night train murders

Last House on the Left, director Wes Craven’s debut feature, made such a stink in 1972 that he was spit on by strangers offended by the film’s overt sadomasochism. But that spit was actually a compliment. In the exploitation game, anything that can generate a reaction - especially outrage or disgust - means big money. And rival producers quick to spot a trend saw lots of potential in Craven’s down and dirty plot. Night Train Murders (1975) takes the same torture porn scenario but adds a few levels of dramatic and technical sophistication that House lacked, making it the superior film…but arriving three years too late to earn the same exploitation immortality.

Margaret and Lisa hop a train to spend Christmas vacation with Lisa’s parents in Italy. But during the trip they run afoul of two thugs and a perverse older woman who revels in their sexual degradation. Like Last House, Night Train Murders is not a pleasant film to watch. Its goal is to make you extremely uncomfortable and (hopefully) offended at the physical brutality depicted on screen. Yet director Aldo Lado brings a cinematic professionalism that Craven’s film lacked, serving as a buffer to shield the audience from the worst moments of violence. In short, it’s much more watchable. Macha Meril’s role as the mysteriously twisted “Lady on the Train” is the film’s most unique creation; the monstrous genetic amalgam of every femme fatale in film history. She’s just one of three actresses in the film who would later pop up in the work of Italian horror legend Dario Argento.

Blue Underground’s Blu-ray replaces their previous DVD version, bumps up the quality significantly and ports over all the extras including a short featurette, trailers and poster art.