Night Train Murders

Rating:
Summary: Surprisingly Good Italian Exploitation Flick
Review: First off, I am a fan of Italian horror films of the 70's and 80's. I had always wanted to see Night Train Murders, but it was never released in the United States making it nearly impossible to view. Instead of buying a bootleg, which I thought about on several occasions, I waited for its official release. After receiving my DVD, I was pleasently surprised by how good the film was. Like most Italian flicks, they "rip-off" or "borrow" ideas from American films. Zombie borrowed from Dawn of the Dead, The Beyond borrowed from The Shining, Conquest borrowed from Conan the Barbarian, and Night Train Murders borrows from Last House on The Left. So much in fact that it was released as Second House on the Left, New House on the Left, and Last Stop on the Night Train in other parts of the world. Many of the story elements are borrowed from Craven's film debut, including characters and situations. Even though it freely borrowed from Craven's film, I actually came out liking this film better. First of all it has higher production values so the filmmakers were able to heighten the cinematography, and other such aspects. I also liked how Night Train Murders was more disturbing and gritty. There were no awkward comedy moments like the ones present during Last House. There is more character development so you learn to like the two leading actresses more. In turn, since you like them better, you hate the goons more for the violoations they did to them. The director inserts a lot of flair and style while making a truely likeable revenge/exploitation epic that finally gets its just release in the United States. I've been waiting a long time for this film and I greatly thank Blue Underground for releasing a this steller DVD. The picture absolutely looks wonderful and the extra features were great. For fans of Italian horror, this DVD will not disappoint!

Rating:
Summary: Unfair comparison
Review: Firstly this film does copy the Last House on the Left but to be fair Last House is a remake of an earlier Ingrid Bergmann film called the virgin spring and not in itself an original. I think this film is a far more powerful animal. The direction is excellent and the cinemaphotography really captures how alone on a busy train you can be. The scene in the carriage is disturbing and very uncomfortable to watch and in my opinion delivers. The performance of Macha Meril is particularly sleazy and reinforces the class issues the film is dealing with. The two young thugs are reprehensible in their actions but it is the middle class woman who is calling the shots and directing them in their heinous acts. Good performances all round excellent transfer and letterbox. Extras round out the disc with a good interview with Aldo Lado. If I had a complaint I would have preferred the original Italian language. This would have enhanced the feeling of the film as dubbed tracks rarely work. One of the better Euro exploiters give it a spin.

Rating:
Summary: Quirky, Disturbing Thriller
Review: I agree that while this film borrowed heavily from Last House on the Left, Night Train Murders is the better of the two. Good production values, excellent cinematography, an Ennio Morricone score, decent acting and a tight script, set Night Train Murders above Last House and other films of this type. The first third of the film introduces the main characters and then gets them on a train (the night before Christmas) that is full of odd, quirky travelers - most of whom seem to be prone to indulging in one perversion or another. The "defilement" section of the film is a gripping, harrowing affair that escalates in viciousness before climaxing in a very brutal fashion. The final act does not live up to the scenes that precede it. While there is another escalation towards a violent outcome, the plot seems to falter in a couple of spots, and the eventual retribution seems tame in comparison to the acts which have ignited it. The character who gets revenge is a surgeon, and when we first see him he is cutting into people (using what looks like real footage) so I was expecting a truly grisly and horrific conclusion. However, the director's desire to keep from glamorizing violence is probably why the ending feels somewhat restrained. As for the DVD itself, the image is pristine throughout most of the film, the sound quality is good and extras include an interesting interview with the director. However, one problem I have with the presentation is that the original Italian audio track with English subtitles is not an option, only an English dub is available. Still, this is another great release from Blue Underground and definitely a film which deserves a larger audience.

Rating:
Summary: Does not live up to the hype.
Review: I've heard comparisons to Last House, though this does not come close to the brutality of it's predecessor. Another irk about this film is that it is dubbed. I would rather hear the original language track and read subtitles than watch mush-mouth over-dubbing. Though Blue Underground has always been the benchmark of quality, they have let us down with this release, and I am a little upset over making a blind purchase on this one. Don't believe the hype. If you want extreme, watch Last House or I Spit On Your Grave.

Rating:
Summary: Best Christmas Film Of All Time
Review: The film starts out slow but builds at a perfect pace. It is very high quality Horror Porn! It's like what if Stanley Kubrick made Last House On The Left. I highly recommend this film.