Horror Express, also known as Pánico en el Transiberiano, is a strange little film about a non-corporeal alien that can possess a man and then drain the memories and abilities of others, killing them in the process.  Said alien now finds itself aboard a train after residing in the remains of a Neanderthal man for thousands of years.  Now, with an abundance of intelligent life around itself to absorb, something it did not have all of those years ago, it looks to get on with its existence and feast until it can feast no more.  There is only one thing standing in its way though – Peter Cushing and Christopher Lee.

As far as horror films go, it is fairly effective and while it does provide some chills, it is far more suspenseful than scary.  The story itself is a little silly and there are a few moments that seem a little farfetched, aside from the whole alien part that is, and the film is not something you would expect to see Cushing or Lee in though they have often appeared in worse.  In fact the main reason to see this film is specifically for Lee and Cushing.  Aside from being consummate actors, the two always work well together and the chemistry between them and the way they play off of each other is always a joy to behold.  In this film, neither man is what you would call a hero, though both would show a few heroic aspects by the end of the picture.  In fact, there is nobody in the entire movie that really fills that role and as such, makes it quite interesting because of that fact.

The alien itself is not very scary, perhaps for those of a younger age it might be, but glowing red eyes just do not do it anymore once you start getting older.  That is all fine and good though as the scares do not necessarily come from the alien’s look but from the effect it causes to those around itself.  Stuck on a train as they are, there is a palpable sense of claustrophobia as there is nowhere for these people to go as it barrels down the tracks to its destination.  You might find yourself wondering why someone on the train did not simply pull the emergency brake or go and ask the conductor to stop, but that would have spoiled the movie and if they had failed to identify who the alien was residing in, it might have escaped.  As one would expect, the train is filled with all manner of different characters including a mad priest, a timid engineer, a beautiful countess and a beautiful stowaway and a man named Captain Kazan played by Telly Savalas of all people, whose brash and blustery performance almost steals the show.

Yet, it is Cushing and Lee who shine in this tale of a body-swapping alien.  Lee stars as Professor Saxton, the man responsible for bringing the alien aboard in the first place while Lee plays a colleague and curious doctor named Wells.  Where Wells is friendly and tries to help where he is able, Saxton is standoffish and rude, and it makes for an interesting dynamic as the two men work together to try and stop the scourge that is the alien presence.  What is always a little humourous to see when either of these men are on screen, is that no matter what is happening or how panicked people are, they just take things in stride and always seem far more at ease than anyone else around them.  People are dying and they could be taking tea and still have time to do what is needed.  You could almost call their performances lackadaisical at times or just really good acting.  Whatever you might think on that particular subject, watching them never fails to entertain.

There might be some plot holes present in the film, and some stuff that was a little unbelievable, but in the end you watch a movie to have fun and be amused.  Horror Express delivers on those two counts and more, and it even manages to deliver up a few spine-tingling moments to make it all the better.

3.5 out of 5