Horror Express Blu-ray

Horror Express

 (1972)

Horror Express Blu-ray delivers great video and solid audio in this enjoyable Blu-ray release
An English anthropologist has discovered a frozen monster in the frozen wastes of Manchuria which he believes may be the Missing Link. He brings the creature back to Europe aboard a trans-Siberian express, but during the trip the monster thaws out and starts to butcher the passengers one by one.

For more about Horror Express and the Horror Express Blu-ray release, see Horror Express Blu-ray Review published by Jeffrey Kauffman on January 31, 2019 where this Blu-ray release scored 3.5 out of 5.

Director: Eugenio Martín
Writers: Arnaud d'Usseau, Julian Zimet
Starring: Peter Cushing, Christopher Lee, Telly Savalas, Alberto de Mendoza, Silvia Tortosa, Julio Peña
Producers: Bernard Gordon, Gregorio Sacristán

» See full cast & crew

Horror Express Blu-ray Review

Reviewed by Jeffrey Kauffman, January 31, 2019

Horror Express' title and marquee stars Christopher Lee and Peter Cushing may lead some viewers to come to the property expecting a portmanteau a la Dr. Terror's House of Horrors, especially considering it, too, is set aboard a train, at least interstitially. But in fact Horror Express is a "straight through" narrative entry, and a rather odd one at that, combining at least hints of some horror elements (as might be expected from its leading players) with what might be termed almost a science fiction undercurrent. Perhaps due to the very fact that Horror Express is such a patently odd combo platter of different elements, it may not attain the kind of force (hammy and/or Hammer-y, as the case may be) that some of the better known horror efforts by either Christopher Lee or Peter Cushing are so well remembered for having provided, but the film is still kind of goofily fun in its own unassuming way.



Horror Express received a Blu-ray release many years ago from Severin Films. For those wanting a plot summary, I refer you to my colleague Casey Broadwater's Horror Express Blu-ray review of that version. Casey's review is also a good source for screenshot comparisons between the two versions.

Horror Express Blu-ray, Video Quality

 

Horror Express is presented on Blu-ray courtesy of Arrow Video with an AVC encoded 1080p transfer in 1.66:1. Arrow's insert booklet contains the following information on the restoration:

Horror Express has been exclusively restored by Arrow Films and is presented in its original aspect ratio of 1.66:1 with mono audio.

The original 35mm camera negative element was scanned in 2K resolution at Video Mercury, Spain, while an additional 35mm interpositive element was scaneed at R3Store Studios for Reel 5, which has been lost from the negative. The film was graded on Digital Vision's Nucoda Film Master and restored at R3Store Studios in London. The mono mix was remastered from the original mag reels at Deluxe Audio Services.

All materials for this restoration were made available by Ignite Films.

There are some fairly significant differences between the Arrow and Severin presentations, aside and apart from the compression issues Casey mentioned in his review of the Severin release (and which are thankfully not an affliction this release suffers from). As can be seen by comparing screenshots, the palette is considerably cooler looking on the Arrow release, but I always found the Severin release to look artificially boosted and kind of weirdly yellow-brown a lot of the time. Densities are somewhat variable here, as in fact is overall color temperature, but to my eyes, this is a much more natural and appealing presentation. There are some variances in clarity and grain structure as well, some of which I'm attributing to the difference in source elements outlined above, but on the whole there's an appealingly homogeneous look to the transfer, especially considering the fact that both a negative and interpositive were utilized. There are a few moments of chunky grain, some of which can be attributed to opticals, but these are passing and typically very brief moments.

Horror Express Blu-ray, Audio Quality

 

The Severin release only had lossy audio, and Arrow has upped the ante in that department as well by providing a serviceable LPCM mono mix in English (the Severin release did have a Spanish language track as well which is not included on this release). The film's dialogue is always rendered cleanly and clearly, and effects like the clitter clatter of the train and the like sound decent enough, if arguably a bit on the hollow side. As Casey mentioned in his review, and what I'm now thinking must be an inherent issue with the original mags, there's just a hint of clipping in some of the higher frequencies, noticeable in the main theme by John Cacavas, or some of the ambient environmental sounds like whistling wind. It's a minor distraction at worst, and may not even rise to the level of even being noticed by some listeners.

Horror Express Blu-ray, Special Features and Extras

 

This edition ports over several of the supplements that Severin included on their release, as well as providing a few new bonus items. I've added an asterisk (*) to the supplements that were not on the previous Severin release.

• Ticket to Die* (1080p; 8:31) is an appreciation of the film by filmmaker Steve Haberman.


• Train to Nowhere* (1080p; 15:08) is another apprecation, this time by filmmaker Ted Newsom, who discusses his friendship with producer Bernard Gordon.


• Murder on the Trans-Siberian Express (1080p; 14:03) is an interview with co-writer and director Eugenio Martin.


• Notes from the Blacklist (720p; 30:30) is a really interesting if disturbing archival interview from 2005 with producer Bernard Gordon, who discusses trying to work during the McCarthy Era. This comes with a kind of interesting if factually incorrect text crawl prelude saying the interview was initially done for DVD releases of the Samuel Bronston epics of the early sixties, which Gordon worked on, releases which the text crawl says were ultimately shelved. Fans will know that at least some of the Bronston films have indeed had a DVD release, and in fact one of the first examples of the power and connectedness of the internet that I experienced is after I reviewed the so-called "Miriam Collection" DVDs of some of the Bronston epics (for another site), and was thrilled to get some emails from Mr. Bronston's son, who was more than kind in his response to my writing. Therefore, I'm wondering if maybe the text crawl referred to either a subsequent DVD release with new bonus material or the long rumored but as of yet unrealized (domestic) Blu-ray releases, which would have been greeted with applause by the many fans (including me) of these films.


• Telly and Me (1080i; 8:09) is an archival interview with composer John Cacavas.


• Theatrical Trailer (1080p; 2:57)


• Audio Commentary* features Stephen Jones and Kim Newman.


• Introduction by Chris Alexander (1080i; 6:50) can be found under the Play Menu.

Additionally, Arrow has provided their typically well appointed insert booklet.

Horror Express Blu-ray, Overall Score and Recommendation

 

Horror Express may either entrance or frustrate fans of either and/or both Peter Cushing and Christopher Lee, since while it kind of hints at a certain Hammer-esque ambience, it really is markedly different from most of the horror fare that became that studio's stock in trade (especially with these particular stars). The film has a kind of oddly bifurcated plot that is part murder mystery, part "alien possession" drama, and as such it never really even attempts to go for the blood and guts gusto that some horror fans may be expecting. Despite what was evidently a less than fulsome budget, this is rather handsomely mounted, and performances, while probably unavoidably on the silly and hyperbolic side at time, are generally extremely enjoyable. Arrow has markedly improved both the video and audio quality of the now long ago Severin release, though those who liked the look of the Severin version are cautioned to spend a little time parsing the screenshots I've uploaded to accompany this review, since the color timing is noticeably different. That said, technical merits are generally solid, and as usual Arrow has provided some appealing supplements. Recommended.

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