Terror Train is a 1980 slasher film directed by Roger Spottiswoode — in his directorial debut — written by Thomas Y. Drake, and starring Jamie Lee Curtis, Ben Johnson, and Hart Bochner.

The concept for the film was based on an idea by executive producer Daniel Grodnik, who sought to make a movie inspired by Halloween (1978) set on a train.

Writer David Grove attributed the movie's box office performance to an oversaturation of the slasher film market.

At a Northern Illinois University fraternity's New Year's Eve party, a reluctant Alana Maxwell is coerced into participating in a prank: she lures the awkward and virginal pledge Kenny Hampson into a bedroom with the promise of sex.

After finding the magician's dead body in his sword box, she realizes her theory is wrong and runs to inform Carne and Charlie.

Kenny reveals a blonde wig, and she realizes he has been posing in drag as the magician's female assistant the entire time.

After Halloween (1978) grossed nearly $60 million, film producers wanted to exploit its success, leading to a horror movie boom in the following two years.

Film critic Roger Ebert said horror movies made in the wake of Halloween tended to include attacks on young girls, knives, and blood.

[8] Grodnik had been a friend of Halloween director John Carpenter and producer Debra Hill, both of whom gave him their blessing when he told them of his idea.

[8] Grodnik sought Jamie Lee Curtis for the lead role of Alana Maxwell based on her performance in Halloween.

[8] The majority of the supporting cast was made of Canadian actors, including Hart Bochner, Sandee Currie and Anthony Sherwood.

[8] To create the train for the film, the producers leased an actual Canadian Pacific Railway steam locomotive from the Steamtown Foundation in Bellows Falls, Vermont.

[11] Afterwards, the Steamtown Foundation reverted the engine back to its original number 1293 and had it restored to a historic paint and letter scheme.

[8] The final day of shooting (December 23) consisted of a small crew completing the footage of Kenny's body plummeting from the train into a frozen river below, which was shot on location in New Hampshire, United States.

[8] The stunt man was reportedly unable to withstand the freezing temperature of the water, leading art director Guy Comtois to play the part of the dead killer instead.

[15] Utilizing a variety of bulbs with different wattages, and controlling them with the external dimmers, Alcott could light the set in a very fast, efficient manner.

In other words, characters live and die in Terror Train based, in large part, on how they perceive the reality or non-reality around them".

Gillota cites The Devil-Doll (1936), Psycho (1960), Homicidal (1961), The Texas Chain Saw Massacre (1974), Dressed to Kill (1980), Sleepaway Camp (1983), The Silence of the Lambs (1991), and Insidious: Chapter 2 (2013) as other examples.

He wrote, "[T]he image of a knife-wielding gender nonconformist (usually a man in a wig and a dress) is remarkably common in horror and may simply reinforce the widespread demonization of transgender individuals."

Grove argues that Curtis' character displays a masculine sexuality following her kiss with Kenny, after which she acts like a savage animal concerned only with survival.

[6] Ed Blank of the Pittsburgh Press criticized the film for its lack of characterization, saying the movie was not as good as its "neat" title.

[34] Bill Kelley of the Fort Lauderdale News was critical of the film's illogical plot developments and clichés, but ultimately deemed it "a respectable (if that's the word) exploitation movie".

[35] Jacqi Tully of the Arizona Daily Star wrote a similarly favourable review of the film, praising it for its pacing, setting, performances, and Copperfield's magic tricks.

[36] Writing for the Statesman Journal, Ron Cowan commended the cinematography and noted that although the film started poorly, it had some thrills near its end.

[17] Rolling Stone dismissed the film but singled out its cast and crew, noting the "marquee talent" of Copperfield, Johnson, Spottiswoode, Alcott, and Vanity, each of whom "went on to better things.

[39] A review in Leonard Maltin's Movie Guide concurred, claiming that the "stylish photography and the novelty of the killer donning the costume of each successive victim lift this slightly above most in this disreputable genre," granting the film two out of four stars.

[40] Paul Lê of Bloody Disgusting wrote Terror Train is an imperfect film with dull murder sequences.

[3] Zachary Paul of Bloody Disgusting said Terror Train is not as acclaimed as other slasher films starring Curtis, but deemed it a personal favourite.

Paul praised the film's suspenseful third act and twist ending, adding that slasher fans should seek out the movie.

The film was produced by Graham Ludlow and Kaleigh Kavanagh, directed by Philippe Gagnon, and written by Ian Carpenter and Aaron Martin.