Pánico en el Transiberiano (1972)

Country of Origin: Spain / UK
Year of Production: 1972
Running Times: 90 mins
Format: Technicolor 35mm
Ratio: 1.66:1
Sound: mono

PRODUCTION
Production Companies: Benmar Productions / Granada
Producer: Bernard Gordon
Production Supervisor: José María Ramos

SCRIPT
Script: Arnaud d'Usseau, Julian Zimet (Julian Halevy on some prints)

DIRECTION
Director: Eugenio Martín
Assistant Director: Gil Carretero
2nd Assistant Director: Vicente Escrivá hijo

PHOTOGRAPHY
Director of Photography: Alejandro Ulloa
Camera Operator: Teodoro Escamilla
Focus Puller: Luis Pena
Lab: Technicolor, USA

EDITING AND POST-PRODUCTION
Editor: Robert Dearborn
Assistant Editor: Fernando Megino

MUSIC
Music: John Cacavas

SOUND
Sound Supervisor: Antonio Illán
Sound Recordist: Luis López Díaz
Sound Mixer: Enrique Molinero
Boom Operator: Manuel Ferreiro Sierra

MAKE UP AND COSTUMES
Make Up Supervisor: Julián Ruiz
Make Up: Fernando Florido
Assistant Make Up: Rafael Berraquero
Hair: María Nieves Ruiz
Assistant Hair: Romana González
Wardrobe Supervisor: Charles Simminger
Wardrobe Master: Andres Fernandez

SPECIAL EFFECTS
Special Effects: Pablo Pérez

DESIGN AND SET CONSTRUCTION
Production Designer: Gomez Ramiro
Property Master: Juan Gracia

MISCELLANEOUS
Script Supervisor: Maribel Ruiz Capilla
Set Assistant: Rafael Perez Murcia
Production Assistant: José Luis Rubio

CAST
Christopher Lee (Professor Alexander Saxton)
Peter Cushing (Dr Wells)
Alberto de Mendoza (Inspector)
Silvia Tortosa (Irina)
Telly Savalas (Captain Kazak)
Julio Pena (Mirov)
Ángel del Pozo (Yevtuchenko)
Helga Liné (Natasha)
Georges Rigaud (Conde Petrovski)
Alice Reinheart (Srta Jones)
José Jaspe (Konev)
Víctor Israel (Maletero)
Faith Clift (American passenger)
Juan Olaguivel (Criatura)
Vicente Roca (Jefe Estacion)
Bernabe Barta Barri (1st telegrafista)
José Marco Davó (Vorkin)
José Canalejas (Guardia Ruso)

PLOT SUMMARY

Aboard a speeding Transiberian Express, Sir Alexander Saxton is returning from an archaeological dig with the fossilised remains of a creature that he believes to be the missing link. Along for the ride is rival anthropologist Dr Wells, a deranged monk and a platoon of Cossacks. But The creature is actually still alive and, after it thaws out it begins absorbing the memories of everyone on board the train, reducing its victims to white-eyed zombies who, in turn rampage about the train.

Pánico en el Transiberiano is much better than one might imagine given Martino's track record and the generally poor reputation - not entirely undeserved - of 70s Spanish horror. Martino directs like the driver of the train, at breakneck speed, careering through the plot leaving little time to ponder its many inanities. He does sterling work with a limited number of sets and a clearly restricted budget, most evident in the rather tatty special effects. Arnaud d'Usseau, Julian Zimet's script is unusually complex and ambitious, artfully suggesting that the unearthed fossil could be anything from a Darwinian missing link to a long stranded visitor from another world. (Full Review)

Canada
Theatrical Distributor: Astral Films

Greece
Video Distributor: New Star

Netherlands
Video Distributors: Palma Video International / Video Collection

UK
DVD Distributor: Paradox (PAR61008)

USA
Theatrical Distributor: Scotia International
Video Distributors: GoodTimes Home Video; Interglobal Home Video; Media Home Entertainment; Prism Pictures; Sinister Cinema; Something Weird Video; Worldvision Enterprises Inc
DVD Distributor: Simitar (7225); Image Entertainment (ID 6158 TVDVD)

Australia
Rating: M

Norway
Rating: 15

USA
Rating: R

1972
Catalonian International Film Festival, Sitges, Spain
CEC Medal (Eugenio Martín) - winner

1971
December
6: Spain - production begins

1975
October
30: Netherlands - theatrical release

1980
January
2: UK - television broadcast (on BBC 1)

1982
July
15: UK - television broadcast (on BBC 1)

1987
September
30: UK - television broadcast (on ITV (Thames Television))

1993
October
1: UK - television broadcast (on BBC 1 (as part of the Dr Terror's Vault of Horror strand))

1995
June
2: UK - television broadcast (on BBC 1)

1997
August
12: USA - DVD release (Simitar (7225))

1998
March
7: UK - television broadcast (on BBC 1)

July
14: UK - DVD release (Paradox (PAR61008))

2000
March
21: USA - DVD release (Image Entertainment (ID 6158 TVDVD))

2001
April
15: UK - television broadcast (on BBC Choice)

December
23: UK - television broadcast (on BBC Choice)

2002
December
6: UK - television broadcast (on BBC 1)

2004
October
22: UK - television broadcast (on BBC 2)

Can it be stopped?

A nightmare of terror travelling aboard the Horror Express!

Dödsexpressen - Swedish title
Horror Express - UK / US title
Kauhun pikajuna - Finnish title
Terreur dans le Shanghai express - French title

SEE ALSO
The Creeping Flesh (1972)

REFERENCES

BOOKS

Aurum Encyclopedia of Film: Horror (2nd edition) p.264
credits, review

Hoffman's Guide to SF, Horror and Fantasy Movies 1991 - 1992 p.277
credits, review

Horror and Science Fiction Film Volume II p.174
credits

Reference Guide to Fantastic Films p.200
credits

KEYWORDS

aliens; anthropologists; china; cossacks; fossils; monsters; the occult; possession; prehistoric creatures; russia; trains

Last Updated: 1 January, 2009