Night Train Murders is a 1975 Italian exploitation revenge film inspired by Wes Craven’s 1972 exploitation hit The Last House on the Left.
The film was directed by Aldo Lado (Short Night of Glass Dolls), scored by Ennio Morricone (with the main song by Greek crooner Demis Roussos) and stars Flavio Bucci, Macha Meril and Irene Miracle. Produced by Pino Buricchi and Paolo Infascelli.
Original titled L’ultimo treno della notte, it has also been released as The New House on The Left, Second House on the Left, Don’t Ride on Late Night Trains, Last Stop on the Night Train, Late Night Trains, Last House Part II and Xmas Massacre.
In 1976, British film distributor David Grant (Nightmares in a Damaged Brain; Almost Human; Cathy’s Curse) submitted the film to the BBFC for an ‘X’ certificate with cuts but it was rejected outright.
Plot:
Two young women, Margaret (Irene Miracle) and Lisa (Laura D’Angelo), are set to take the overnight train from Munich in Germany to stay with Lisa’s parents in Italy for Christmas. After boarding, they find the train is full and are forced to sit in the corridor.
Meanwhile, two petty criminals, Blackie (Flavio Bucci) and Curly (Gianfranco De Grassi), also board the train as it is leaving Munich to escape from a pursuing policeman…
Buy Blu-ray: Amazon.co.uk
Reviews:
” …despite the loftier ideas flying around the movie, it does deliver on its vow of exploitation. It’s not easy to sit through, I’ll be honest, but it is not sleaze simply for the sake of sleaze. Even if you don’t buy the notions put forth by the filmmakers through the characters, this film will leave you thinking. Not particularly pleasant thoughts, but still…” The Gentleman’s Blog to Midnite Cinema
“The film’s underlying issues of class struggle and outright sociopathy may have added prescience today, and for those who can withstand it (and get by the overwrought Demis Roussos theme song “A Flower’s All You Need”), Night Train Murders is a masterpiece of its kind […] one that stays with you for days after…” Good Efficient Butchery
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“Although unpleasant at times, Late Night Trains is nowhere near as intense as its biggest influence, so if you’re a sleazehound looking for kicks, you’re better off with the original. There’s little that Craven did, or Ingmar Bergman did with The Virgin Spring for that matter, that Lado comes close to matching, but fans of Italian thrillers whose curiosity has been piqued can be advised to investigate.” The Spinning Image
“Unbalanced, focusing too heavily on the exploitative catalog of horrors and not enough on the retribution to come… Still, this is well made overall with good performances (Méril especially is strangely sinister) and a genuine sleaziness that shocks and uneases.” The Terror Trap
Cast and characters:
Flavio Bucci … Blackie
Macha Méril … The Lady on the Train
Gianfranco De Grassi … Curly
Enrico Maria Salerno … Doctor Giulio Stradi
Marina Berti … Laura Stradi
Franco Fabrizi … The Voyeur on the Train
Irene Miracle … Margaret Hoffenbach
Laura D’Angelo … Lisa Stradi
Umberto Amambrini … Ticket Collector (uncredited)
Kay Beal … Nurse (uncredited)
Francesco D’Adda … Ticket Collector (uncredited)
Richard Davis … Santa Victim (uncredited)
Giovanni Di Benedetto … Intellectual on the Train (uncredited)
Dalila Di Lazzaro … Nurse Pauline (uncredited)
Daniele Dublino … Guest at Stradi’s House (uncredited)
Patty Edwards … Guest at Stradi’s House (uncredited)
Dante Fioretti … Cigar-Smoking Man on the Train (uncredited)
Selan Karay … Navy Officer on the Train (uncredited)
Norma Knight … Young Woman on Train (uncredited)
Rita Moscatelli … Marie (uncredited)
Delbert Moss … Doctor Daniel (uncredited)
Karl-Heinz Peters … Margaret’s Father (uncredited)
Alberto Squillante … Young Man on the Train (uncredited)
Anna Taddei … Margaret’s Mother (uncredited)
Trailer:
