Although I have said it many times before, I will say it again. Any film is improved by the presence of Peter Cushing. Pair him alongside Christopher Lee and you gain more bonus points. Horror Express not only benefits from casting those two leads, but also makes space for a hugely entertaining turn from Telly Savalas. This would be enough to make it a winner for me, no matter what the actual content of the film was like, but I can happily say that there's also a fantastic main premise involving these main characters.
Lee plays Professor Saxton, a man transporting his latest discovery aboard the Trans-Siberian Express. Cushing is Dr. Wells, a friend/professional rival who is interested in just what that discovery is. I can tell you now, as it's no secret, that the cargo is actually a frozen prehistoric figure. Soon thawing out, however, it turns out that the humanoid isn't as dead as it first appeared. A number of people start to turn up dead, their bodies in a strange state that puzzles Saxton, Wells, and Inspector Mirov (Julio Peńa), and everything becomes a standard murder mystery until the evidence quickly starts to point to a very unexpected explanation. It's then soon time for the train to be boarded by Captain Kazan (Savalas) and his men.
Written by Arnaud d'Usseau and Julian Zimet (credited here as Julian Halevy), this is, as many people have already observed elsewhere, an enjoyable riff on the John W. Campbell novella, Who Goes There? (the basis for The Thing From Another World/The Thing) The writers throw together an enjoyable selection of characters to place in peril - as well as those mentioned, you have a "mad monk" (played by Alberto de Mendoza) and a beautiful Countess (played by Silvia Tortosa) - and they keep everything perfectly paced for the runtime, which clocks in at about 90 minutes. Spanish director Eugenio Martín has a reasonably compact filmography that looks as if there could be another one or two gems tucked away in there, but I'm not familiar with any of his other work so far, and it's hard to think of anything overshadowing this as the highlight of his directorial career. It's a wonderful ensemble piece that doesn't forget to give enough screentime to the fan favourites embodying the main roles, and there are some enjoyably tense moments throughout as more and more people are killed off.
Lee and Cushing are at their impeccable best, with their charm exemplified in Cushing's reaction to any hint of suspicion being cast upon their characters ("Monster? We're British, you know!"). Mendoza is wonderfully highly-strung in his role, and doesn't necessarily think the dangerous creature is doing anything too wrong, and Peńa is a comfortably stolid presence. Tortosa brings a touch of glamour to the film, George Rigaud is amusing as her husband, Count Petrovski, and then you get an injection of energy at roughly the halfway mark when Savalas swaggers onscreen with what I can only describe as a brilliantly braggadocious turn. He lights up every frame with his confidence, although viewers are clued in to the fact that he may be ill-prepared to solve this particular crime.
There's a good selection of special effects, with the design of the main creature staying on just the right side of the strange and horrifying, lovely production design for the interior of the train that makes up the setting for most of the film, and moments that remain genuinely strange and creepy to this day (the second half has a number of impressively eerie touches throughout). If you like either of the main stars then you've probably seen this already, but it's a film that provides great value on any rewatch, just seeing how the details are scattered throughout the script and how it all weaves together so beautifully. If you somehow haven't seen it already . . . do get on the train now before it leaves the station.
9/10
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