TERROR EXPRESS 1979 aka LA RAGAZZA DEL VAGONE LETTO
Silvio Dionisio (Julia), Paul Werner (David), Zora Kerova (Anna), Venantino Venantini (Mike), Gianluigi Chirizzi (Peter), Carlo de Mejo (Elio), Fausto Lombardi (Phil)
Directed by Ferdinando Baldi
The Short Version: Nasty, mean spirited exploitation feature borders on hardcore pornography in Ferdinando Baldi's shocking revenge opus. Definitely not for everybody, die hard Italian film enthusiasts will most definitely want to see it. A good cast of exploitation regulars.
***WARNING! This review contains images of a sexual nature***
The passengers on board a train are subjected to sadistic humiliation, rape and murder when three vicious hooligans take over some of the sleeper cars. A prostitute and a prisoner being escorted by a policeman fight back against their oppressors.
Less a horror movie than a pseudo crime film about the diseased youth born from wealthy families neglected and left to whatever cruel vice fancies them. This hatred is dealt to undeserving individuals much in the same fashion as Craven's LAST HOUSE ON THE LEFT (1972) and the succeeding clones. This is quite possibly the sleaziest of them all made all the more shocking in that it was directed by Ferdinando Baldi, the director of adventure and western movies such as TEXAS, ADIOS (1966), the bizarre musical LITTLE RITA OF THE WEST (1967), DJANGO, GET A COFFIN READY (1968), THE FORGOTTEN PISTOLERO (1969) and BLINDMAN (1971) to name a few.
The leader of the three sexual sadists, David, never participates in any of the degrading sequences of rape, or sexual domination. His actions show him to either be impotent, or a homosexual. Whenever an opportunity presents itself, he becomes noticeably nervous and sweaty as if he is fearful his two partners in crime will discover his lack of interest in lechery. He covers himself by threatening the captives with violence, or the promise of cruel things to come.
Even with some underlying themes present, there's scantly any plot to speak of. The exploitation of the cast takes center stage. There's virtually zero gore and when the deaths of the miscreants come, they're all lackluster considering the degradation perpetrated on their targets. Still, the level of sleaze is incredible and some viewers will no doubt find it repulsive despite the lack of blood and gore. Still, the cast is a virtual cornucopia of Italian genre faces.
Dionisio has been seen in many other sex and sleaze movies including several Italian crime pictures, one (LIVE LIKE A COP, DIE LIKE A MAN) for her then husband, Ruggero Deodato. Carlo De Mejo featured in several notable Italian horrors including Fulci's CITY OF THE LIVING DEAD (1980) in which he was the hero of the film.
Exploitation fans will get a kick out of seeing two participants from another trash favorite, BURIAL GROUND (1981). Roberto Caporali plays the incestuous father. In Bianchi's preposterous, empty headed zombie epic, Caporali played the lover to Mariangela Giordano who had an unhealthy relationship with her son, Michael. The other alumni from Bianchi's triumphantly infantile, yet lovingly alluring shambler-fest is Gianluigi Chirizzi. He played Mark, the hero of the film and the one who effortlessly and conveniently placed a zombies hands around his neck during the sequence where the dead make their presence known.
While I wouldn't recommend this for those who are looking for blood and guts style violence, the movie is awfully sadistic and possesses one of the most irrefutably grim and degrading atmospheres in exploitation cinema. On that, those who are seeking something both sexually oppressive and brutal will get that in abundance here. No doubt this one appeased the grindhouse audiences of the day. However, Italian genre enthusiasts will likely find this a fascinating excursion into depravity.
This review is representative of the Raro Italian R2 PAL DVD.
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