"Did you say 'all aboard'? That's ridiculous! They can't be bored. I haven't even started." Ed (Howard Busgang) does his best Groucho impression to annoy the train staff... and everyone else. Ed is just one of many slasher archetypes that populate the Terror Train on New Year's Eve. Every college kid is wearing a different costume. The perfect claustrophobic area for a killer to hide. Can our heroine Alana (Jamie Lee Curtis) survive the night and get to the next stop? Take a listen to find out!
Decades of Horror 1980s
Episode 127 – Terror Train (1980)
Terror Train was one of the early examples of the post-Halloween slasher boom of the 80s. Everyone was trying to take their crack at a contained low budget slasher. So, Canada figured "Why not have one take place on a train, eh?" Terror Train also manages to subvert a few things that others in the genre would stick to, mainly by not restricting the slasher to one costume. Our villain jumps from one outfit to the next in order to avoid detection. It's a real case of misdirection with our killer...one that mirrors the magic on display throughout.
Doc Rotten, Christopher G. Moore and Thomas Mariani are here to dissect all the magic of Terror Train. Or perhaps, lack thereof. There are a few moments of surprise here. Mainly with how many familiar faces of the 80s pop up. Keep your eyes peeled for The Wild Bunch's Ben Johnson, model Vanity and Ellis from Die Hard himself Hart Bochner. And of course, magician David Copperfield. Then again, Terror Train stops dead many times to give him a spotlight, so he's hard to miss. The trio also discuss the direction, the kills and of course it's place in the decade. Some are fans, others aren't. You'll just have to listen to find out who is who. The answers may shock you.
We want to hear from you – the coolest, most gruesome fans: leave us a message or leave a comment on the site or email the Decades of Horror 1980s podcast hosts at thomasmariani@decadesofhorror.com or docrotten@decadesofhorror.com.
Special thanks to Neon Devils for their awesome song Bone Chillin!
Ninja III: The Domination (1984)