Night Train Murders 4K Blu-ray Movie

Rating summary

Movie		3.5
Video		4.0
Audio		4.5
Extras		5.0
Overall		4.0

Night Train Murders 4K Blu-ray Movie Review

Reviewed by Dr. Svet Atanasov September 20, 2025

Aldo Lado's "Night Train Murders" (1975) arrives on 4K Blu-ray courtesy of Severin Films. The supplemental features on the release include audio commentar by Aldo Lado and critic Federico Caddeo; audio commentary by critics Art Ettinger and Bruce Holecheck; recent program with actress Macha Meril; recent program with actor Gianfranco De Grassi; vintage trailer; and more. In English or Italian, with optional English and English SDH subtitles for the main feature. Region-Free.

Helltrain

College students Lisa (Laura D'Angelo) and Margaret (Irene Miracle, Midnight Express) board an overcrowded train to Verona to spend Christmas with the former’s family. Soon after, they are approached by two hooligans, Blackie (Flavio Bucci, Suspiria) and Curly (Gianfranco De Grassi, The Church), who begin teasing them. An older and very elegant woman (Macha Méril, Belle de jour, Deadly Circuit) also joins the group after Blackie forces her to have sex with him in the restroom.

The girls manage to get away from the hooligans when the train stops somewhere in the countryside because of a bomb scare. Then they promptly transfer to a different train, assuming it would get them to Verona on time for the Christmas celebrations.

The new train couldn’t be any more different -- it is dark, dirty, and cold, a relic from another time. But the girls are not intimidated, and after eating a few sandwiches purchased earlier, they decide to take a nap. This is where their trip evolves into a horrific nightmare. Blackie, Curly, and the elegant woman appear again and begin playing some really nasty games with them.

Without going into any specific details -- I assume that if you are reading this article you are probably not familiar with Aldo Lado’s Night Train Murders and are trying to determine whether it is worth viewing -- I would like to say that there is a good reason why this film was once banned as a 'video nasty' in the United Kingdom. Indeed, it is quite graphic and, more importantly, has an attitude that could easily encourage some genuinely bad behavior.

The script is very uneven. The entire second half makes little sense, and the character transformations that materialize there are utterly unbelievable. However, this is not surprising because it is obvious that all of the controversial sequences are intended to provoke specific reactions, not be part of a coherent, rational horror story.

As odd as it may sound, enjoying Night Train Murders is still possible. However, it absolutely must be approached with the right expectations. It has a good period atmosphere, and Ennio Morricone’s soundtrack makes a lot of the bad look uncharacteristically stylish. The acting is far from impressive, but it does not disappoint either. Bucci and Méril are better than everyone else, though there are a few scenes where even they appear uncharacteristically stiff.

The most shocking curveball is during the opening credits. Somehow, the producers of Night Train Murders were able to secure the right to use one of legendary Greek crooner Demis Roussos’ most beautiful songs, “A Flower’s All You Need.”

Lado worked with Hungarian cinematographer Gabor Pogany, who is probably best known for his contribution to Vittorio De Sica’s Two Women. There is no groundbreaking material, but some of the more atmospheric footage from the second train is very good.

Note: Lado was Bernardo Bertolucci’s assistant director on The Conformist and Maurizio Lucidi’s The Designated Victim. Other popular genre films he directed are Short Night of Glass Dolls, Who Saw Her Die?, and Woman Buried Alive.

Night Train Murders 4K Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

Severin's release of Night Train Murders is a 4K Blu-ray/Blu-ray combo pack. The 4K Blu-ray is Region-Free. However, the Blu-ray is Region-A "locked".

Please note that some of the screencaptures included with this article are taken from the 4K Blu-ray and downscaled to 1080p. Therefore, they do not accurately reflect the quality of the 4K content on the 4K Blu-ray disc.

Screencaptures #1-26 are taken from Blu-ray.
Screencaptures #31-39 are taken from the 4K Blu-ray.

I assumed that this combo pack release will introduce the same 4K restoration that is present on 88 Films' combo pack release, which we reviewed earlier this year. I was wrong. The two combo packs present very different 4K restorations, and to be honest, I am quite surprised by this development.

On this release, Night Train Murders looks significantly better as well. However, this is hardly surprising because the previous master that was used by various labels to deliver the first Blu-ray releases of Night Train Murders in different territories was compromised in a familiar way -- it produced smeary visuals, exhibiting some additional anomalies that are easy to trace back to digital filtering. (All of these anomalies are present on 88 Films' Blu-ray release from 2015). Now, all visuals have a fine and attractive organic appearance. But the two combo packs that Severin Films and 88 Films have put on the market have Night Train Murders looking very different in native 4K and 1080p.

On this combo pack release, in native 4K, with HDR enabled, and 1080p, very large sections of Night Train Murders look noticeably warmer. However, the consistency of this warmer grade is quite perplexing because it often gives other sections look colder. The exact opposite development is present on 88 Films' combo pack. I find some of the warmer and colder visuals on this combo pack more convincing, but there are many more that look better on the 88 Films' combo pack. Also, some areas overemphasize light yellowish and greenish hues -- see the sequence where the parents of one of the traveling girls visit the train station and discover that she is not on the train -- and elevate pinkish hues that begin to look unnatural. On the 88 Films' combo pack, virtually all of these areas are balanced better. Both presentations reveal light crushing. However, after performing numerous comparisons, I feel comfortable stating that the dynamic range of just about all visuals on 88 Films' presentation is marginally better. One last thing. On this combo pack release, some visuals exhibit surface imperfections that could have been removed with digital tools. They are not replicated on the 88 Films' combo pack release. So, what should you make of all of these discrepancies? I think that both combo packs offer presentations of Night Train Murders a little bit better, usually in the area of color reproduction and dynamic range. However, while both are easy to describe as very good, especially when referencing the previous problematic presentations of Night Train Murders, the 88 Films' release produces visuals whose quality is slightly more convincing and, perhaps more importantly, more consistent. My score for this combo pack release is 4.25/5.00.

Night Train Murders 4K Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

There are two standard audio tracks on this release: English DTS-HD Master Audio 2.0 and Italian DTS-HD Master Audio 2.0. Optional English SDH (for the English track) and English (for the Italian track) subtitles are provided for the main feature.

I revisited the film in native 4K with the English track. However, I have mentioned elsewhere that before the Blu-ray era, I have used the Italian track as well. Both feature overdubbing, and both have dynamic fluctuations of the kind that these types of tracks are known for. All exchanges are clear and easy to follow. I did not notice any distracting age-related anomalies to report.

Night Train Murders 4K Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

4K BLU-RAY DISC

• Commentary One - this audio commentary was recorded by director Aldo Lado and is moderated by critic Federico Caddeo from Freak-O-Rama. Lado shares a wealth of interesting information about the genesis of Night Train Murders, including some very interesting comments about the inclusion of one of legendary Greek crooner Demis Roussos' most beautiful songs, "A Flower's All You Need." Also, in the second half of the commentary, Lado discusses in great detail several important character transformations and graphic violence that is associated with them. Lado and Caddeo both speak French. English subtitles are provided.

• Commentary Two - this audio commentary was recorded by critics Art Ettinger (Ultra Violent Magazine) and Bruce Holecheck (Cinema Arcana), both big fans of Night Train Murders. The commentators share plenty of good information about the film's previous appearances on the home video market and correctly point out that the English dub track was missing a few lines, some important locations where portions of it were shot, the casting choices that were made, and of course the violent content. Also, there are interesting comments about the film's soundtrack and its reissue on LP.

• Trailer - presented here is a remastered original international trailer for Night Train Murders. In English, not subtitled. (4 min).

BLU-RAY DISC

• Commentary One - this audio commentary was recorded by director Aldo Lado and is moderated by critic Federico Caddeo from Freak-O-Rama. Lado shares a wealth of interesting information about the genesis of Night Train Murders, including some very interesting comments about the inclusion of one of legendary Greek crooner Demis Roussos' most beautiful songs, "A Flower's All You Need." Also, in the second half of the commentary, Lado discusses in great detail several important character transformations and graphic violence that is associated with them. Lado and Caddeo both speak French. English subtitles are provided.

• Commentary Two - this audio commentary was recorded by critics Art Ettinger (Ultra Violent Magazine) and Bruce Holecheck (Cinema Arcana), both big fans of Night Train Murders. The commentators share plenty of good information about the film's previous appearances on the home video market and correctly point out that the English dub track was missing a few lines, some important locations where portions of it were shot, the casting choices that were made, and of course the violent content. Also, there are interesting comments about the film's soundtrack and its reissue on LP.

• Hear My Train A-Comin' - in this very long program, director Aldo Lado recalls the exact moment when the idea for Night Train Murders came to him and began developing it in a screenplay, and discusses in great detail how each character matured, why certain casting choices were made, how the film was lensed and edited, and its reception and some of the controversy that followed it. Lado also comments on the inclusion of Demis Roussos' hit and why it was needed in his film. At the end of the program, Lado even reveals how cheated the Italian censors after they forced him to cut more than ten minutes from the original version of the film. The program was produced by Federico Caddeo in 2024. In Italian, with optional English subtitles. (88 min).

• The Veiled Lady - in this program, actress Macha Meril explains why she accepted her part in Night Train Murders, and discusses cinematographer Gabor Pogany's unusual 'blue lensing', her controversial character, and Aldo Lado's working methods. Meril also repeatedly states that Night Train Murders is a great genre film and comments on several of its strengths. The program was produced by Federico Caddeo. In French, with optional English subtitles. (22 min).

• Back on the Train - in this program, actor Gianfranco De Grassi reveals how he was approach with an offer to do his part in Night Train Murders, and explains what it was like to work with Aldo Lado and fellow cast members. De Grassi also confirms that the footage from the train station was shot without a permit and various German cops that were present there did not know how to react to his and Flavio Bucci's wild behavior. De Grassi addresses the ugly rape sequence, too. The program was produced by Federico Caddeo. In Italian, with optional English subtitles. (9 min).

• Train in Vain - in this program, actress Irene Miracle explains how she ended up in Rome (after serious drama forced her out of Nairobi, Kenya), where she met Pier Paolo Pasolini and Michelangelo Antonioni, without knowing who they are, and eventually was offered a part in Night Train Murders. Miracle also recalls what it was like to work with Aldo Lado and fellow cast members. The program was produced by Federico Caddeo. In English, not subtitled. (17 min).

• Night Train Murders and Sadean Women: Power, Pleasure and the Subversion of Morality - this new video essay was created by critic Kat Ellinger. In English, not subtitled. (10 min).

• Trailer - presented here is a remastered original international trailer for Night Train Murders. In English, not subtitled. (4 min).

• Cover - a reversible cover with vintage poster art for Night Train Murders.

Night Train Murders 4K Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

It is hilarious and sad to see some contemporary critics trying really hard to sell various genre films as misunderstood rebels that went to war with the reality in which they emerged from. The reason why so many of these genre films, the good and the bad, many of which happen to be Italian, will always be revisited is precisely because they were allergic to their reality and enthusiastically stepped out of it. They were conceived and directed with unprecedented freedom, which is what made them special. Some channeled politics, but everything they did was again reflective of this unprecedented freedom, not a particular set of views that they were willing to crash and burn for. The idea that just about every genre film was somehow a socially aware film is a fabrication of contemporary criticism, plenty of which is politically tainted. I had to mention this because Night Train Murders, regardless of whether it is profiled as a good or bad genre film, is worth seeing for one reason only -- it comes from a time when creativity in cinema was virtually unopposed. Severin Films' combo pack release presents a good 4K restoration of it with a phenomenal selection of special features. Hear My Train A-Comin', a nearly ninety-minute-long program with Aldo Lado, is a good enough reason to enthusiastically recommended it. HIGHLY RECOMMENDED.