Review of Night Train Murders

Introduction

In 1972, Wes Craven announced himself as a force in the horror genre with the uncompromisingly brutal `The Last House on the Left` - a film which is still not available uncut in the UK. Several years later, Italian director Aldo Lado re-imagined Craven`s shocker as `L`Ultimo Treno Della Notte` (literally `The Last Train of the Night` but the English title is `Night Train Murders`). This was refused a certificate in 1976 but is now available uncut on DVD.

Friends Margaret (Irene Miracle) and Laura (Marina Berti) are travelling to spend Christmas with Laura`s parents, when a bomb scare stops the train and they decide to switch routes. Two petty criminals, Blackie (Flavio Bucci) and Curly (Gianfranco De Grassi) illegally board the same train to evade the police. They catch the eye of a woman (Macha Méril) and the trio follow Margaret and Laura, subjecting them to almost unimaginable sexual violence.

As in `The Last House on the Left`, the perpetrators meet the parents of one of their victims and the tables are turned.

Video

The anamorphic 1.85:1 transfer is fair enough and shows its age, but the film is well photographed, with particularly good use of colour.

Audio

The Dolby Digital 2.0 mono track is reasonably clear, as you would expect from a film that is entirely dubbed, but some of the dialogue is a little indistinct and there are no subtitles available.

I was surprised to find that Ennio Morricone, one of the greatest composers in film history and predominantly known for his work with Sergio Leone, was involved in a film like this, and his score is suitably downbeat.

Features

Theatrical trailer

Forthcoming Attractions from the Shameless Collection:
- The Frightened Woman
- My Dear Killer
- Ratman
- Baba Yaga: The Devil Witch
- The Black Cat
- Phantom of Death

Conclusion

Rape/revenge films arguably burst onto the scene in the 1970s, although Ingmar Bergman made `The Virgin Spring` 15 years before. Wes Craven`s `The Last House on the Left` created a shockwave and numerous imitations, of which this is one. `Night Train Murders` sticks pretty faithfully to the formula in `Last House...`: Two young women go out by themselves; they are tortured and raped; the parents of one of the victims have their revenge. The only differences are setting and characters, but even then Blackie seems to be modelled on `Krug`, the main villain from `Last House...`, but the unnamed woman, played with relish by Macha Méril, is an odd character whose motives are never explored.

Apart from introducing characters and locations, nothing of interest happens in the first half hour of the film, which only gets going when Margaret and Laura switch trains and their ordeal begins. This second act is very well handled and is uncomfortable viewing, with rape, sexual assault and a knife being put where knives really shouldn`t.

If you`ve seen `The Last House on the Left`, then you`ll know exactly where this film is going from early in the first act, if not before it starts. Craven`s film is a far superior, more intense and intelligent piece which you should watch instead, but this is an interesting addition to the rape/revenge sub-genre and is worth a watch.