Night Train Murders DVD with Flavio Bucci, Macha Mï¿½ril, Gianfranco De Grassi (R) +Movie Reviews

Surprisingly Good Italian Exploitation Flick

Lunar Strain | United States | 10/29/2004

(4 out of 5 stars)

"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!"

Quirky, Disturbing Thriller

B. M. Kunz | Los Angeles, CA USA | 11/11/2004

(4 out of 5 stars)

"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."

"Hey, we'll just cut her a little."

Dymon Enlow | 10/09/2005

(4 out of 5 stars)

"If Bunuel had ever made a "genre film" it would have been a lot like this.

I rented this thinking it was going to be just another slasher movie, but imagine my surprise when a few minutes into the movie I realized that the director, Aldo Lado, actually had some talent and shot a film that was not only engaging, but quite beautiful.

I won't ruin the movie by giving away a bunch of spoilers but lets just say two girls on the way home for Christmas have a bad (to say the least) encounter with two petty thieves who are unknowningly being manipulated by a rich (and ultra-seductive) female passenger played by Macha Meril, who was in Bunuel's erotic masterpiece BELLE DE JOUR.

If you're a gorehound looking for wall to wall guts (or nudity) then you'll be disappointed, but if you want to see an intelligently made film about the darker side of human nature then check it out. Make sure you watch the interview with director Lado, very interesting.

"

By far, one of the most effective and disturbing horror film

Tristan | Kansas, USA | 02/20/2010

(4 out of 5 stars)

"Night Train Murders follows the same basic set-up as The Last House on the Left. Two girls are kidnapped by thugs, tortured, raped, and then brutally murdered, and then their parents find out and exact bloody revenge. The setting this time is in Italy, and the plot follows two girls on a series of train rides to one of their parents house. The film starts off much like a film about two innocent tourists. The girls get on the train and have a series of little adventures, not entirely innocent, but innocent and without much fear. However, as their train rides continue, things don't go as planned. Two thugs sneak on board and begin to harass the girls, as well as another female passenger who soon decides to join them on their night of debauchery and mayhem after one of them rapes her.

When the two girls find themselves fearing for their lives and uncomfortable, they take advantage of a somewhat convenient bomb-threat and sneak onboard another train that will get them to their destination about half an hour early. They get on-board only to find that the train is, mostly, deserted and seemingly without lights or electricity. They take a nap in one of the compartments and then wake up later on in the night to have dinner by candlelight. However, during their dinner they soon discover that the thugs, along with their female friend, have sneaked on-board and the two girls find themselves trapped in a horrible nightmare of torture, rape, humiliation, and heartless cruelty.

When the deeds are done the terror still continues. Even after the bodies are violated and disposed of there is still such incredible suspense in it's unfolding of events. When the parents show up to pick the girls up and find the two thugs and the girl at the train station instead, we can feel the slowly building paranoia as the characters realize who they are each dealing with. As the parents come to find out what happened, we truly can feel their sorrow as they realize that they will never see their daughter alive again. Then the revenge aspect comes into play and it is even more shocking than we anticipated. It is not shocking in a gratuitous gorefest kind of sense, but rather it is shocking in that it is obvious that the father who performs these killings is unprepared and inexperienced in such matters. The terror comes from the fact that he is a normal man who is doing something he has never wanted to do. As a result the film is not only horrifying, but it is also an emotional roller coaster ride.

This is one of the most effective horror films I have ever seen. The realism of the situations presented here comes off so authentic and suspenseful that it's practically a guarantee that most viewers' stomachs will be in knots. The film is relentless in it's horror and the way the victims' lives are toyed with. The audience is toyed with as well in several moments of what I could pretty much describe as false hope. The film will likely take an emotional tole on viewers who aren't prepared. This film is far more disturbing than The Last House on the Left due to the unfolding tension. There are no moments of forced dark comedy or cheap style. The film pulls no punches in depicting the last hours of the lives of these two innocent girls. The character of Curly is also far more terrifying than the character of Krug in the original in that he comes across as so simple-minded and yet so screwed up in a realistic way. This is an absolute must-see for all horror fans. This film is a masterpiece, and I'm glad that a modern day version of The Virgin Spring has finally been told in a proper and effective way."

Night Train Murders.

Puzzle box | Kuwait | 10/10/2008

(4 out of 5 stars)

"Night Train Murders was a brilliant, disturbing and politically charged exploitation film that was released from Italy during the 70's. While the film was basically a Last House On The Left rippoff, it still had the ability to shock and be different than many of the exploitation films from that period. It was directed by Aldo Lado who also made the giallo flicks Who Saw Her Die and Short Night Of The Glass Dolls so he was obviously a skilled director who used alot of flair and style, his camera work was stunning and the use of scenery was gorgeous, the lighting in the compartment with its heavy shades of blue was also amazing. The way these scenes are lit adds to the film's claustrophobic and uneasy feel and his direction was tight. The music was also great and it was done by Ennio Morricone, he makes effective use of a harmonica to announce the arrival of the two criminals/psychos.

Night Train Murders was definitely a high class Euro-trash film with first rate acting and good production values unlike Last House, don't get me wrong though I loved both films although the dubbing job could have been better. Ripping off Wes Craven's exploitation classic The Last House on The Left, Lado's film starts with best friends Margaret played by Irene Miracle (Inferno) and Lisa (Laura D'Angelo) preparing to travel overnight in a train to spend the Christmas holidays with Lisa's parents in Rome. Unfortunately a couple of punks Blackie (Flavio Bucci) and junkie Curly (Gianfranco De Grassi), hitch a free ride on the same train when they board it to escape a policeman who was chasing after them. Once on the train the punks amuse Margaret and Lisa when they ask them to help them hide from the ticket collector, but things soon turn sour when Blackie gets acquainted with a mysterious lady (Macha Meril) while trying to rape her and Curly has a violent confrontation with the ticket collector.

Margret and Lisa get back at their compartment resolving to keep out of harms way for the remainder of their journey. They even change trains when theirs is held up at a station by the police who are keen to arrest Blackie and the others and for a while they seem at ease in their new train having conversations about their next college term and their sex lives (or lack of), but it's at this point that they're joined by Blackie, Curly and their seriously twisted new female accomplice and soon things turn ugly. Macha Meril delivers a chilling performance as the pervert who encourages the street thugs to violate the girls. Meril (who played the doomed psychic in Argento's Deep Red) has an exotic beauty and her devolution from respectable intellectual to a sadistically cruel woman is quite convincing. Earlier in the film you'll notice the character trying to hide some pornographic pictures that fell from her purse from the other passengers and this reveals her dark and sadistic side which she attempts to conceal. The rest of the cast were great too especially the two girls who end up in this sad and horrific situation.

In the 15 minute interview extra on Blue Underground's DVD release, Director Aldo Lado mentions Night Train Murders as equal parts thriller and social commentary and he claims to have never seen Last House On The Left but liked the basic story outline prepared by his producer Roberto Infascelli who had been very impressed by Craven's film. He also says that he wanted to make a statement about society's class conflicts and the way the rich use young proles to commit crimes that satisfy their own secrets and forbidden desires. The Rape and violence was quite disturbing but not as graphic as I Spit On Your Grave or Last House but it still managed to be a very grim and unsettling film and there was a knife scene that's guaranteed to make you cringe, it was quite sick!. Night Train Murders is a fantastic film overall, the likes of which just don't get made anymore and it's a worthy addition to any hardcore horror fan's collection especially those who like these type of well made Italian exploitation/horror films, check it out."

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