Terror Train

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Terror Train

R

1980

1h 37m

Horror

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Tomatometer

Popcornmeter

44%

Tomatometer

18 Reviews

37%

Popcornmeter

5,000+ Ratings

During a hazing, a fraternity of pre-med students has a particularly sinister prank in store for one their more timid pledges (Derek MacKinnon). With the help of a coed, Alana Maxwell (Jamie Lee Curtis), they pull off the prank so well that the pledge needs to be institutionalized as a result. After several years pass and people forget the incident, those involved with the prank are ready to celebrate their graduation by having a costume party on a train, but they haven't escaped their past yet.

Nick Schager

Lessons of Darkness

A run-of-the-mill slasher film whose central gimmick is setting its action on a train.

Rated: C

Apr 14, 2011

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Time Out

Better than most of its kind.

Jun 24, 2006

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Roger Ebert

Chicago Sun-Times

The classic horror films of the 1930s appealed to the intelligence of its audiences, to their sense of humor and irony. Movies like Terror Train... just don't care. They're a series of sensations, strung together on a plot.

Rated: 1/4

Oct 23, 2004

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Bryce Hanson

Horror Movie Talk

I picked Terror Train because I was trying to find a horror movie set during New Year’s, and apparently the picking is very slim, because this is considered “the good one”. It isn’t.

Rated: 2/10

Sep 18, 2025

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Eddie Harrison

film-authority.com

…back in 1981, it must have seemed like the slasher movie fad would never end, but Terror Train now appears to be one of the best of a rather tatty bunch. Cast, technical aspects and conception are all first rate…

Rated: 3/5

Oct 4, 2024

Full Review

Mark H. Harris

Black Horror Movies

While Terror Train has a good reputation among horror fans, until the hectic climactic battle between “final girl” and killer, it’s mostly run-of-the-mill slasher fare that distinguishes itself by... having Jamie Lee Curtis as the final girl.

Rated: 3/5

Nov 18, 2022

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thiago s

Filme bacaninha, o roteiro é mais ou menos, as cenas de terror são bacaninhas, a história é bacaninhas, o elenco é bacaninha, e alguns ajuda a melhorar o filme, os personagens são bacaninhas, e o filme deveria ter cenas bem melhores e eu achei bacana o plot twist.

Rated 1.5 out of 5 stars

07/30/25

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Garry A

80s slashers are my favorite. There are plenty of average ones that I've enjoyed. This one had four deaths in the first hour and only one of them showed the murder actually happen. Even Jamie Lee Curtis could keep this one from being lame. The best scene was the final killer reveal in the last 5 minutes.

Rated 1.5 out of 5 stars

06/23/25

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William D

Okay movie but not the best movie I have seen.

Rated 3 out of 5 stars

05/08/25

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nick s

It's a slasher film, so you have to look at it in context. For the genre it's pretty good. The production quality was great, the concept was fun and the acting perfectly fine. Some moments were a little absurd, trying to go for shock over substance. The ending was a bit cliché with the antagonist... well, you know how it goes.

Rated 3.5 out of 5 stars

03/19/25

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Melissa M

The only thing scary about this movie is the acting. In spite of the fact that Jamie Lee Curtis The Scream Queen of the horror genre is in this movie you think the film would be worth watching. But it's not. I know they have a lot of dark scenes in horror movies for dramatic effects. But the flashing lights at the beginning of the film is distracting. This movie falls into the ham & cheese category. The acting is hammy. And the movie is cheesy. Hollywood now is all about remakes & reboots. If any movie needed to be remade it's definitely this one. David Copperfield's acting in this film is surprisingly good. Even with David Copperfield's magic he couldn't turn this D movie into a B movie.

Rated 2.5 out of 5 stars

03/11/25

Full Review

Chris B

Boring and rubbish. This movie was not scary at all.

Rated 0.5 out of 5 stars

03/06/25

Full Review

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Roger Spottiswoode

Director

Ben Johnson

Carne

Jamie Lee Curtis

Alana Maxwell

Hart Bochner

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David Copperfield

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Derek MacKinnon

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Synopsis

During a hazing, a fraternity of pre-med students has a particularly sinister prank in store for one their more timid pledges (Derek MacKinnon). With the help of a coed, Alana Maxwell (Jamie Lee Curtis), they pull off the prank so well that the pledge needs to be institutionalized as a result. After several years pass and people forget the incident, those involved with the prank are ready to celebrate their graduation by having a costume party on a train, but they haven't escaped their past yet.

Director: Roger Spottiswoode
Producer: Harold Greenberg
Screenwriter: T.Y. Drake
Distributor: 20th Century Fox
Production Co: Astral Bellevue Pathé
Rating: R
Genre: Horror
Original Language: English
Release Date (Theaters): Oct 3, 1980, Limited
Release Date (Streaming): Nov 17, 2016
Runtime: 1h 37m

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