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‘One man dead, another missing? It’s time we opened this box.’
‘You’ll do no such thing.’
On what would have been his hundredth birthday,
we’re looking at Christopher Lee in cult favourite, Horror Express,
appearing alongside his frequent co-star and good friend Peter Cushing.
‘Well, well, looks who’s here.’
and Horror Express, which you can find on YouTube, is a rare film in which they are on the same side,
allowing the genuine chemistry between the two men to come to the fore.
‘But you’ve got something live in there, I heard it’
‘You’re mistaken.’
Frankly, that’s already enough reason to check the film out but there is more.
Lee’s Professor Saxton has made a remarkable archaeological discovery,
which he is now transporting home via the Moscow Express.
But even before they leave it is attracting attention.
‘And where evil is, there is no place for the cross.’
and is surrounded by death.
But it’s only once the train is barrelling through the desolate snowy landscape that things really kick off.
I don’t think it’s a spoiler to say that the ape comes to life,
looking like a decomposing Terminator,
and starts killing people,
mainly because, that’s not close to the whole story.
‘It’s a brontosaurus’
The plot is John Carpenter’s The Thing On the Orient Express,
with the vibe of late 70s Doctor Who,
‘Is it true you’re a doctor?’
‘Ask me when I’ve finished my dinner’
and if it’s not quite as briliant as that sounds, I think it comes damn close.
'Miss, are you there?'
A Spanish production, and shot I believe exclusively in Spain,
the sense of cold it conveys is up there with films like The Thing in which the cold really comes off the screen.
Sets and miniatures borrowed from the 1972’s Pancho Villa give the film a period opulence
and it also boasts a fabulous score by John Cacavas.
But it’s greatest asset is definitely the performances, with Cushing playing the comic foil,
‘What if one of you is the monster?’
‘Monster? We’re British, you know.’
to Lee’s more serious lead.
‘What is he raving about?’
while veteran performer Alberto de Mendoza channels Rasputin
to portray orthodox monk Father Pujardov.
‘You think evil can be killed with bullets?’
Buoyed up further by the late appearance of Telly Savalas as an unhinged Cossack Captain,
bringing in a very different energy just when things might be flagging.
‘Who are the killers? Who? Who are the troublemakers?’
The train provides the classic enclosed space horror set-up
but also mirrors the situation as it keeps moving.
‘If necessary I’ll shoot anyone who tries to stop the train.’
In directions that are bizarre, but also interesting
and the undercurrent of humor ensures that it doesn’t take itself too seriously.
‘Are you telling me that an ape that lived 2 million years ago got out of that crate...
' killed a baggage man and put him in there, then locked everything up neat and tidy and got away?'
'Yes I am.’
Christopher Lee is the star but Cushing gets the more memorable lines
and it is worth noting that, reportedly, Cushing had decided to pull out of the film
as he was still grieving following the death of his wife, earlier that year.
Christopher Lee is said to have convinced Cushing to do the film
by reminding him of the good times they had on previous films together,
then supported his friend through the film’s making.
‘I was supposed to have this compartment to myself.'
'If you don't mind.'
'I'm sorry if I'm in your way.'
'Not at all.'
So, as well as an enjoyable monster flick, Horror Express is a tribute to the genre’s greatest double-act,
and to the genuine love that existed between them.
'The rumors of our engagement are actually unconfirmed.'
Thanks for watching. If Cushing and Lee are the gold standard, what are the other great onscreen partnerships of horror?
Let us know in the comments below.