Terror Train 4K Blu-ray Movie

Rating summary

Movie		3.0
Video		4.0
Audio		5.0
Extras		4.0
Overall		3.5

Terror Train 4K Blu-ray Movie Review

Reviewed by Dr. Svet Atanasov May 31, 2026

Roger Spottiswoode's "Terror Train" (1980) arrives on 4K Blu-ray courtesy of Kino Lorber. The supplemental features on the release include new audio commentary by critics Paul Corupe and Jason Pichonsky; new audio commentary by critics Alexandra Heller-Nicholas and Josh Nelson; archival program with Roger Spottiswoode; archival program with screenwriter Judith Rascoe; archival program with composer John Mills-Cockell; and vintage promotional materials. In English, with optional English SDH subtitles for the main feature. Region-Free.

Pranksters

Genre films like Terror Train are impossible to make with conventional logic. To be entertaining, they have to exaggerate, relentlessly twist, and, most importantly, continuously ignore the obvious in ways that cannot endure the scrutiny of conventional logic. The so-called serious critics love to dismiss them for this very reason. This is rather ironic because virtually all of the manufactured realism they sell to their audience is every bit as problematic as the one that conventional films insist their audience buys. Genre films like Terror Train are simply more sincere in their efforts, which prioritize significantly more over-the-top and scandalous material. The so-called serious critics love to argue that the conventional films they praise establish a meaningful, lasting bond between their manufactured realism and that of their audience. But they don’t. Even the very best of these conventional films only manage to compel some viewers to ponder certain aspects of their manufactured realism a little longer. In the end, genre films and conventional films deliver the same kind of make-believe, but present it slightly differently.

In Terror Train, the exaggerating, twisting, and ignoring of the obvious begins immediately after the opening credits disappear. During a party, several students, all aspiring to be great medical professionals, stage a cruel prank that leaves one of them with permanent scars – physical and mental. Three years later, the pranksters join a much larger group of students and board a train that has been temporarily transformed into an impressive nightclub to celebrate their upcoming graduation and New Year’s Eve. Shortly after, while various fun activities are underway in different areas of the train, a mysterious, seriously vicious killer begins targeting the pranksters.

Roger Spottiswoode directed Terror Train approximately a year before J. Lee Thomson did Happy Birthday to Me. Whether entirely intentionally or not, these films not only borrow from the same bag of tricks to thrill their audiences, but also interchange many of them. Even their killers’ most gruesome deeds are captured in strikingly similar ways. Terror Train and Happy Birthday to Me are routinely described by their fans as slashers, but both are a little more flexible genre films.

Their flexibility is a byproduct of a desire to imitate some of the graphic action in John Carpenter’s Halloween and recreate some of the thick atmosphere from Mario Bava’s Blood and Black Lace. In the 1980s, all kinds of different genre films tried to do this, and the most effective ones produced unique material while struggling to get a range of things right. For example, the wrong writers delivered wildly inconsistent, at times even problematic screenplays, whose flaws became catalysts for delicious surprises. The wrong actors were cast to play the leading characters, too, and their awkward behavior created additional surprises. Even the wrong directors were tasked to direct these films, and their fumbles amused in numerous unintentional ways.

Terror Train entertains well precisely because it fails in many different ways. For example, all of its stars are wrong for their parts, and their incompatible performances create quite a spectacle. This spectacle, boasting an unmistakable kitschy quality, is also at odds with the strikingly lush cinematography, which shamelessly copies Bava’s work at will. Right in the middle of the graphic action, David Copperfield struggles to leave a lasting impression, too.

The end product is a strangely bad genre film, a cinematic train full of bizarre contrasts. It is worth seeing, but only if approached with the expectation that everything good about it is either bad or terrible.

The cast includes a shockingly awful Jamie Lee Curtis, Hart Bochner, Ben Johnson, Derek McKinnon, Sandee Currie, Timothy Webber, and Vanity.

Terror Train 4K Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

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

Please note that all screencaptures included with this review are taken from the Blu-ray. We have not provided screencaptures from the 4K Blu-ray.

The release presents a recent 4K restoration of Terror Train, sourced from the original camera negative. In native 4K, the 4K restoration can be viewed with HDR. I viewed it in its entirety in native 4K and later spent time with its 1080p presentation on the Blu-ray.

The 4K restoration produces visuals whose overall quality is easy to describe as good. Despite a few nicks that pop up here and there, they are very healthy, boasting pleasing delineation, clarity, and depth. This is not easy because virtually the entire film is quite dark, and different visuals exhibit very delicate dark nuances that must be managed well. The density levels of the visuals are good, too. Unfortunately, color reproduction is something of a mixed bag. The primaries are set properly, so the main color shifts that emerge are correct. However, several nuances are not set properly. Blue nuances create the biggest issues. In various areas, they collapse into turquoise. I cannot tell exactly why this is happening because some blue nuances are preserved. However, I suspect that the current issue exists because the most subtle nuances are lost, so minor color alterations produce only minor anomalies. You can see examples here and here. Still, I would describe the overall color balance as acceptable. The HDR grade is similarly inconsistent. I think that it could have managed numerous darker areas significantly better. There are no traces of any problematic digital adjustments, such as denoising, contrast boosting, sharpening, etc. Image stability is excellent.

Terror Train 4K Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

There are two standard audio tracks on this release: English DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 and English DTS-HD Master Audio 2.0. Optional English SDH subtitles are provided for the main feature.

I decided to view Terror Train with the DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1. However, while I was spending time with the 1080p presentation of the 4K restoration on the Blu-ray, I switched to the DTS-HD Master Audio 2.0 track. Both tracks are not going to be hits with audiophiles who appreciate perfect balance and impeccable dynamic contrasts. On both of them, there are significant fluctuations, even in areas where the killer is not going berserk and terrifying the pranksters. It is easy to tell that this is how the original soundtrack was finalized. I think that the 5.1 track exacerbates some of these fluctuations, so consider testing both tracks to see which one you prefer. The dialogue is relatively easy to follow.

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

4K BLU-RAY DISC

• Commentary One - in this new audio commentary, critics Paul Corupe of Canuxploitation.com and Jason Pichonsky share plenty of interesting information about the conception and production of Terror Train, Jamie Lee Curtis' character and reputation as a Scream Queen, some of the obvious and not so obvious weaknesses of Roger Spottiswoode's direction and the current version of the film, the promotional campaign for the film and its reputation as a minor cult classic, etc. David Copperfield's contribution is addressed as well.

• Commentary Two - in this new audio commentary, critics Alexandra Heller-Nicholas and Josh Nelson deconstruct Terror Train and comment on what they perceive to be its main strengths and weaknesses. The two commentators also share interesting information about the various people that worked on the film, one of whom is the great cinematographer John Alcott (A Clockwork Orange).

BLU-RAY DISC

• Commentary One - in this new audio commentary, critics Paul Corupe of Canuxploitation.com and Jason Pichonsky share plenty of interesting information about the conception and production of Terror Train, Jamie Lee Curtis' character and reputation as a Scream Queen, some of the obvious and not so obvious weaknesses of Roger Spottiswoode's direction and the current version of the film, the promotional campaign for the film and its reputation as a minor cult classic, etc. David Copperfield's contribution is addressed as well.

• Commentary Two - in this new audio commentary, critics Alexandra Heller-Nicholas and Josh Nelson deconstruct Terror Train and comment on what they perceive to be its main strengths and weaknesses. The two commentators also share interesting information about the various people that worked on the film, one of whom is the great cinematographer John Alcott (A Clockwork Orange).

• Roger Spottiswoode - in this archival program, Roger Spottiswoode discusses his background and explains how he became involved with Terror Train. Spottiswoode also reveals how John Alcott was brought on board and what it was like to shoot on a real train. Spottiswoode shares interesting information about Jamie Lee Curtis and David Copperfield's performances as well. In English, not subtitled. (17 min).

• Judith Rascoe - in this archival program, screenwriter Judith Rascoe recalls her time in Montreal during the production of Terror Train and comments on some changes she made to the original screenplay. Rascoe also compares Terror Train to John Carpenter's Halloween. In English, not subtitled. (6 min).

• John Mills-Cockel - in this archival program, composer John Mills-Cockell explains how he became involved with Terror Train, which was the first horror film he worked on, and discusses the harmonies he chose for its soundtrack. In English, not subtitled. (9 min).

• Trailer - presented here is a vintage trailer for Terror Train. In English, not subtitled. (3 min).

• TV Spot - presented here is a vintage TV spot for Terror Train. In English, not subtitled. (1 min).

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

Terror Train does what Italian copycats did during the late 1970s and 1980s. It fails in many similar ways, too, which is, predictably again, why it entertains pretty well. That the great cinematographer John Alcott agreed to do it with Roger Spottiswoode is a rather wild development, but perhaps not a surprising one, because in North America, such copycats attracted just as many talented people as their Italian counterparts. Kino Lorber's combo pack presents a recent 4K restoration of Terror Train on 4K Blu-ray and Blu-ray. This 4K restoration is the best presentation of the film that you can get on disc. However, it could have been graded a little better. RECOMMENDED.