Terror Train (2022) – Canadian Horror Film Review
Terror Train is a remake of the 80s slasher film of the same name. I haven’t seen the original, so I can’t draw comparisons but from what I’ve read, the new version is pretty much on track with the first film, which I may watch in the future.
The film begins with a group of fraternity and sorority students at a party where some of the older fraternity members have planned a sick initiation ceremony for one of their new pledges called Kenny (Noah Parker).
Doc (Matias Lucas), the fraternity president has asked his girlfriend Mitchy (Emma Elle Paterson) to rope in one of her new pledges, Alana (Robyn Alomar), into the plan and, as Mitchy has made this part of her initiation, Alana is compelled to comply and has provided the guys with a key to the school’s medical lab so they can borrow a resuscitation dummy.
However, the key opens other doors as well and the guys have also taken a female cadaver and plan to use this for their prank instead. Alana, who has no idea of this, also has the task of hiding in a bedroom and calling to Kenny, who is a virgin, to lure him to the bed where the cadaver is waiting. She thinks Kenny is sweet so has reservations about her role in the prank but gets with the plan, asking Kenny to come and kiss her.
The sick prank goes terribly wrong because when Kenny realizes he is kissing a dead woman it drives him out of his mind resulting in him being institutionalized.
After this short introduction, the film skips forward by three years to a Halloween party being held on a train. All the same crowd are there and a lot has happened. Alana and Mitchy are now best friends. She is also going out with Doc’s best buddy Mo (Corteon Moore).
In addition to being a party on rails, it’s also fancy dress and Ed (Alexandre Bacon) who is dressed as a clown, doesn’t even make it on board. He’s run through with a sword while still outside the train. However, someone on the train is wearing his clown suit and mask.
Later, Jackson (Kenny Wong), who is wearing a lizard suit is slaughtered by whoever is hiding inside Ed’s clownsuit. More victims follow and a pattern emerges—the killer appears to be targetting those who took part in the prank played on Kenny.
However, there is also a magician on the train who was hired as entertainment for the party. His behaviour is a little weird at times, as is his attitude so as the body count rises, some of the partygoers start to wonder if he may be the killer.
Terror Train is an okay film that’s good for killing a little time. Although the basic set-up suggests the killer may be Kenny or someone acting on his behalf, it’s hard not to have doubts about the magician. He’s a good magic man but his opinion of his audience is jaded. The only person he appears to have any genuine interest in is Alana but he keeps annoying her with the things he says about her friends.
The magician isn’t the only one who winds Alana up the wrong way. Doc does too and he’s been doing it a lot longer. Their relationship has been strained since the cadaver prank when he threatened to blame everything on her if she revealed to the ambulance crew the source of Kenny’s distress.
Doc is self-centred and annoying but is also one of the key players in the story who helps keep the ball rolling and prevents the film from becoming boring.
As with a lot of films, there are a few scenes where characters fight with the killer and gain the upper hand only to run away instead of hammering their advantage home. Scenes like that always annoy me but other viewers may not feel the same.
Terror Train is Tubi original, so there’s no need to pay to see it. You can stream it for free at the Tubi website and the video quality is first-rate.