Horror Express

All aboard!  Horror Express is a 1972 horror film starring Christopher Lee, Peter Cushing and Telly Savalas. Or, if you perfer, Dracula, Dr. Who, and Blofeld.  This should be interesting. 

Our movie opens with Lee finding the frozen remains of what he believes to be a missing link in Manchuria.  He makes preparations to board a train, taking the remains with him.  In the meantime a man picks the lock which secures the frozen remains and later turns up dead, his eyes completely vacant of color.

 
Once the train gets moving and all our characters become acquainted Cushing's character pays a man to take a peak at whatever is in Lee's deadly crate.  The man looks in, sees the frozen remains and leaves...but later a hand reaches out and picks the lock.   Hearing a noise the man returns to investigate, only to be seized by the hand.  He looks into the red eye of the monster and his eyes turn white, blood runs from them, and falls dead.

When the man is discovered missing Lee is confronted and ordered to turn over the key.  He simply tosses it out a window.  The crate is eventually broken into and they find the body of the dead man.  Soldiers begin searching for the monster and one eventually finds it...but is killed.  Lee and his assistant perform an autopsy on one of the dead men.  They find the victim's brain is completely smooth.  Drained of his memory.

The monster claims another victim, a beautiful redhead who was attempting to rob a safe.  She was using Cushing anyway so I don't feel all that sorry to see her go.  Other than she was a redhead.  Love redheads.  Which, I feel compelled to point out...this movie has three of them.  In searching for the girl Cushing is seized by the monster but is saved by one of the soldiers.  The monster attempts to kill him from afar, using only its gaze to make his blood run...but the monster is shot several times and falls dead.

Lee theorizes that the creature is able to absorb peoples minds, their memories, through the eyes somehow.  Lee and Cushing examine the monster's eye and see things from its perspective.  They see dinosaurs and the Earth as seen from space.  Is the monster a demon or an alien?

The monster, who jumped into the body of the man that killed its body, kills Cushing's assistant. When the passengers become nervous about all the goings on they demand action.  Lee and Cushing begin to examine everyone's eyes, attempting to spot the monster, but this fails.  Later on Lee tells us that the monster arrived from another planet and was able to adapt itself to life on Earth.

Suddenly the train stops at a depot and soldiers rush into the train. Telly Savalas leads the soldiers and takes charge.  Eventually Lee exposes the monster to everyone and Telly not only stabs it in the back but puts a few bullets in it as well.  Wounded, the monster transfers its essence into a mad monk.  The monster cuts the lights and manages to kill most of Telly's soldiers and eventually, Telly himself.

Lee confronts the monster who tells us he is a form of energy from another galaxy.  The monster goes into this weird trance and brings all his victims back to life.  Working together Lee and Cushing manage to separate the last car where all the survivors are huddled together just moments before the train dives off a huge cliff.  The survivors watch the wreckage burn and we have...

Though this film is Spanish made it could quite easily fit in with the Hammer horror films.  If certain elements of this film feel familiar its because inspiration was taken from the novel Who Goes There? which was eventually put to film twice:  The Thing From Another World and its remake The Thing.   This film also goes against type, having Lee and Cushing act as allies instead of enemies.

The only negative aspect of this film is Telly Savalas.  He simply shows up far too late in the film.  Though he's wonderful in his scene chewing role of Kazan it's as though he shows up, acts absurd and is then killed off.  Well, at least he wasn't killed by a talking doll this time.  Ultimately though, Horror Express is a nice little horror movie and, if you're a fan of Hammer movies then this is right up your alley.

She

She is a 1965 film based on the novel of the same name by H. Rider Haggard.  The first movie adaption of She was made in 1935 by Merian C. Cooper, famous for writing, producing and directing the original King Kong.  This film was produced by Hammer Film Productions, most famous for their various films about Dracula, Frankenstein and for pitting Christopher Lee and Peter Cushing against one another quite often.

The movie opens with some natives dancing as the credits roll and...wait, staring Peter Cushing as Holly?  Holly?  Ok, whatever.  The movie finally begins in Palestine in 1918 with some dancing girls...at least we're off to a good start.  Peter Cushing is having a drink with two old pals.  World War I has ended and they are trying to decide what to do with their lives.  One of the guys, Leo (Leo?!) is smitten with a beautiful girl and starts chatting her up.

Leo and the girl leave together and manage to avoid a fight as Cushing and English Bob start a brawl.  Lesson learned:  never step on a gentleman's bowler hat.  As Leo starts to make kissy face with his lady friend he gets knocked out.  Later, Christopher Lee enters and tells us they will be taking Leo away...somewhere.  He wakes up and encounters Ursula Andress, known as Ayesha in this film.  Ayesha rambles some nonsense about having riches and anything he could desire and Leo quickly decides to ditch his previous girl for Ursula, and really who can blame him?

She (ha!) gives him a map and a ring and Leo is escorted out by her bodyguards.  He must survive the trials of the journey in order to possess her.  Later, Leo collects Cushing and English Bob and returns to where he met Ayesha, only to find the place completely empty.  After looking at the map the three friends decide to set off and find Leo's mysterious girl and the lost city she supposedly resides in.

After a day of trekking through the desert Leo sees a vision of Ayesha in a pool of water.  The next day the three wake up to find their water bags have been slashed.  Along the journey Leo tells Cushing he feels as though this path is familiar, as though something were calling him.  As they approach a mountain ridge a group of desert marauders attack and steal their camels.  With their supplies and extra water gone they continue through the desert on foot.

After collapsing from exhaustion Leo sees a vision of Ayesha again and passes out.  He wakes up to find his  Girly friend from the beginning pouring water on his face.  She tries to convince Leo to turn back but he refuses.  He falls ill from the loss of blood sustained in the battle with the desert marauders.  Girly friend's people show up and take care of Leo.  Cushing discovers that Leo looks exactly like the image on the medallion Girly friend's father wears.

The natives rush in and take Leo to their ceremony.  After much dancing and flailing around one of the natives comes at Leo with a large blade.  Just as he is about to go in for the kill he is stopped by...Roman Legionaries?  It's Christopher Lee with a group of Roman-esq soldiers.  When Cushing rises to meet Lee's gaze for a moment you expect him to say, 'Ah, my old nemesis'.  It's a great moment.  Lee's soldiers take Leo and the others to a giant statue carved into the side of a canyon wall.

Once Leo recovers Ayesha tells him that he is the reincarnation of her beloved prince.  At first he refuses to believe but then starts to experience a vision of his past life.  In his vision he sees himself smooching a girl then being stabbed to death by Ayesha.  She tells us that she is immortal and leaves him to dwell on his past life.  Later, Cushing wanders about and finds Lee, heh, praying before several mummies.  They have a brief chat and we're left wondering where Lee's loyalties lie.

Later, everyone is gathered in the throne room before Ayesha.  The natives that tried to kill Leo earlier are brought forth and are sentenced to death.  They are thrown into a dark pit, much like that now infamous scene in 300, though this one is full of lava.  Unable to do anything, Leo's group watches in horror.  As they attempt to lecture her about her barbarian ways she in turn reminds them of the horrors they recently faced on the battlefields of World War I.  She also shows them the ruins of a great Egyptian city and announces she fully intends to restore it.  Even after admitting she plans to conquer the world Leo and Ayesha play kissy face.

Ayesha shows Leo the flame of eternal life, the source of her immortality.  A bit later Leo and Cushing debate life, death and immortality.  Girly friend confesses her love to Leo and tells him why they can't be together, but just as in the past Ayesha catches him in the act of smooching another woman.

Sometime later everyone is assembled in the throne room again and Ayesha reveals a cage hanging over the lava pit which contains Girly friend.  Leo jumps in and tries to stop her from being killed.  Cushing tries to talk some sense into Ayesha and she states that the only way to save Girly friend is for Leo to kill her with the same knife she used to kill him in the past.  Leo takes the knife...and is unable to kill her. 

When Leo confesses he has doubts he is her long lost prince Ayesha shows him the body of Kallikrate, as she has kept the body all this time.  Sometime later when Girly friend's father arrives he is given an urn which contains the ashes of his daughter.  He yells out and a battle erupts.  Meanwhile, Ayesha takes Leo to the flame chamber.  Lee arrives and tells us he intends to enter the flame and become immortal.  He and Leo begin a sword duel.

 
Lee manages to beat Leo, but just as he is about to leap into the flames Ayesha stabs him.  As Lee dies Ayesha and Leo enter the flames and embrace.  After a few moments we see something isn't right.  Ayesha begins to age horribly.  She eventually turns to dust, much like Walter Donovan in Indiana Jones and The Last Crusade.  Realizing what he has done, Leo attempts to step back into the flames but it is too late...the flames return to their normal state and we have...The End.

As previously mentioned the title character is played by Ursula Andress, most famous for her role as Honey Rider in the first James Bond film, Dr. No.  As in Dr. No Andress is dubbed over by Nikki Van der Zyl.  Most people recognize Peter Cushing from his role as Grand Moff Tarkin in Star Wars.  He'll always be Van Helsing to me though.  This is not the first film to put Peter Cushing and Christopher Lee together, though this is one of the few where they don't come into conflict.  Lee has been in numerous films and tv shows.  From the original Charlie's Angels to Captain America II:  Death Too Soon, Space: 1999, The Lord of the Rings films and, of course, many many Hammer Horror films.  

This film has many elements working in it's favor.  A great cast for one thing.  Though this is a Hammer film it's not exactly a horror movie.  So, if you're expecting a bit of blood or a scare you'll find those elements lacking.  She does drag a bit in the middle, but its a great film.  The only real action is the final battle at the end, but this is, I guess you could say, a thinking man's movie.  I loved the back and forth between Lee and Cushing in the one big scene they have together and the debate about immortality is quite interesting.

If you enjoy some of the non horror films from Hammer, like Five Million Years to Earth, then you will enjoy She.  Light on action, but very compelling.  And hey, where else are you gonna see Ursula Andress kill Christopher Lee?