MovieChat Forums > Pánico en el Transiberiano (1974) Discussion > The one thing that bothers me about this...

The one thing that bothers me about this movie

posted 12 years ago by GroovyDoom
5 replies | jump to latest

I consider "Horror Express" one of the most perfect horror films ever created. Everything about it is excellent, from the cast to the sets to the script. However, the one thing that always bothers me about this movie, and which I think definitely should have been changed:

After the alien enters the Inspector's body, the Inspector ends up with the neanderthal's arm.

The script establishes that the alien is NOT the neanderthal, the neanderthal was simply the creature's last host. So why in the hell would the transference cause the Inspector's arm to change into that of the previous host?

I'm even willing to forgive the silly plot element of the characters seeing "images" in the creature's eye fluid, but this element doesn't seem to follow the script's own logic. It doesn't fit.

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[–] !!!deleted!!! (1688273) 12 years ago

I agree. I was able to mentally shrug it off since it wasn't a key part of the storyline, but it does not make any sense.

[–] fruktflugan 12 years ago

Many things bother me about this movie, but it is supposed to be a B-horror movie and everything does not have to make sense in movies.

I mean...
Brain straightens out because memory is erased/stolen?
Eyes going white and images in eye fluid?
The arm bit?
The glowing eyes when it's dark?

That said, this is one of my favourite movies of all time.
Enjoy it for what it is... It is not reality and does not have to be! :)

/J

[–] cbarnes91 12 years ago

Yeah perhaps a remake is in order with tighter logic and more modern special effects but as close to the orginal as possible. This film is a real gem for true horror films.

[–] geordiebianconeri 8 years ago

Yep, and 'logically' the hairy arm should have been Peter Cushing's after the monster grabbed him there.

[–] Wuchak (8732) 6 years ago

The script establishes that the alien is NOT the neanderthal, the neanderthal was simply the creature's last host. So why in the hell would the transference cause the Inspector's arm to change into that of the previous host?

The filmmakers obviously did this so that the audience would recognize that the inspector was now the creature. They didn't want viewers to be confused on this point.

Two other possible reasons are that (1.) the beast-arm adds a horrific element to the (possessed) inspector that otherwise wouldn't be there, and (2.) it could be argued that the beast-arm is a vestige of a former possession that lasted for (supposedly) millions of years.