by one, turning them into zombies. The monster’s evil seems impossible to stop – even the train’s emergency cord won’t stop it!

Peter Cushing joins in the thrills as a rival scientist, Doctor Wells, while Helga Liné as spy Natasha, Silvia Tortosa as Countess Irina Petrovski and Telly Savalas as Cossack fighter Captain Kazan are soon among the zombies.

Horror Express may seem daft at times, and some of the acting is amusingly ripe, particularly by Savalas, but it is done with some intelligence and a good splash of humour.

[Spoiler alert] The twist in the tale is that the ‘monster’ turns out to be an alien force that is possessing the defrosted cave person and thereafter transfers its residence to subsequent members of the cast.

According to Eugenio Martin, the train set was originally made for Nicholas and Alexandra (1971) and producer Philip Yordan came up with the idea of writing a script just so that he would be able to use this prop. But producer Bernard Gordon said that they used the mock-up from Pancho Villa as the interior for all train cars.

Original screenplay credit to Julian Halevy was a blacklist pseudonym for Julian Zimet, writing with Arnaud d’Usseau. Both men were blacklisted Americans who had relocated to Europe, and had previously written Pancho Villa and Psychomania for the film’s producers Bernard Gordon and Philip Yordan.

Also in the cast are Alberto de Mendoza as Father Pujardov, Jorge [George] Rigaud as Count Marion Petrovski, Angel del Pozo, Julio Peña, Alice Reinheart as Miss Jones, and José Jaspe as Conductor Konev, with Juan Olaguivel as the Creature.

It was shot in Madrid from December 1971 to early 1972 on a low budget of $300,000. The train’s departure scene is filmed in Madrid’s Delicias railway station. The locomotive is a RENFE 141F but later miniatures are used.

It was filmed mostly without sound, with the effects and voices dubbed in post-production. Lee, Cushing and Savalas dubbed the English-language version.

It premiered at the 1972 Sitges Film Festival on 30 September 1972, winning the Critics’ Award for Best Screenplay. It was released in Spain on 10 January 1973 and in the UK on 20 June 1974.

The film premiered two days after the UK release of Dracula A.D. 1972 (1972), which also stars Lee and Cushing.

Eugenio Martin recalled: ‘I was a bit surprised myself at the film’s popularity overseas.’ In the UK and US it was well received in 1974 and it is still popular as a cult horror film.

It is the first film score of American musician John Cacavas, a protégé and friend of Telly Savalas, who went on to score Kojak.

Telly Savalas also involved with the same production team’s Westerns A Town Called Bastard (1972) and Pancho Villa (1972), as Savalas was under contract to Philip Yordan.

The cast

The cast are Christopher Lee as Professor Sir Alexander Saxton, Peter Cushing as Dr Wells, Alberto de Mendoza as Father Pujardov, Silvia Tortosa as Countess Irina Petrovski, Julio Peña as Inspector Mirov, Telly Savalas as Captain Kazan, George Rigaud as Count Marion Petrovski, Helga Liné as Natasha, Alice Reinheart as Miss Jones, Ángel del Pozo as Yevtushenko, José Jaspe as Conductor Konev, Víctor Israel as Baggage Man, Faith Clift as Miss Bennett, Juan Olaguivel as the Creature, Barta Barri as Telegraphist, Hiroshi Kitatawa as Grashinski, Vicente Roca as Stationmaster, José Canalejas as Russian Guard, José Marco as Vorkin, Allen Russell as Captain O’Hagan.

© Derek Winnert 2016 Classic Movie Review 3,778

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