Ember's analysis
- Pacing
- Brisk
- Intensity
- Strong
- Complexity
- Easy to follow
- Violence
- Graphic
- eerie
- sleek
- tense
- halloween night
- late night horror marathon
What critics said
Critics broadly found the film competently made and atmospherically effective, while criticizing its thin characterization, clichés, and illogical plot.
What sets it apart
May contain story progression spoilers
The graduation masquerade unfolds aboard a train, with the killer exploiting its compartments, passengers, and continuous motion.
The murderer slips into the costume party and appears disguised as victims, sustaining uncertainty about who is responsible.
The killings are connected to a fraternity prank that sent a student to a mental asylum three years earlier.
Critics specifically noted the film's sleek, eerie style, train-bound atmosphere, pacing, and thriller construction.
Films like Terror Train, and why
Halloween
shared slasher structure, masked killer, isolated setting, and suspenseful stalking
Prom Night
shared early-1980s campus slasher atmosphere, student victims, and revenge-driven killer
The House on Sorority Row
shared confined transit setting, thriller pacing, and killer hidden among passengers
Murder on the Orient Express
shared murder mystery, dark humor, and stylized ensemble peril aboard a moving train
Movie Details
- Director
- Roger Spottiswoode
- Release Date
- 1980-09-22
- Runtime
- 97 min
- Rating
- 5.8 / 10 (320)
Cast
- Ben Johnson
- Jamie Lee Curtis
- Hart Bochner
- Sandee Currie
- Timothy Webber
- Derek McKinnon
- Anthony Sherwood
- Joy Boushel
- Vanity
- Greg Swanson
Where to watch in United States
- Streaming
- fuboTV, Philo, Screambox Amazon Channel, Midnight Pulp, Midnight Pulp Amazon Channel, Cineverse Amazon Channel
- Rent
- Amazon Video, Apple TV Store
- Buy
- Amazon Video, Apple TV Store
Streaming options come from TMDB and change over time.
Common questions
- What is Terror Train about?
- A masked killer turns a graduation masquerade aboard a moving train into a tightly confined revenge-driven slaughterhouse.
- What is Terror Train like to watch?
- Ember's analysis rates the pacing of Terror Train as brisk, its intensity as strong and its storytelling as easy to follow.
- Is Terror Train violent?
- Yes. Ember rates the violence in Terror Train as graphic.
- What did critics think of Terror Train?
- Critics broadly found the film competently made and atmospherically effective, while criticizing its thin characterization, clichés, and illogical plot.
- Which films are like Terror Train?
- Films with a similar feel include Halloween, Prom Night, The House on Sorority Row, and Murder on the Orient Express.
- How long is Terror Train?
- Terror Train runs 97 minutes.
- Where can I watch Terror Train?
- In United States, Terror Train streams on fuboTV, Philo, Screambox Amazon Channel, Midnight Pulp, Midnight Pulp Amazon Channel, Cineverse Amazon Channel.
