Cyrus: Mind Of A Serial Killer Review

When presented with the opportunity to review this film, just seeing the name Lance Henriksen on the cast list was enough for me to agree. Ed Harley (Pumpkinhead) and Bishop (Aliens) are my favorite roles of his, and I had just seen his performance of Dr. Lecorpus in In The Spider’s Web a few weeks prior so I was ready for this.

As usual, he does not disappoint and his portrayal of Emmett in Cyrus: Mind Of A Serial Killer is an interesting role. In fact, for the majority of the first half of the film, he does nothing but sit in a chair and narrate the flashback story of Cyrus’ upbringing.

In Cyrus,  the films namesake character is played by Brian Krause (Charmed), a young man who has had a rough childhood. Trying to do better for his new wife and upcoming child, he buys a farm which turns out to be the starting point of his fall. Unable to make the farm work and now broke, he catches his wife cheating on him, and in his rage kills them both, including killing his newly born child. With some help from a friend, he decides to open up a roadside stand and start selling “Roadkill” burgers and sausage,  made from the ground meat of his victims. His stand is a success, naturally leading to the issue of having to find more and more victims to supply his stand.

Meanwhile, Maria, a reporter played by Danielle Harris, is researching the mysterious disappearance of three women in particular, but also the hundreds of disappearances in the area. Emmett (Henriksen) agrees to give an interview detailing what he knows of his best friend, Cyrus, and how Cyrus killed all those people. Naturally, since the FBI and local police have no leads on the disappearances, this comes as quite a shock to Maria and she feverishly pursues the interview wanting to get all the truth on film.

The ending sneaks up on you quickly and it’s not at all what you would assume at the beginning of the film.  One thing is for sure though, Maria and her cameraman, Tom (Tony Yalda), are in for the story of their lives.

Lance’s performance is great here and his voice really makes the story as he narrates it. Danielle Harris (Halloween, Hatchet 2) also gives a good performance, showcasing every emotion from surprise, anger, disgust, and fear, in her search for answers. Brian Krause does a decent job as Cyrus, making you pity and hate him all at the same time, but his character and this film are successful due to his co-stars.

Directed by Mark Vadik, Cyrus has a ton of psychological elements, at a few points even making you feel pity for Cyrus, which was Mark’s intent. Starting off a bit slow for what you are expecting given the term “Serial Killer” in the title, it quickly picks up, explains all, and keeps you enthralled for the rest of the film. If your looking for the next “big thing” in horror this is not it, but if you want a creepy, dark ride through Psychoville, this will definitely fit the bill.

Film Score: 2/5

I took some time to look over all the extras included with the DVD, which are English subtitles for the deaf and hearing impaired, the official trailer, and a 20 minute behind the scenes featurette. The first two are pretty standard, but the featurette was interesting, even if it was slightly too short. It includes a question and answer with the director, discussions with all eight of the major cast members, as well as a short piece on makeup and effects. It would have been nice to have seen Lance and/or director commentary, as well as more info and video from the actual roadside scene Mark Vadik encountered that inspired the film (talked about in the featurette).

Disc and Extras Score: 2/5

Horror Express Review

I had a lot of fun Watching 1973′s Horror Express for the first time. Not only does it take place on a train, of which steam engine locomotives are a fascination of mine, but with such wonderful performances by Christopher Lee and especially Telly Savalas, how can you go wrong? Add in Peter Cushing and Silvia Tortosa, and you’re in for a good time.

In the opening sequence, a 2 million year old fossil believed to be the “missing link” between ape and man is found preserved in ice in Manchuria. Prof. Saxton (Lee), an anthropologist, is taking the specimen home by Trans-Siberian Railway for research. However, before the specimen can even be loaded on board, one person is already found dead on the docks. Shortly after the train leaves the station, the crate that used to contain the specimen is found with a dead baggage handler inside and the specimen missing entirely.

Dr. Wells (Cushing), a scientific colleague of Saxton, has an interest in the specimen himself and soon they find themselves working together to solve the mystery of the deaths. Unable to find the cause however, and as the death toll mounts, the train is finally stopped and Captain Kazan (Savalas) comes on board determined to find the cause of the deaths himself. It is unfortunate that Savalas doesn’t appear on screen until the last 28 minutes of film time, I feel his contribution to the film could have been much greater as his performance is simply superb and by far the most memorable of any here.

There is very little blood and gore in this film, although there is an eyeball being poked by a needle, a few short excerpt scenes from an autopsy, as well as a brain or two and whitened eyes. Still, nothing too over the top, with the story remaining the main focus throughout the film, as opposed to the effects. Given that your autopsy room is a baggage car, you already know not to expect too much anyway.

Horror Express was filmed in Madrid with a budget of $300,000 and originally contained little or no sound and voices. Dubbing was later added, with original actors Lee, Cushing, and Savalas providing their voices for the English release. The train scenes were made using leftover miniature and interior train sets from 1972′s Pancho Villa (also with Savalas as the leading role). It was also the first film Cushing made after the death of his wife, Helen, earlier that year.

This is a a must-watch film for any fan of the era and genre, and casual or modern horror fans should still give this a try and see if they like it. After all, this is a public domain film and we’ve included the full version of the Horror Express below so that you can watch it yourself for free.