Humor: 2, not funny ha ha, but funny ridiculous
Blood/Gore: 2
Nudity: 1
Minutes FF’ed thru: none, I just didn’t pay attention
Overall rating: 2
Other: Some dialog in Yugoslavian with no subtitles
Amok Train is one of Shriek Show’s latest. A little background on Media Blasters, this is a company that’s notorious for unearthing obscure cinema through it’s various labels: Shriek Show, Tokyo Shock, Kitty Media, etc. The problem is, they frequently bump street dates with no notification, shelve releases after promoting, and often choose movies so obscure that there’s little interest to drive them. Case in point, Amok Train.
A group of students go on an educational expedition to Yugoslavia, and meet with a renowned professor who delves in pagan religion (and also has pyrokinesis). He hand- picks Beverly to stay in a different cottage with him and an old witch, and while sleeping, the others’ cottage is set ablaze. While it burns, the townsfolk applaud by hitting rocks together. The students try to escape by catching a train, but two are left behind, and one got charred in the fire. The train comes to a halting stop because of a fire on the tracks, and after a shadowy figure appears (the professor), the train becomes possessed and starts killing everyone on it. Death toll in one, two-minute scene, is three. The train charges full-steam ahead and doesn’t stop for anything or anyone.
Apparently, Beverly has the mark of the devil (a birthmark) and because of her (and the train), everyone is dying. The train continues to run ramped, take lives, and only stops when it reaches it’s destination, the original village they started at. A ceremony is then held for Satan’s virgin bride (Bev), but when the old witch feels her up, it’s found that she’s not a virgin after all. This puts a big kink in the festivities and the professor and witch die (more horrible effects), allowing Bev to put it that all behind her and board a plane home.
The story and dialog became so ridiculous that I stopped listening, started reading the latest issue of Fangoria, and just watched when something caught my attention. The gore FX were less than stellar, and seemed like a very bad ode to Lucio Fulci. Not to mention the lameness of the characters: some dude mimicking playing a flute, the perverted witch, the rock-pounding people, the token black guy, who’s one of the first to be offed, and the switchblade-wielding bad girl.
And, what can be lamer than a possessed train? There’s only one scene that was even close to cool, and that was when a guy got ran over by the train, and the bumper-guard, if that’s what it’s called, drug his head. Otherwise, it’s just late 80’s horror gone bad, and another crappy release from Shriek Show, who have been unable to release anything noteworthy in last year, and need to stick to their cheap three-pack reissues. Plus, Kitty Media needs to get off their ass and release Behind Convent Walls or Nuns of St, Archangel to follow their nunsploitation series, Convent of Sinners and Images in a Convent.
Blood/Gore: 2
Nudity: 1
Minutes FF’ed thru: none, I just didn’t pay attention
Overall rating: 2
Other: Some dialog in Yugoslavian with no subtitles
Amok Train is one of Shriek Show’s latest. A little background on Media Blasters, this is a company that’s notorious for unearthing obscure cinema through it’s various labels: Shriek Show, Tokyo Shock, Kitty Media, etc. The problem is, they frequently bump street dates with no notification, shelve releases after promoting, and often choose movies so obscure that there’s little interest to drive them. Case in point, Amok Train.
A group of students go on an educational expedition to Yugoslavia, and meet with a renowned professor who delves in pagan religion (and also has pyrokinesis). He hand- picks Beverly to stay in a different cottage with him and an old witch, and while sleeping, the others’ cottage is set ablaze. While it burns, the townsfolk applaud by hitting rocks together. The students try to escape by catching a train, but two are left behind, and one got charred in the fire. The train comes to a halting stop because of a fire on the tracks, and after a shadowy figure appears (the professor), the train becomes possessed and starts killing everyone on it. Death toll in one, two-minute scene, is three. The train charges full-steam ahead and doesn’t stop for anything or anyone.
Apparently, Beverly has the mark of the devil (a birthmark) and because of her (and the train), everyone is dying. The train continues to run ramped, take lives, and only stops when it reaches it’s destination, the original village they started at. A ceremony is then held for Satan’s virgin bride (Bev), but when the old witch feels her up, it’s found that she’s not a virgin after all. This puts a big kink in the festivities and the professor and witch die (more horrible effects), allowing Bev to put it that all behind her and board a plane home.
The story and dialog became so ridiculous that I stopped listening, started reading the latest issue of Fangoria, and just watched when something caught my attention. The gore FX were less than stellar, and seemed like a very bad ode to Lucio Fulci. Not to mention the lameness of the characters: some dude mimicking playing a flute, the perverted witch, the rock-pounding people, the token black guy, who’s one of the first to be offed, and the switchblade-wielding bad girl.
And, what can be lamer than a possessed train? There’s only one scene that was even close to cool, and that was when a guy got ran over by the train, and the bumper-guard, if that’s what it’s called, drug his head. Otherwise, it’s just late 80’s horror gone bad, and another crappy release from Shriek Show, who have been unable to release anything noteworthy in last year, and need to stick to their cheap three-pack reissues. Plus, Kitty Media needs to get off their ass and release Behind Convent Walls or Nuns of St, Archangel to follow their nunsploitation series, Convent of Sinners and Images in a Convent.
There’s much better obscure cinema to watch, so checkout releases from BCI, or anything from Ryko Distribution, home of Blue Underground, Severin, Synapse, etc.
1 comment:
I agree completely!
;D
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