Terror Train Blu-ray Movie

Rating summary

Movie		3.0
Video		4.0
Audio		5.0
Extras		4.0
Overall		3.5

Terror Train Blu-ray Movie Review

Reviewed by Dr. Svet Atanasov May 31, 2026

Roger Spottiswoode's "Terror Train" (1980) arrives on 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-A "locked".

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 Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

Presented in its original aspect ratio of 1.85:1, encoded with MPEG-4 AVC and granted a 1080p transfer, Terror Train arrives on Blu-ray courtesy of Kino Lorber.

The release presents a recent 4K restoration of Terror Train, sourced from the original camera negative. The 4K restoration is also made available on 4K Blu-ray in this combo pack release.

Initially, I only performed various comparisons between the native 4K presentation of the 4K restoration, which I viewed in its entirety, and the 1080p presentation on this Blu-ray release. However, earlier today, I viewed the 1080p presentation of the 4K restoration in its entirety as well.

Clearly, the 4K restoration is the best presentation Terror Train has ever received. All visuals have an appropriately fresh, vibrant, very attractive organic appearance. A few nicks are retained, and they easily could have been removed with digital tools, but all are extremely easy to ignore. Image stability is very good. The one area where additional work could and should have been done to ensure that the 4K restoration also gives Terror Train an impeccable period appearance is color reproduction. While all primaries are properly set, several supporting nuances are fluctuating in unusual ways. 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. The overall color balance is still acceptable, but with slightly more accurate color settings, the entire film would have looked simply marvelous. There are no traces of any problematic digital adjustments, such as denoising, contrast boosting, sharpening, etc. (Note: This is a Region-A "locked" Blu-ray release. Therefore, you must have a native Region-A or Region-Free player in order to access its content).

Terror Train 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.

The comments below are also shared in our review of the combo pack release.

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 Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

• 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 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 Blu-ray release presents a recent 4K restoration of Terror Train, which is the best presentation of the film that you can get on disc. However, it could have been graded a little better. RECOMMENDED.