I didn't expect a reinterpretation of the novella "Who Goes There?". As it turns out, I enjoyed watching how that book was translated into the story beats of this movie as it progressed. This was pretty corny early on but becomes much more enjoyable once the characters played by the always fun Cushing and Lee settle in. They play a doctor and a scientist and I liked seeing Cushing in a more relaxed role. Lee's character is more of an obsessed jerk but he gets easier to like. And I know it's not really acceptable to mention anymore but Silvia Tortosa plays a beautiful and whip-smart Countess. Alberto de Mendoza also shines as an easily swayed monk. Things get a little claustrophobic as this whole movie takes place on a train. I was constantly wondering just how the monster would stay out of site in such an environment, but if you know the story of "Who Goes There?" or other takes on the story like "John Carpenter's The Thing" or Howard Hawks "The Thing From Another World", you'll understand how.

"Monster? We're British, you know." A tightly filmed, claustrophobically set, dialogue-brilliant, well done make-up, blessed with several good actors cult-classic adaptation of "Who Goes There?". It's not good enough to have won any awards, but it has certainly set the example for any future movies in the same genre.

Despite the star power (for the time), the story is pretty stupid and they refer to many pseudo-scientific concepts that make no sense at all. While there was certainly more in the basic story had they just tried to use science that is at least theoretically possible in real life, it would have been better. As such, it is a typical example of pseudo-science-monster movies of the time that take the viewers for complete morons to whom you can sell anything by letting a “scientist” say it. This one is actually so bad that that might just be its attraction for hardcore fans.

Love a train, and old white men. What a combo

Like finding pictures of your parents as teenagers on Halloween: it's not the horror that makes you laugh, it's the cringe. This 1970s horror film is the kind of bad you want to watch with your friends when you're high to make fun of. It's a double scoop of Christopher Lee / Peter Cushing kitsch, with a Telly Savalas on top.