Jamie Lee Curtis Slasher Hidden Gem Now Streaming On Tubi
Jamie Lee Curtis quickly gained a reputation as the scream queen for the latter part of the 20th century after the release of John Carpenter’s 1978 smash slasher hit, Halloween. Her Laurie Strode character is certainly what she’s most remembered for in the world of horror films, but before Curtis reprised it for 1981’s Halloween II, she co-starred in three additional horror movies that included The Fog and Prom Night. The third entry is a lesser-known slasher flick called Terror Train, an overlooked movie that’s finding a new audience on Tubi.
Terror Train Starts With A Prank Gone Wrong
Terror Train begins with a horrific prank pulled on the campus geek. Kenny Hampson (Derek MacKinnon) is lured into a bedroom by the alluring Alana Maxwell (Jamie Lee Curtis), with the promise of her taking his virginity. Unbeknownst to the poor student, Alana is in cahoots with several of Kenny’s fraternity brothers who have orchestrated something horrible.
While Alana waits concealed behind the bed, she beckons Kenny over and instructs him to undress and kiss her. But it’s quickly revealed that the body Kenny begins to romance isn’t Alana, but rather a woman’s corpse that the frat swiped from the university’s medical school. Kenny snaps from the trauma and is remanded to an institution.
Should Have Taken The Express Train Instead
Terror Train picks up the action three years later as Alana and members of the fraternity and sorority get on board a train that’s hosting a New Year’s Eve costume party. But before fraternity brother Ed joins the group, he’s attacked and murdered by an unknown assailant who takes his mask and gets onto the train posing as Ed.
One by one, those responsible for the fraternity prank that led to Kenny’s trauma are mercilessly slaughtered. The killer doesn’t even spare crew members from the murder spree, as the New Year opens with a bloodbath. Suspicions fall onto several of the passengers as to who Kenny might be pretending to be before erupting into a great surprise revelation at the film’s conclusion.
Kenny’s Revenge Arc
Terror Train might follow many of the slasher film tropes of its era, but it’s still a thrilling ride. The opening set-up is orchestrated well and immediately puts viewers off-kilter with the duped Kenny putting the moves on a dead body. MacKinnon does great at selling Kenny’s immediate traumatic response and sets a tone for the movie that is both terrifying and tragic.
All The Best Slasher Tropes
Curtis finds herself once again in her element in Terror Train, ever the “last girl” and never afraid to let out a convincing shriek on set. Viewers who have seen Prom Night (also released the same year as Terror Train) will see a good number of similarities between the two films; a prank gone wrong, a murderous revenge spree by a victim, a shocking reveal in the end, etc. This is likely not a coincidence, as both movies were the products of Canada’s Astral films, though had different writers and directors.
Stream Terror Train For Free On Tubi
GFR SCORE
Mostly predictable but full of some great kill scenes and loaded with jump scares, Terror Train is a great movie for fans of slashers. Curtis and MacKinnon alone are worth the 97-minute runtime.
You can catch Terror Train streaming for free with Tubi.
