Color, 1982, 85 mins. 33 secs.
Directed by Michael Miller
Starring Gerrit Graham, Michael Lerner, Fred McCarren, Miriam Flynn, Stephen Furst, Marya Small, Shelley Smith, Zane Buzby, Jim Staahl, Jacklyn Zeman, Blackie Dammett, Art Evans, Randy Powell, Misty Rowe, Anne Ramsey
Kino Lorber Studio Classics (Blu-ray & DVD) (US RA/R1 HD/NTSC), MGM, Anchor Bay (DVD) (US R1 NTSC) / WS (1.85:1) (!6:9)
to an underwhelming reception 
four years after the wildly successful National Lampoon's Animal House, this sort-of slasher spoof was the second film to bear the stamp of that trailblazing humor publication, with another (Midnight Madness) getting released almost at the same time. Today it's mostly remembered as the first film written by one of the magazine's shining lights, John Hughes, who would go on to write the far more successful National Lampoon's Vacation and direct the decade's most influential teen films. Today the film is more of a baffling, sometimes amusing oddity made by people who hadn't actually seen any horror movies; mostly it works best when it simply relaxes and serves as a showcase for a staggering roster of Second City talent, some of whom wouldn't get such a generous opportunity in front of the camera again. 
Terror Train. Ten 
years later, the class reunion brings everyone back together at the now dilapidated school where Chuck Berry shows up to play three songs for no good reason. Among the attendees are uber preppy Bob (Graham), the utterly forgettable Gary (McCarren), unrelenting pig Hubert (Furst), stoner Carl (Evans), and blind and deaf Iris (Small), the butt of the film's nastiest gags. Also on hand are Delores (future Last Resort director Buzby), who's been given supernatural powers by the devil to the surprise of no one, and Egon (Staahl), who is... um, a vampire. Suddenly Dr. Young (Lerner) from the nearby hospital for the clinically insane shows up and informs everyone that Walter has escaped, and sure enough, he has murder on his mind starting with the cafeteria chef (Ramsey) and moving on to all those who wronged him. 
as a late night cable TV staple where viewers could wander in and out at will, a fate that also befell other slasher-ish comedies around the same time 
like Wacko, Pandemonium, and the most memorable of the bunch, Student Bodies. It's also fascinating to see the various acting styles at work here with Graham trying on a snooty accent (culled from his own real-life prep school experience) and Buzby, the film's MVP, swiping all of her scenes with a wild-eyed performance that has to be seen to be believed. There's even a small part for gorgeous TV staple Misty Rowe, who provides the film's requisite (partial) nudity and also played Marilyn Monroe in a couple of Larry Buchanan films. Despite the R rating, the film is surprisingly tame with no gore and only a few mildly raunchy jokes, the weirdest being a subdued but gross menstrual one involving Egon. 
track is also a 
solid replication of the film's Dolby Stereo presentation in theaters. A new audio commentary with director Michael Miller (who had earlier helmed Jackson County Jail and Silent Rage, believe it or not) and stunt coordinator Dean Raphael Ferrandini is moderated by filmmaker Douglas Hosdale and sheds quite a bit of light on how the production came together under rather quick circumstances. Miller's background with Second City and Roger Corman served him well for the 30-day shoot, though he frequently bemoans the "corporate" elements that interfered with some of the execution. They also share stories about the odd issue that ruffled SAG's feathers and, in one truly surreal moment, compare a comic bit to Harold Lloyd. Also included is a new video interview with Graham (12m56s), who fondly recalls working with familiar faces from his Second City tenure, his background with Miller, the ridiculously inadequate band members sent over for Berry, and the film's reception that was likely hampered by the unrealistic expectations set up following Animal House. The unusual theatrical trailer (which features no footage from the actual film) isn't included here, but you can find it on Trailer Trauma 3: '80s Horrorthon; however, there are bonus trailers for Up the Creek, Moving Violations, Porky's II: The Next Day, Porky's Revenge, and Miracle Beach. 
