Many years ago in the time of random excursions into late night television I came across a horror movie. Like many viewers would assume first seeing it, and perhaps still do, it seemed to be a Hammer production. There was a touch of Gothic style to the story's period trappings and the cast included Peter Cushing and Christopher Lee. But it's only an imitation, albeit one still that scores full marks for entertainment value. Its European origins are obvious as things go on, as this Spanish production is full of strange dubbing and quirky music. A late in the day appearance from Telly Savalas completes this odd combination of murder mystery, ancient secrets and eccentric side characters. These elements are the reason this is still so memorable today and bears revisiting.
Often found as a shoddy public domain style release it has finally been restored in high definition thanks to cult cinema home video labels. The murky visuals and drab colours have been vanquished allowing everyone to enjoy a much improved viewing experience. It's not a film with much of a budget, but the turn of the century sets and costumes are now much more vibrant. Professor Saxton (Christopher Lee) is travelling back to England after a scientific expedition into the mountains of China. All he has to do is make a trip through Russia on the Trans-Siberian railway and anthropological history will be made. However his fossilised discovery is not what it seems and soon enough there's plenty of blood on the tracks.
The story has a kind of whodunnit atmosphere initially, although it's obvious that he culprit is inside the wooden crate Saxton brought onto the train. There are all kinds of suspicious characters sneaking about including the zealous monk Father Pujardov (Alberto de Mendoza) and troubled stowaway Natasha (Helga Liné). Thanks to a death at the station and the brusque attitude of Saxton everyone wants to know what's in the box, including his old friend Dr. Wells (Peter Cushing) who has no qualms about bribing officials and paying off train employees for various favours. It might not be Agatha Christie, but the ensemble is pretty colourful and the tone easily moves between eccentric and sinister as the journey gets underway.
The central mystery involves a series of corpses being found, since despite the object of Saxton's research being dead for millions of years it manages to get out and about almost immediately. Part of the fun is seeing the cast try to figure out why the victims all have the totally white eyes and the same strange brain defect. It's also interesting to see the silent killer itself working things out and adjusting to his new environment. The monster's weird glowing eye and hairy hands are pretty silly but in general the special effects are fairly well done, particularly later on as the mayhem spreads through the train. Some red light bulbs and a few snow covered miniatures go a long way, and the film nicely balances the gruesome and the hokey.
The real draw however is the cast and seeing how Lee and Cushing play off one another, particularly when grizzled police Inspector Mirov (Julio Peña) is on the case. The archetypes are all very broad whether it's the wealthy Count Petrovksi (George Rigaud) or the chess playing engineer Yevtushenko (Ángel del Pozo) but everyone has a role in the creature's escape plan. Their slow realisation that this may be a shape shifter produces most of the best dialogue as things become increasingly absurd. Dr. Wells' reaction when Mirov suggests he or Saxton could be the monster, 'Monster? We're British, you know!' without a hint of levity in his voice is a standout moment in the movie. Or perhaps any others Peter Cushing has appeared in.
It's also a tale full of bizarre pseudo-science, either as a result of the writers wanting an authentic 1906 view on all of this, or because they thought it was funny. As the creature stalks the train more evidence of its nature is discovered, leading Wells to discuss ridiculous ideas about how the human brain wrinkles as it learns, and how the eyeball is a source of memory. Of course this kind of exposition would be harder to include without such handy visual aides, but the results are still laughable. Still, these inclusions are a reality in the film and that's what matters. It's part of the charm, and without it they'd probably find it harder to copy Who Goes There? and its film adaptation The Thing From Another World for a Victorian era plot.
These kind of seemingly disparate elements come together to form a movie that's very re-watchable, in any format. They might seem like nonsense, but most of the ideas serve a practical purpose in the story structure. Even the main theme (by John Cacavas) which at first seems like a blend of Spaghetti Western and '70s pop becomes diegetic as Countess Irina (Silvia Tortosa) plays it on the piano - for the creature to mimic as things unfold. There are some odd moments during the finale as it veers towards action schlock, and the various monster abilities don't hold up to any real scrutiny. But the arrival of Cossack Captain Kazan (Telly Savalas) is another highlight, as makes sure to chew enough scenery to compensate for his short screen time.
In the end many of the details might be about as shaky as the model train being used for the exterior shots, but it never derails completely (until the explosive resolution demands it). It all rattles along nicely thanks to things like Saxton's steely resolve in the face of the bizarre and Father Pujardov's incessant preaching (and instant change of heart). The mixture of stoic performances and ludicrous plot developments hold it all together, resulting in a spooky period piece. In a few years the horror genre would be totally transformed, but this feels like a throwback without any trashy decisions or overly bleak moments. It's just classy enough to pass for something Hammer or Amicus might have produced, and it's just funky enough to be its own thing.
4/5
