Rating: 
Summary: A memorable journey with Peter Cushing and Christopher Lee
Review: Horror legends Peter Cushing and Christopher Lee are booked on the Trans-Siberian Express? There's a beautiful Countess onboard, too? And Telly Savalas shows up and absolutely steals the show? You'd better believe I bought my ticket for this wild ride. Despite a really, really hokey premise, a rather dark movie print, and a lack of major special effects, Horror Express somehow comes off quite well as a traditional sort of horror film with a quality all its own. The setting is the winter of 1906; Sir Alexander Saxon (Christopher Lee) has discovered a two-million-year-old "man" in the frozen wastes of China that may very well be the crucial "missing link." Before his men can even get the precious cargo loaded on the Trans-Siberian Express, a nosy little thief ends up dead, his eyeballs completely white. It just so happens that a Dr. Wells (Peter Cushing), a scientist not unknown to Saxon, is also a passenger on the train, and his curiosity about the strange crate leads to the baggage man's death. When the remarkably living creature escapes and begins a real killing spree aboard the train, rivals Saxon and West team up to try and stop the rampage of the monster. After they saw the heads off of several white-eyed victims, they are amazed to find brains that are wholly smooth. You know what this means, of course - the creature is somehow sucking the very thoughts out of his victim's brains through their eyes. This helps explain the bleeding from the eyes that also seems to accompany death. Just for kicks, the two scientists take a look at a sample of eye fluid from a victim - and what should appear on the slide but the spitting image of the last thing the victim saw. Then they look at a sample from the monster's eye (the monster has transferred his consciousness to another human being by this point, having had his initial host body pumped full of several holes); visions of ancient creatures and a vision of earth from space leads to the obvious conclusion that what we are dealing with here is a living intelligence who came to earth eons ago. In the movie's defense, the idea that the last image a person sees before he dies would be imprinted upon his eyeball was actually entertained by some thinkers as late as the early twentieth century.From here on out, it's basically a struggle for all the panicked train riders to avoid meeting up with a pair of glowing red eyes until such time as our heroes, Saxon and West, can identify and kill the creature in whatever form he now possesses. A gorgeous Countess and her annoying Rasputin-like associate add to the fun, but it is the appearance of Telly Savalas in the role of Captain Kazan that breathes new life into the final half hour of the film. Savalas gives an unforgettable performance, obviously enjoying the role of the campy Cossack to the hilt. He doesn't appear for very long, but he packs loads of entertainment into that short time period, doing everything but bringing out a lollipop and asking someone "Who loves you, baby?" In a sense, this is not one of Cushing's or Lee's better performances, in my opinion. Together as allies for once, though, their dual presence carries this film on its shoulders. Other than a filthy creature sporting the worst case of pinkeye you've ever seen, many shots of "ping-pong ball for eyes" victims, and a couple of cranial autopsy procedures, there's not much gore to be found here. The story sounds rather weak but holds itself together quite well, thanks largely to the inestimably grand performances by the great Peter Cushing and Christopher Lee. Horror Express, aka Panic on the Trans-Siberian Express, is definitely a ride worth taking.
Rating:
Summary: cheapo disc; mucho fun
Review: I am biased, I admit it. Christopher Lee and Peter Cushing are fantastic actors, and I will watch anything they perform in. Much like the late actor Donald Pleasence, they somehow manage to elevate their horror pictures above drivel, into fun and interesting movies to watch. Of course there are exceptions, but usually I cannot find fault with a Lee/Cushing picture, they are worth the price of admission as pure entertainment. Now, on to this movie. It was a blast. It was a ball. It was fantastic fun, and creepy camera work. It was a truly great horror entertainment. Lee and Cushing thrown together with Telly Savales (terrible, terrible portrayal of a cossack, if I ever saw one, but funny none-the-less. Imagine Kojak tossing out a Russian familiarity name "little grandfather". It's just too bizarre.) against a trainful of cossack zombies and a yeti/missing link monster with glow in the dark eyes and the ability to erase memories (as well as kill you really good.) High art? Maybe not, but I had a ball watching it. I am glad this is in my collection, for the story values (and Lee/Cushing). Now on to the presentation. The disc has a poor image. Image struck me as scratchy, could have used a little touching up (what the film community would call 'restoration' for higher art films). I don't recall the sound being anything to write home about. It's worth the el cheapo price tag, though. Is it Hitchcock or Scorsese? Nope. Is it trying to be? Nope. It has a ball with its subject matter. You will too.
Rating:
Summary: cheapo disc; mucho fun
Review: I am biased, I admit it. Christopher Lee and Peter Cushing are fantastic actors, and I will watch anything they perform in. Much like the late actor Donald Pleasence, they somehow manage to elevate their horror pictures above drivel, into fun and interesting movies to watch. Of course there are exceptions, but usually I cannot find fault with a Lee/Cushing picture, they are worth the price of admission as pure entertainment. Now, on to this movie. It was a blast. It was a ball. It was fantastic fun, and creepy camera work. It was a truly great horror entertainment. Lee and Cushing thrown together with Telly Savales (terrible, terrible portrayal of a cossack, if I ever saw one, but funny none-the-less. Imagine Kojak tossing out a Russian familiarity name "little grandfather". It's just too bizarre.) against a trainful of cossack zombies and a yeti/missing link monster with glow in the dark eyes and the ability to erase memories (as well as kill you really good.) High art? Maybe not, but I had a ball watching it. I am glad this is in my collection, for the story values (and Lee/Cushing). Now on to the presentation. The disc has a poor image. Image struck me as scratchy, could have used a little touching up (what the film community would call 'restoration' for higher art films). I don't recall the sound being anything to write home about. It's worth the el cheapo price tag, though. Is it Hitchcock or Scorsese? Nope. Is it trying to be? Nope. It has a ball with its subject matter. You will too.
Rating: 
Summary: Decent Horror Movie but watch out for the versions
Review: I bought this movie after seeing it on TV. It is a decent little horror flick, BUT the copy I got (cover "Different from the one shown", quoted from the remarks by the seller, for used/new marketplace copies) is from Diamond Entertainment. Packaged attractively, professionally, and with some (useless)special features -- don't be fooled, this is a BAD transfer to DVD. Some scenes inexplicably shimmer, as if you were looking at some gently sloooooshing water. Overall, the image quality is BAD, like it was filmed from a film screen rather than a direct transfer from an original source. Watch out. Don't waste hard earned money on bad copies, unless you are desparate.
Rating:
Summary: Decent Horror Movie but watch out for the versions
Review: I bought this movie after seeing it on TV. It is a decent little horror flick, BUT the copy I got (cover "Different from the one shown", quoted from the remarks by the seller, for used/new marketplace copies) is from Diamond Entertainment. Packaged attractively, professionally, and with some (useless)special features -- don't be fooled, this is a BAD transfer to DVD. Some scenes inexplicably shimmer, as if you were looking at some gently sloooooshing water. Overall, the image quality is BAD, like it was filmed from a film screen rather than a direct transfer from an original source. Watch out. Don't waste hard earned money on bad copies, unless you are desparate.
Rating:
Summary: Great little gem
Review: I really liked this film. I am disappointed in the quality of the transfer however. It's a real pity because if the print was of better quality, I would give it a higher rating. This film has everything - a good story, great acting and genuinely creepy moments. Above all I really liked the story. Isn't it possible that an alien lifeform landed on earth millions of years ago and had to adapt and evolve in order to survive? Isn't it possible that it did this by inhabiting the body of another? - but not before the creature had sucked out the memory from the brain of the last victim.
Rating: 
Summary: Haunting Film, Terrible DVD Quality
Review: I'd long been a fan of this film: It's quite unique and has a very European avant-garde feel to it. It has a quite dark and foreboding ambiance to it that is chilling. However, The quality of the DVD transfer is awful! The picture is muddy and fuzzy and there are fuzzy scanlines present. The colour is much more washed out than it should be. I recently taped this film from TV and the picture quality was much better, even on VHS! Sharper detail, richer colour. However, this is obviously a budget DVD and until someone decides to release a cleaned up widescreen version (and this is crying out for a collectors edition) , it's a choice between this and the VHS! The format can do much better than this.
Rating:
Summary: Lee + Cushing = Awesome!!!
Review: Lee + Cushing = Awesome!!! Enough said!!! Those two guys are incredible. The script was a little poor, but Lee and Cushing made this baby shine. The idea of the alien was good, though it didn't look "real". I give it 4 stars. It's an enjoyable flick!
Rating:
Summary: Something a Little Different
Review: Like other reviewers have stated, make sure you get a quality dvd of Horror Express. This movie has been released by so many companies that there are a ton of lousy dvd transfers floating around. The first copy I bought looked like someone just hooked up a dvd burner to thier vcr, the transfer was so bad you couldn't even read the credits. I see other reviewers detailing the plot, and if you aren't familiar with the story, try to avoid those reviews, as they will only spoil your good time. Though Horror Express is not on the level of a Hammer studios release production wise, the cool little story, and the acting by Cushing, Lee and Savalas make up for any shortcomings. The special effects are pretty effective, and still hold up well today. The theme song is still rather haunting, and the use of the train's whistle throughout the movie's soundtrack is very effective in producing chills. If you are a fan of British Horror, this is a must. Anytime you can get Lee and Cushing on screen together, you know you are in for a good time.
Rating: 
Summary: Our favorite horror movie!
Review: My husband and I love this movie. No, it's not the scariest movie ever. No, the story isn't the most horrifying. But, it brings back so many memories of Saturday afternoons when we watched horror movies. Christopher Lee and Peter Cushing are the best and have been in many of our favorite movies. We had a ball watching this, and anyone who remembers it from years ago, should definately add it to their collection.
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