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Better than I thought it would be. The name made me laugh and when I first saw the title I thought it was a comedy, but I saw someone talk about it in a review video so I decided to watch it today. I just finished and I have to say it was alright. Some parts were pretty lame, but without giving anything away I like the ending and how you understand things more when you watch the beginning again. Only the end was my favorite part, the rest of the time it was a little boring.
AMAZING! This is a very surprising film with wicked twists and turns, fantastic visual effects and a strong story. The "video-clip" style also allows for a smooth transition between the scenes. There is a lot going on in this film (more than I anticipated, at least), great kills and even great fights! It's the kind of movie you would want to watch over and over again. Fans of "Hostel" and especially "Frontier(e)s" will beg for more. Enjoy this super gory ride!
Just not any fun to watch. The main character was annoying. The killer was annoying. The plot itself, totally ludicrous and inconceivable. Yeah, people constantly go missing every night whilst taking the same exact train and no one catches on? Oh wait, the cops have they just don't give a shit cause they're working for a "higher power". Blah blah blah.
Maybe this movie would've done a lot better in the mid to late eighties or maybe if they had gotten a better director. Seriously, all the shitty CGI gore really turned me off. Not even Ted Raimi's death, which by all means should've been awesome, looked like it belonged in a last generation video game.
The twist ending was lame and predictable. It was simply unbelievable and forced; just so we, as the audience, could say "wow, now I'm excited for the sequel".
See Candyman or Hellraiser if you want to see some great Clive Barker film adaptations.
The Midnight Meat Train overall has a pretty good story line. However, I have seen all of this in different movies. This does not make it bad though. It was a movie with some special effects thrown in (the eyeball part made me crack up) and a nice twist at the end, causing the movie to take a turn and allow a second one to be made. Overall, this movie gets a 7/10.
One of the best adaptaions of a Clive Barker story since Night Breed.Vinnie jones could be horror legend if stays in the genere.He's been great in alot of non horror films he play's villian roles with ease.This film is probably one the best horror films to come out last year.Highly recommend it.
A good movie with some pretty cool effects. The story was good and some of the camera angles really made the killings cool to watch. Vinnie Jones rocked as the butcher and I would like to see him do more horror movies. The ending was kinda weak though. Overall, good flick.
An interesting horror/thriller. This film is far more creative than most generic horror thanks to the crazy imagination of Clive Barker. The plot is an interesting mystery with a few surprises. Well acted and directed.
Best title for a scary movie in a long time! Sounds like it has everything it needs to be a good horror flick, but it's a little boring. Try to get to the end - even if you have to fast forward. Pretty bad CGI, and the hero is totally lame, but the villain rocks!
Love the story Clive Barker wrote and I was impressed watching it go to film. It was brutal and enjoyable,this movie is definatly a fucked up movie which I like. Vinnie Jones couldn't play a better killer.
After driving an hour and a half to what really was a dollar theater, I witnessed a movie that not only is brutal and gory but also dark and pretty atmosphreric. That movie was The Midnight Meat Train.
This was a very well done movie and had some pretty awesome kills in it, and Vinnie Jones just kicks ass. The only real downside about this is that they USED CGI FOR EVERYTHING. I mean everything was CGI, even blood dripping on the ground :C. But I got passed the CGI to see a very different and original movie.
The performances are good and the directing style of Ryuhei Kitamura is one that we've seen before, with the slow mo kills and over the top (ina good way) gore. But since this is a Clive Barker story I was really looking forward to seeing it.
It was worth the hour and a half drive to see this movie, even though like 2 months later it was free on FearNet lol, and I would recommend seeing it, it is underrated and awesome. I give it a 7/10!
Great Film adapted from Clive Barkers Books of blood! This film was very, very close to the original story published back in the 80's. I highly reccomend this film to horror fans, Espically Clive Barker fans!
Fuck. Yes. This is the movie that all the "Friday the 13th" and "My Bloody Valentine" fans need to see. This is how to make a good movie with gore. No bland teenagers, no clichéd story, no capitalizing on ignorant fans that never care about the original until a remake comes out. No bullshit.
I don't know how Barker does it. All of his movies have a story that just sounds stupid on paper (especially this one) and yet, somehow, he makes them work with developed characters and imagery alone. He's like fucked up version of PIXAR.
"The Midnight Meat Train" does feel more like an extended episode of "Tales from the Crypt" than a full length movie. It's not Barker's best work, but Barker at his worst does better than 95% of all horror movies out there.
I really enjoyed this film! I would have gave it a higher rating if it wasn't for some of the CGI blood, but all in all the movie was so great that you didn't pay to much attention to the CGI, It was a perfect splatter fest!
Thank you, Lionsgate, for fucking all of us horror fans in the ass! You all fucked us with Repo! and with this movie! Midnight Meat Train is one of the more original slasher films I have seen in a while. It carries a nice B-list cast (except for Brooke Shields), good acting, and some major bloodshed! The gore in this film is fucking awesome! Except for the CGI. When the CGI is used, not only does it make the kills look super cheesy, it takes away the intensity and the seriousness of the kill. Like the scene where Randall gets his head smashed by the meat tenderizer and one of his eyeballs flies out of his head and when Quinton Rampage Jackson gets shot in the head by the conductor, and you can see that his eye has been shot out, and they slow down and out comes the CGI blood. And, while there was good acting, sometimes it was stale. In fact, I find it funny that Brooke Shields, the only A-0list actor in this movie, is the one who had the worst acting, in my opinion. But really, I can't believe Lionsgate would keep a film this well done away from the viewing public, which makes give them a wag of my finger. It's a good thing they did not fuck us with My Bloody Valentine 3D, or I would have just had it with Lionsgate. Overall, this movie is awesome, and the only part of the film that was just ehhh was the twist. It was a good twist, but not a great twist. But seriously, check out this movie!
This is probably one of the better horror films to come out recently. This movie certainly was relentlessly entertaining. Vinnie Jones man! The directing, editing and transitions are without a doubt awesome. As a film student I can say this movie is well done. Not Oscar worthy but it was not meant to be.
This movie was always off the shelves at blockbuster when I tried to rent it.. I thought it was gonna be SUPER good because of that... but when I finally got a chance to get it, it was kinda disappointing. The storyline wasn't bad, but the effects were cheesy.. the ending made me SUPER angry, and what was the point of the killer scraping those things off his chest and saving them in his medicine cabinet...?
ridiculous movie...brutal...ending i was a little ehhhh but its still good
Posted By: TheOutcast05 at 10:15pm, March 21, 2009
"Welcome"
Quite a good little horror flick, better then most of the stuff that reaches theaters nowadays.. Then again, should I expect anything less from the Clive Barker?
Gotta admit, going in I didn't expect much but your run of the mill slasher, which isn't much. But I was pleasently suprised.. The movie is quite engaging, the cast is good- especially Vinnie Jones as the silent butcher.. I think Jones was made for this kind of role, he has the prescence needed for a horror film, and he is a scary guy in general. The ending really comes out of nowhere, in a good way. It makes you think a bit, which is what you want in a movie. Make no mistake, this is much more then your standard slasher, which is probably why it didn't last long or get a wide release in theatres- the average audience isn't ready for something like this just yet.
I was expecting an okay movie, but what I got was one hell of a flick. I was on the edge of my seat the whole time, the gore, the story, the actors, it was all superb. I definitely recommend this flick to everyone who hasn't seen it. Oh, and the CGI goes well with the flick, IMO.
i liked this movie, but it wasn't great. Gore is always nice to see. I just wish people would make more movies with less cgi in them. Once i see too much i lose interest in them. Yeah, what was up with the ending..really...under ground demon/canables....um ok then.
Posted By: Planet Mario at 12:55pm, March 15, 2009
Last Night, I finally got the chance to watch "The Midnight Meat Train". I was all hot and bothered thinking about the meat train chugging along and entering dark holes. As it turns out, This was not the case.
Yes, This movie had a big angry German. But this big angry German was not forcefully entering all that would allow him. He was killing mother fuckers with a giant metal butchers hammer in a $10,000 suit.
This movie was awesome. That crazy ass soccer playing Irish guy Vinnie Jones killed everyone who was lucky enough to take the train home late at night. He even killed the UFC's Rampage Jackson who plays a crazy ass violence and crime seeking black man. This must have been some stretch which truly shows this man's acting range.
I'm sure there was some story or point to this madness but I could care less. It had death, destruction, Leslie Bibb and alot of Gore.
I give this movie 3.5 out of 5 slabs of man meat.
Also, My ADD allowed me to watch this entire film. Was it the hope of actually seeing a meat train? The beautiful and untalented Leslie Bibb or the fact that this movie bled more than Rhianna. We will never know..
Now if you had read my comment on this news story when I saw it back in April, my outrage at Vinnie Jones in the lead role of any horror movie was like....just not happening.
However, I bought this movie this week and watched it and loved it. Vinnie Jones scares the hell out of you when he doesn't talk does he not?
Loved it, and found it stupidly hard to watch when the photographer is tracking Jones in the butchers.
While the ending was shocking and not what I was expecting, I did like it. A twist I didn't see coming. Defo see this movie.
I read all the positive reviews, but I found this movie to be boring. The gore was good and the plot wasn't bad, but I just couldn't wait for the movie to be over.
loved it just brilliant, much much better than any Saw film ive ever seen, just such a shame that hardly anybody got a chance to see it, i just dont understand why, ive seen both this and the strangers, which clive barker was complaining got more publicity and more of a chance in theatres and midnight meat train is far far far better then the strangers, the gore is fantastic and pulls every punch brilliantly just loved it the ending was fantastic and the gore worked so well in this movie it worked to provide such a chilling atmosphere for the movie, cant remember last time i saw a horror film that had this much of a chilling effect upon me, cannnot recommend this enough, everyone GO WATCH NOW !!
I liked this movie a lot it keeps you stunned the whole time while you watch it...THe story is nice until it unfolds in the end.
The twist of the story at the end is prettty lame and nothing for realists...personally I enjoyed this movie alot!
I thought it was awesome until the last five minutes and it took one of the stupidiest terns I've yet to see! everyone was great! Bradley Cooper,Vinnie Jones, and Leslie Bibb! and it had great suspense and kills! But...the end was shit!
I had been waiting for this film since reading the short story in the Books of Blood. I thought when I heard that it was being made into a film it would be a slam dunk, it wasn't quite there. Vinny Jones as Mahongany was outstanding, the silent killer ever intimidating and able to create a sense of dialogue and dread without uttering a word. The film itself was alright, not great, but alright. I hope that this doesn't stop more of the stories from the books of blood from being adapted and made into films. One suggestion is that Clive Barker make himself more involved with the creation of one of his stories into any future films.
I liked this movie it reminds me of the people I see when walk around taking pictures. I see like 3 people that remind of the butcher who's pretty creepy but still didn't scare me.
Finally! A dark, gritty film that delivers. Clive Barker has been an inspiration to horror fans and writers alike, myself included. I've read the original story and it adapts to it very well!
The acting was good. Better than most horror films and the characters were very likable and realistic. Much like Hellraiser and Candyman, movie adaptations of Clive's work are always dark and serious and rarely include over the top humor. That's a good thing. This movie kept me watching and wondering what was next.
The only major dislike I have with this movie is the use of CGI. Gone are the days of blood effects and prosthetic contraptions to compensate for actual limbs or impalement. That is just laziness on the film-makers part. The CGI was poorly done, but considering the atmosphere presented by the film, it is forgivable. The kills themselves weren't spectacularly original or inspired, but they weren't meant to be. This is NOT a slasher film, nor is it's most intriguing quality how creative the kills are.
The atmosphere is the most intriguing quality. From dark city life to the beautifully shot train sequences, everything about this film's atmosphere is wonderful.
On a side note: reading through these user reviews are just ridiculous. People claiming the movie was so "predictable" and "laughable"...please. Pull your head out of your asses please. People like you go into movies just WAITING for something to tear apart and its ridiculous.
With that aside, this movie is an entertaining and terrifying film for any horror fan. Check this one out!
In regards to the last comment: What in the hell are you talking about? Explain to me how to ending was at all predictable? I'm a die hard fan of Clive Barker's work, I've seen his movies, I've read most of his books...And I didn't for a second see the ending coming. So brilliantly done! So nice to see some originality in this pathetic world of used and abused ideas. I thought this movie was great...Except for the excessive use of CG. I mean C'mon, I know it was directed by a Japanese guy (and we all know how notorious the Japanese are for using CG)but seriously....These people NEARLY ruined Clive Barker's work with this one.
I was really surprised at how bad the CGI was. Who does CGI blood anyway? Fake blood is the easiest stuff in the world to make. cheap as balls. cgi blood.... I could maybe look past that, but how predictable was this movie? Shame on you if you didn't see the end coming a good bit before-hand. i must say i'm pretty disappointed overall.
Posted By: Demented D at 12:26am, February 27, 2009
Fuck yeah! And fuck all of you with the "CG" comments. So what if the gore is CD enhanced or generated? I love gore, be it prosthetics or otherwise. Anyway, this movie owned. It's one of the better horror movies to come out in recent years that isn't aimed towards the mainstream crap that Hasbeenwood has been putting out. The acting was fine, the script wasn't dumbed down, and was a fun roller coaster ride. Glad I purchased this one.
Posted By: flesheater123 at 7:10pm, February 25, 2009
FUCK YEAH.
this movie owned. Granted the CGI was a little over the top, but it didn't take away for me. It made me squirm, it gave me chills. And features a most fucked up ending since The Mist. The creatures were cool. The acting was intense. My only problem was a random sex scene. I didn't care for. But other then that. Watch this film. It is what us horror fans need. But please bring back the real blood.
Posted By: zombiefreak14 at 10:20am, February 24, 2009
I found it to be an alright movie. I have to agree with the whole CGI thing it is being used way to much in horror films today. Bring back the blood like in dead alive or hell even cabin fever. I did enjoy the scene where Ted Raimi took the meat clever to the back of the head and his eyes popped out in slow motion. That is the only part where I could see using CGI.
Posted By: Guitarded at 12:55am, February 24, 2009
My god! When will they stop using CG to compensate for practical effects? IT DOESN'T WORK!!!! Pretty much everything in this movie was CG. other than that (if you can get past it, i cant) it was still just ok.
Actually it wasn't bad movie its been a while since Clive Barker came out with a movie....I really liked Hellraiser II......tried to read his books which I couldn;t get into.....I thought the dudes eyes popping out was cool....well at of movies are computer generated which seens so its hard to find ones that are not...when I tried to rent this movie 7 locations didn;t have it so I guess fans like this type of horror.
I find too many horror movies are not that interesting at all, its hard to find a different type of script there are so many that are boring or just remakes (Friday the 13th) (Halloween) so I felt Midnight meat train was a new type of horror yes it had gory but I like the story line with a twist in the ending.
Posted By: YingKIng0203 at 2:53pm, February 22, 2009
really really great movie.good story,great gore,lots of blood.very intriguing.makes me want to read the books
Posted By: Slaser Maniac at 1:35pm, February 22, 2009
Good story line, awesome movie title.
I liked the movie very much but there was a little problem with the blood and special effects. THe blood was computer generated and it sucked ass. THere was some stuff that was out of controll. I liked it a little.
Posted By: uraniumwilly at 12:54am, February 21, 2009
This dark and gory horror thriller from director Ryûhei Kitamura (2000’s Versus), based on a short story by Clive Barker and adapted by Jeff Buhler, certainly was a refreshingly grisly movie experience for me. I was really getting more and more burned out on the PG-13 styled horror films I had been downloading and wondered if this was what modern horror was all about. There seemed to be nothing with any meat on the bones anymore. Then I saw The Midnight Meat Train (aka Clive Barker’s Midnight Meat train) and was delighted to see meat actually getting shred from bones.
The film had little time in the theaters and went to DVD sooner then it should have. Barker pointed the finger at Lionsgate president Joe Drake for essentially selling out a real horror film like Midnight Meat Train and focusing advertising and distribution on films like The Strangers. There is no doubt that Midnight Meat Train is a more satisfying horror film for true fans but probably not the type for mass appeal. Most films now are really aimed at the under 18 crowd or dating couples. Meat Train is a brooding and grim film that does not flinch in the gore and blood department. It is also well made and the criticisms about the computer generated gore are unfounded as the effects are superb and in particular one scene where Ted Rami gets his eye balls knocked out of their sockets by a metal butcher’s mallet. This is just not for mass consumption but it is certainly for mine. In fact this film gets my first four skull rating despite an unsatisfying ending that added an unnecessary supernatural element to the film.
The story follows Leon (Bradley Cooper), a free lance photographer, on his nightly excursions into the underbelly of a large dark American city. While it looks a bit like New York the film was shot in LA. He is determined to capture the “real city” on film since no one has yet to do it. He has a meeting with a tough (as in bitchy) art critic, played by Brooke Shields, who sees talent in his work but feels he is falling a little short of his goals and tells him to go back out and come back with better material. This he does when he interrupts some gang members who about to assault a woman in the subway terminal. He manages to get close up pictures of the hoods who do not kill him because they are on a security camera. The girl, a model, is later killed while sitting alone in the subway by a looming brute named Mahogany played by Vinnie Jones. Leone gets pulled into the case of the missing model and his obsession with her and then with the identity of the butcher causes serious friction between him and his girlfriend Maya (Leslie Bibb).
Leon is soon stalking the butcher during his nightly adventures but soon the tables are turned as Mahogany confronts Leon one night on the sidewalk. At the center of Leon’s suspicions is a ring worn by Mahogany that appeared in one of the shots he had earlier taken in the subway station. It is your basic dime store variety Satanic looking ring and he just happened to get a shot of it as Mahogany was holding the door for the model as she entered the car on her last ride. Lucky break. Maya and her friend Jurgin (Roger Bart) are more than a little dubious at first about Leon’s growing claims that the disappearance of the model and the Butcher are linked to a series of murders going back over a hundred years. Leon becomes a witness to a couple of these one night as he hides in an adjoining subway car and gets to see Mahogony in action. And bloody brutal action it is.
Leon is captured by Mahogany but not killed by him for some reason. Instead he wakes up the next day with a Satanic looking symbol carved in his chest. He is now pulled more and more in the life of the butcher and even more so after Maya and Jurgin sneak into Mahogany’s apartment to either prove or disprove Leon’s suspicions. Jurgin is captured and in the end there is a stand off on the subway between Leon and Mahogany while Maya tries to free Jurgin from the meat hooks impaling his ankles. The fight sequence is well done though we wonder how Leon can actually ward of the attack of super killer Mahogany unless the butcher is allowing it for some reason. This is open to speculation.
The film winds down with the reason for the butcher’s nightly murders being that he needs to gather fresh meat for demonic creatures that lurk under the city. The train conductor (Tony Curran), as we already know, is in charge of the operation and it reaches into all branches of city life, including the police inspector who earlier seemed more suspicious earlier of Leon than some mysterious butcher and now we discover was part of the demonic cover up. I could have done without the creature feedings as the motive for the killings or the train conductor having superhuman strength. I think the film would have been more terrifying had it remained on the human plane and there not been deep reaching conspiratorial connections. But it is a small matter really and
Posted By: BK's Finest at 12:32am, February 21, 2009
The only flaw in this movie is the shitty CGI's which messed up some potential great scenes.
I don't get it! It could be so much better without....
Anyway! I really enjoyed it... Vinnie is a real Bad Ass......
Posted By: horrorfan25 at 11:05pm, February 20, 2009
After all the delays, was this movie worth the wait? Yes. It was a well done film. But I wouldn't say it was "awesome". To put in into better words. If you are expecting a fun, gory little film then Midnight Meat train is the film for you. But, if, on the other, you are expecting a smart, clever, by the numbers, suspenseful flick this is the wrong place to be.
Midnight meat train is about Leon Jones (Bradley Cooper) who is a photographer for New York City. But before the brutal kills occur from the "subway butcher" the photographer takes the pictures before the deaths. He tries to warn the cops, but they are in denial, and now he has to stop it.
Originally, Midnight Meat Train was announced to premiere May 16, 2008, but didn't want to compete against The Chronicles of Narnia: Prince Caspian. Then it was pushed back to August 1, 2008, then moved to an earlier spot, July 11th. But didn't want to compete with Hellboy II: The golden army. Then it decided to come August 1, 2008 in 100 second run, dollar theaters, which made a box office bomb. Then on February 17th the fans' dream came true. Midnight Meat Train premiered on DVD and Blu-ray.
The film is just like any other horror film. It has a killer, mediocre acting, ridiculously shot gruesome imagery, and a "yawn" ending. So why should I recommend this film? The gore scenes are well shot in slow motion. When the blood splatters it splatters. Characters are hacked, bludgeoned, and decapitated. The movie also starts off very interesting and full of great ideas.
Although it does have its great moments, it does have it's flaws as well. First of all, the only thing backing this movie up is just the gore and the story. The ending is very weak and might make the movie that much worse for your experience. The acting is mediocre at best and while it isn't terrible, it certainly isn't good either. The "subway butcher" isn't so kick-butt material. Yeah he kills people with a hammer, but they never make him kick-butt or at least tough.
Overall, Midnight meat train is a recommendation from me. It does have it's moments and the gore effects are stupendous. While I do have to say, it is a mild recommendation. Despite a weak ending and weak acting, the movie turns out being okay. I also thought the punishment for the film was way too harsh. What's wrong with it? A heavy-R typical horror flick. Who wouldn't want that?
Absolutely LOVED this movie, I'm a big fan of Vinnie Jones and he does an excellent and creepy job in this flick. I especially liked the captivating cinematography and Lovecraftian feel. Probably the best horror movie I have seen last year.
I would have liked it more if I knew what i was getting myself into. I was not expecting a movie with aliens so I wasnt prepared for a movie with aliens. I was prepared for a slasher movie. Vinnie Jones probably the most well known villian actor of today did a fabulous job as a alein agent whos job it is to provide Aliens with food witch is the corpses of human beings. The death sequences were gory but the amount of CGI in this film did not flow well with the movie. Ah this movie did not fulfill any of my expectations. I thought this movie was a scattered mess. It did not live up to my expectations, or perhaps I would have enjoyed the film more if i knew what i was getting myself into. I give this film a C
Posted By: gorehound62 at 5:34pm, February 19, 2009
along with quarantine, this is one of the best horror movies of the past year. it was nearly perfect. vinnie jones is an underestimated talent today. i'm a big clive barker fan, so i was excited for this, and i was very happy with it. roger bart has a small part, and i think leslie bibb is one of the hottest actresses out there today.
i was so excited for this movie and knew it would be good.....BUT IT WASN'T!!!!! The movie started off good and kept my attention....than it started going way too slow...it just got boring and became unintresting...than all the blood and death scenes were already shown on this website so there was no shock in the kills...even the creatures at the end didn't help this movie become terrifying and as good as it was supposed to be....the only good thing about this movie was the hot girl and the cinematography.....When is Clive Barker going to come out with something as good as Hellraiser again???
This movie was actually pretty good. If I didn't see the concept art I would have loved this movie. But because of the concept art posted on this very site, I was waiting to see something to happen. And of course, what I was waiting for happened in the last scene of the movie. Way to go, BD. Way to go.
Posted By: Bloodymuffins at 6:49am, November 16, 2008
This movie was really sweet. The plot was interesting and the characters were well fleshed out. The blood was also plentiful which is always nice to see. My only complaint was that at times the blood was obviously CGI which detracted from the realism for me. But I still loved it.
Posted By: DiegOmen16 at 2:53pm, November 15, 2008
I went to see this movie with very high spectations since the reviews of the movie were really positive but when the movie started i knew this was gonna be scary but.......
it was not, it was one of the most cheesy and laughable films i have ever seen it haves the most funny and cheesy deaths in a movie and the special effects were horrible you could easily see every death was made with a puppet and by a computer and as for the ending oh my god it was the most cliche and obvious ending i have ever seen since i saw prom night oh and the photo of the girl crawling full of blood from the killer was the most laughable moment of all because she gets decapitated in the most funny way and i dont care if my review contains spoilers the movie just deserves a rent cause you can only see it if youre looking for a good gory, bloody and laughable time.
Posted By: Darkened Soul at 10:53pm, November 3, 2008
im after scrolling through all the reviews for this film, and its good to see everyone exprssing there opions but im with the group that really enjoyed this film. ive seen vinny jones play football and then trying his hand in acting and i have to say this is his best film yet. it reminded me of arnie in terminator 1, actions speak louder than words. we dont have subways in ireland, but if im ever in america i dont think id take one over there either!!! good film. one of the best horrors out this year!!!!!!!!!
Posted By: Justin Warren at 9:31pm, November 1, 2008
Agreed with the poster below me--best Barker adaptation since Candyman. It's such a shame what has happened to the release of this film.
I saw this for free on FEARnet on Halloween night and I am glad I did! Wow! It was great to see Clive Barker's vision come to life by one of my favorite Japanese directors, Ryuhei Kitamura(VERSUS, GODZILLA: FINAL WARS). Vinnie Jones is one scary guy in this, I thought. Even when he is getting ready to start his day, he is terrifying to watch! Bradley Cooper is someone I have been watching since WEDDING CRASHERS and the underrated TV show "KITCHEN CONFIDENTIAL" and thought he brought real fear and depth to his role as Leon. Leslie Bibb could not be anymore beautiful in this if she tried, she is stunningly hot here as Leon's girlfriend. The film also boasts a lot of great humor to the film and a very cool cameo from Ted Raimi as one of Mahoganey's(Jones) train victims. All in all, this is a terrific horror film that brings two extroadinary visionaries(Clive Barker and Ryuhei Kitamura) together to create a visual feast for the horror fans eyes! My only complaint was the ending, I had a bad feeling where it was going to go by the start of the third act. But that is very minor because the rest of the film is awesome!
Now this is what I like in a horror movie!!! Nice blood, gutts gore. Suspense, not predictable :-) I think the end could have been better but who am I , certainly no Clive Barker!
Not terrible, like what was said before, it was filmed in a unique stylistic fashion, and the gore was pretty well done, but the acting and just the casting itself took me out of the film's believability entirely. I was expecting alot more out of this one...
The Midnight Meat Train is exactly the reason horror isn't a very big genre money-wise. Being a hardcore horror fan, but one who actually enjoys HORROR and not just cheese, I'm constantly told by people that they don't watch horror movies for the same reasons Scream listed: They all follow the same, predictable plot. They're all pumped to the max with cheesy, unrealistic, laughable situations. They're never scary. They're never really gory. They're ridicules. That's the non-horror-watching public's view of the genre. And you know what's sadder than their misconception? Movies like The Midnight Meat Train are just out to prove them right.
The reason I bring this up is because the controversy over The Midnight Meat Train stated that it was a "good horror movie" and had "no reason to be treated this way". Umm, sorry, but yes, there was a reason this film was released in cheap, limited theaters. A big one. If it were a major theatrical release it would have been laughed out in a week.
What The Midnight Meat Train got right:
- It rips-off Saw and Hostel's art styles, then adds a new, fresh layer of directing that was very stylish. Why couldn't this have been used in better movies?
- The first hour was pretty engaging (if also not predicable).
- It was in no way a very gory movie, but it earned its R-rating. I've seen so many horror movies that are rated R with no reason to be.
What The Midnight Meat Train got wrong:
- Beyond everything else, the plot has to be one of the most cliché, unoriginal things to hit a theatrical horror movie in a long time. Someone kills The Texas Chainsaw Massacre-style, who would have guessed they're also a butcher? Or a random, unsuspecting man witnesses a murder, who would have guessed he becomes obsessed and tries to figure it out himself? From opening to close, The Midnight Meat Train was one cliché after another cliché. The ending, no matter how cheesy, has been used countless times in Stephen King and Dean Koontz short stories long before Clive Baker could have even been old enough to get the idea. I've seen a lot of unoriginal movies in the past, but this is just ridicules.
- The meat is pumped to overflowing with cheese. The acting from anyone and everyone on the train was like watching a first-time Sci-fi Channel actor. The ending plot twist had me laughing out loud. To top that off, it was delivered by Mr. Sci-fi Channel in a monotone voice that I swear I've heard say "The Ultra 5000 landed on Yenum in Quasi-Tum!" before.
- I'll never get the overuse of pointless sex scenes in movies. It just makes them laughable, but directors don't seem to get that. But because The Midnight Meat Train did everything else pumped with cheese, we get to see the main leads bang dogie style in a subway station. What was the point of that, other than to show the director/writer has the maturity level of a 13-year-old boy? Is this what our generation considered "characterization"?
- The CGI gore was horrible. I think the trailer and promo pictures were more brutal than the actual movie. Most of the gore is a cut-off scene where the camera is focusing at the wall while Mr. Cliché is mutated. I really miss the time when horror was actually pushed boundaries and was actually disturbing . . .
The overall consensus: The Midnight Meat Train was a joke and the ending plot twist was the punch line.
So much for horror that is really scary or disturbing, because this is what the horror fans beg for, and this is what we get.
Posted By: tcmassacre at 10:10pm, October 29, 2008
Midnight Meat Train is just one of those movies...
You know, one of those movies that suck.
I could, however, find some good things in it:
- Clive Barker's story. Most of it (ending included) is original and well thought;
- some (few) eerie atmospheric bits;
- one thing my grandmother taught me is that fair amounts of blood and guts are always enjoyable in any given situation.
Now let's see if I can somehow pack the bad things in a short statement:
- cliche acting, cliche dialogues;
- for some reason, it's very hard for me to look at Vinnie Jones' mug when he's trying to pull off that serious look and not laugh, with that kind of laughter that says, in a Homer tone, "He he he... he's such a bad actor";
- sadly, I still haven't read any of Barker's Books of Blood yet, so I don't know how faithful the movie is to the original story in all its aspects, but either they've changed it beyond tolerance, or that's one story that should've never been adapted to the big screen.
But somehow I doubt the story's characters talk like plain old Hollywood predictable pun throwers;
- everything else I forgot.
Which I undoubtly did.
So if you just feel like watching something where Vinnie Jones is being violent, simply try one of the soccer matches he played and was sent off from due to unprofessional conduct.
EXACTLY!
Pretty much any soccer match he played in will do.
Final note goes to say that this can actually be interesting to watch if you have an almost sexual thing for late night deserted subway stations.
Though if you do, I'd probably advise you to become a subway ticket machine rather than watching this.
Ah, but I'm not militant about it.
To each his own.
This movie it was worth the long wait. The story line might not be so original, but it was delivered in a beautiful fashion. Bleak imagery, awesome gore, good acting ... what more can you ask for in a time where modern horror movies relay on only violence?
Posted By: bdwolfe312 at 12:52pm, October 25, 2008
Here's my story on this movie. I live in upstate SC, which doesn't have a second-run theatre and certainly wasn't playing this movie. I was driving to Duluth, GA on August 13 to catch a Nine Inch Nails concert, and saw that there was a theatre playing this. Thrilled to death that I could catch the 4:45 showing before the 7:30 concert, I GoogleMap the theatre through my phone and show up. Unfortunately, they had cancelled the matinee and the next showing was 7:10, interferring with the concert. Hopelessly defeated, I waddled away from the theatre. I'm so mad the studio pushed "The Strangers" instead of this. "Midnight Book Train" was much better than that piece of garbage. It delivers on the gore and depravity, and is done in old school Hellraiser fashion. Definitely rent this movie instead of "The Strangers"
Posted By: PromNight2008 at 2:31pm, October 18, 2008
I went into this movie with little to no expectations (though I was excited for it), and came out disappointed. It was great up until the first death scene (the one with the two men and the blonde woman), which was just terrible - acting, the way it was choreographed, etc. From then on the movie became progressively worse up until an absolutely astoundingly bad final half hour. The acting from Bradley Cooper and Vinnie Jones was great, but the rest of the cast was average or below (especially the 'random kills'. Terrible), and the dialog got worse as the movie as a whole declined in quality. I just couldn't get into it.
ok, ive got to say, i didnt have high expectations for this film. the name just made it sound so horrible. but the fact that it was based on a clive barker story just kind of intrigued me. so i watched it and totally loved it!!!
*SPOILERS*
at first it seemed ok because the story wasnt that good and i really couldnt figure out what really going on. but after the killings started, i didnt really care that much. in response to some peoples complaints, i actually really did like the cg blood that was flying around all the time. i loved the slow motion death sequences. and i especially loved the point-of-view shot when the blonde lady got her head hit off.
overall, this movie was spectacular!!! i highly recommend it.
Far exceeds what i was expecting, and i already had high expectations after reading alot of positive reviews, but i tend to still watch a horror movie that looks interesting to me even reguardless of the reviews that it has already, after all some of my favorite movies had a bad wrap when first released. anyways, this was a real delight, fun entertaining, interesting story, good acting, good villian(s) and a very satisfying conclusion and explanation of the reason for the meat train.
Posted By: napalmfuzz at 10:21pm, October 13, 2008
The Midnight Meat Train is bar none, the best horror flick you're going to see this year. The writing, the screenplay, the atmosphere, the acting, the kills. It's all very old school(sans the CGI.)
You really get the sense that you are getting a story from Clive Barker. Midnight Meat Train made me feel a way that I had not felt since the first time I viewed "Lord Of Illusions."
Do yourself a favor, and do not skip on this flick. Catch it on FEARnet ondemand all month long, or check out the FEARnet.com online premiere on 10/30.
I liked this movie a lot but it definitely has some scenes that are a bit tongue in cheek. I really enjoyed the POV angles this film has to offer but other shots got messy and confusing. The fight scene was a bit jumbled as the camera goes in and out of the moving train and was quite ambitious. The CGI gore could have been traded in for more traditional special effects. I liked the ending a lot and I think Vinny Jones did a great job. Roger Bart was also pretty good in this film. I saw it on demand which was pretty awesome since it's release was so pathetic. I'll definitely pick this up on DVD.
Posted By: MrHorrorfest at 9:33pm, October 12, 2008
This movie rocked. I could probably watch it many more times.
Badass movie. I will agree it was very dark and really effin gory. Great film. Some of the CGI blood effects were gay but for the most part it worked very well. Awesome ending, didnt see it coming.
Posted By: anthony stein at 10:11am, October 12, 2008
storyline is ok, Vinnie Jones as Mahogany is really scary. what bothers me most is the CG blood, this is becoming some kind of a trend in new movies, sometimes it looks good but sometimes it is really funny (like the Ted Raimi scene here). what I really liked was the camerawork, really dynamic sequences of fights and the most awesome thing in this movie - the hammer which the killer used to butcher the victims. it is a well made movie, nothing groundbreaking but still worth a watch. if you like other movies inspired by Barker's novels you won't be disappointed. MEAT, FLESH and BLOOD - this is what matters.
I can get over the bad acting because the storyline was okay. It could have been great had it not been bogged down with the couples relationship. The characters did horribly stupid things, for example everything the wife did, except for bringing a gun. The fight scene at the end was more tacky than anything because of the apron armor and over dramatics which weakened the effect of the interesting ending. If they cut down on all the boring over acted loving couple interaction and hinted at the existance of creatures maybe it would have been more exciting.
I thought that this movie was everything a horror fan could ask for. It had loads of gore, monsters, a psycho serial killer, an awesome fight on a subway train and a lot of suspense. It is a real shame that this only got a limited release cause it would have done really well. Instead they chose to release "The Strangers" which was no where near as good as Meat Train. Well thats hollywood for you. When this comes out, buy it because you will not be disappointed.
with all the crap that comes out theatricality how did this one end up how it did? if people went to see Mirrors (it sucked by the way) why would people not see this? sure the name is kinda iffy but people also went to see snakes on a plane (nuf said?) the movie shows skill all over its shot well paced well the writing is good (its Clive Barker nuf said?) so why is this getting the the shaft? am i out of the loop? did Barker piss some one off at lions gate? did Ryuhei Kitamura sleep with some ones wife? i don't know why it got such a bad release 102 discount theaters for god sakes its injustice dame it! give this one a shot even if its on another web sites on-demand channel
thanks to clive barker and to Ryuhei Kitamura for this treat! too bad there was so much mess around the distribution...oh well...America, where mediocrity and laziness is rewarded and quality is shunned. but then there's moments like these :-)
Pretty good horror flick. It started slow, but really built up. Vinnie Jones is one scary bastard.
Posted By: anaphylaxis1 at 4:21pm, September 10, 2008
It is almost impossible to talk about "The Midnight Meat Train," the first film in a long-awaited series of adaptations of Clive Barker’s Books of Blood stories, without discussing the film’s handling by Lionsgate. The film played several international film festivals over the past year, gaining a good amount of positive buzz, but Lionsgate moved its official theatrical release around several times before finally settling on August 1. When the film was released, it was carefully dumped into discount theaters—where tickets run between $1 and $4—mostly a good distance from major metropolitan areas. So despite being eagerly anticipated, "The Midnight Meat Train" ended up with a release that doomed it to failure.
The reasons behind this decision aren’t entirely clear. There are rumors that the film got tied up in politics inside the studio, and there’s no question that R-rated horror is a hard sell at the box office these days. Regardless of whatever reasons led to the film’s unfortunate theatrical opening, it certainly didn’t deserve to be dumped so unceremoniously. While it’s not “The Film That Would Have Saved R-rated Horror” by any stretch of the imagination, it is unique enough (and its pedigree impressive enough) that it deserves to be seen by the horror fans who have been waiting so long for it to appear.
Leon Kauffman (Bradley Cooper) is a frustrated photographer who wants to capture “the city” as it’s never really been seen. He lives with his waitress girlfriend Maya (Leslie Bibb) and manages to get an audience with influential art dealer Susan Hoff (Brooke Shields), who tells Leon he is failing at his goal and to “keep shooting” the next time he finds himself at the dark heart of the city. Meanwhile, the mysterious Mahogany (Vinnie Jones) is butchering people like cattle on late-night express trains. Their paths cross one night after Leon saves young model Erika (Nora) from a group of thugs, only to discover that she has gone missing the next day.
From here, Leon becomes obsessed with Mahogany after following him off the train one night. Leon’s personal life starts to deteriorate as his obsession becomes more intense, and the bizarre secrets of Mahogany’s life are unearthed. Anyone who has read the story will find the most familiar parts are all packed into the film’s last few minutes. As is typical for any short story adapted into a feature-length film, there is a lot of padding. Most of this is character development, and while the actors are mostly fine (especially Vinnie Jones in a completely silent performance), Kitamura handles much of the non-action scenes a bit awkwardly.
However, when it comes to those gory sequences, Kitamura takes every opportunity to do what he does best—show off. The violent sequences are shot with hyperkinetic energy, playing all sorts of camera tricks that are often as disorienting as they are viscerally exciting. If anything, Kitamura’s weakness as a director here is that he is too involved with stylizing the violence to realize that it makes the violent scenes a lot less scary when the audience is murmuring appreciation for another clever shot. This is complicated further by some questionable CGI effects and at one shot that looks as if it was cut-and-pasted frame-by-frame directly out of Timur Bekmambetov’s "Wanted" (although this was finished long before that film).
All that said, "The Midnight Meat Train" is a much more interesting and unique film than pretty much any of the PG-13 “horror” films the major studios have had on their slate recently. It looks great, it does a great job of capturing the tone of the Barker short story (particularly at the end, when most of the story is actually used), it has a fantastic Carpenter-esque score, and it has its share of tense moments. Unfortunately the film’s release (and the subsequent fan uproar) make it difficult to approach the film on its own terms: it has become a symbol of the major studios’ perceived negligence of horror fans, and as such is likely to quickly gain a mass of enthusiastic fans. However, taken on its own merits, it’s just a decent horror show that was in the wrong place at the wrong time. Here’s hoping future "Books of Blood" adaptations don’t find themselves in similar circumstances.
Originally posted on Rabbit Room:
http://www.bloody-disgusting.com/forums/journal.php? do=showjournal&j=33039
Saw this in my local discount theater, and I thought it had quite a good stylish look to it. I've read the original short story, and had high hopes for the movie. I does mostly follow the story, but misses some of the extreme brutality of the book version. I would say you get 80% of the book, and the gore is impressive. What captured my interest the most was the visual representation of the story, not unlike "The Ring" or even "Silent Hill". Overall, I'd say this should have gotten a more mainstream release, and would have proven to bring in the audience. Lionsgate messed up on this one, and missed a great opportunity. Hoping the DVD includes some great bonus features.
Awesome movie. Saw it at the London Frightfest last night. The look is ultra-stylish, the cold tone of the story reflected in the visuals. Vinny Jones is fantastic as serial killer Mahoganey. Great gore with some fabulous on screen deaths.
It has been way too long since I have seen a straight up, no bullshit, horror film on the big screen. Being a Clive Barker fanatic, I was very pessimistic about the outcome this film would have. To my knowledge, all the major Clive Barker releases (Nightbreed, Hellraiser, Candyman, Lord Of Illusions) involved him not only writing the script, and directing the film, but they were also the brainchild of his short stories and books. Because this one was going to be done by a different director (Ryuhei Kitamura who I don’t know a whole heck of a lot about) and the character Kaufman was now a photographer vs. an account-like in the story-I thought the film was not going to be all that great.
Personally, I don’t get much more satisfied when I walk into a movie thinking it is going to suck and coming out amazed, which is exactly what happened when I saw the Midnight Meat Train. Vinnie Jones was excellent as the silently terrifying killer Mahogany! I could go on forever about how his facial expressions-the way he sat waiting for the train holding his bag, to the time he was doing the killing-really sucked me into the character behind this malicious iconic horror archetype. Even though I am a big fan of the funny slasher over the top flicks or the Evil Dead/Dead Alive want-a-be’s, I realized that the world was ready for a no-bullshit, non humors, blood fest.
Now as far as Lionsgate limiting the release of this film: your loss! This film is an instant Barker classic that is going to be followed and remembered by fans for decades to come. I only hope to see more films from the Books of Blood. Maybe after The Book Of Blood Movie they are doing (which may go straight to video this time because the movie industry cares nothing about quality horror films) I would like to see The Yattering Jack, Son Of Celluloid, Sex Death and Starshine, Pig’s Blood Blues…..or fuck it make all of em….they are such great stories every single fucking one! My only hope is that any other Clive Barker adaptation is as kickass as this one was!!!
Excellent movie!! Lions gate screwed up big time by not giving this film a proper release.The dollar cineman in my area already pull the film! What a shame,i wanted to see it a few more times on the big screen. The ending did leave a big "?" at the end.Maybe that was done purposely in order to have a Midnight Meat Train 2? I hope so!
Good, gory fun. Dissapointing ending. "Midnight Meat Train", to me, had the "It" problem. Great, scary, then BOOM, its a big hairy spider. But overall, satisfying.
TWO WORDS TO DESCRIBE THIS MOVIE F*%&*KING AWESOME! i was amazed how good it was. very very gory. some really great scares and an AMAZING TWIST. loved it. whoever dumped this movies in the dollar show is INSANE!
I like most have been waiting for this film for a damn year. Today at 9:35pm, I had the pleasure of seeing this amazing movie for $1.75. I was completely blown away by this movie, it had character development, GORE, great writing, GORE, great directing, and did I mention GORE. I am so glad that I had a chance to see this movie. Alot of people out there will claim blasphemy, but I saw the Dark Knight the day before and it paled in comparison to The Midnight Meat Train.
Anybody, everybody go see this movie before its too late. I am definitely going to buy this on DVD.
wow great movie!! i saw it at danberry doaller saver this weekend and loved it! i can't beleave this didn't get a bigger realease.. go now and see it quickly.
Despite the multiple setbacks with this movie, it's finally gotten it's release and those of us who've been dying to see it all year are finally be rewarded for our patience.
It starts off slowly, building up characterization and introducing a little of the plot that hints at things to come, but it picks up very quickly. Actually, it's a bit jumpy..it starts abruptly, slows down and then speeds back up. Almost like a subway train ride actually. I loved the ending personally and didn't see it coming until it actually arrived. There were a few things looking back that I missed, but it still tied in well.
If you have the chance to see it, do so! It's an absolute must see on the big screen and I'd love to see it again.
Well directed, well acted, perfectly cast, but a little slow at times. Although it had a decent amount of gore, you hardly even notice it because it is actually part of the storyline instead of just being there for shock value. Vinnie Jones is perfectly cast! It's like the part was custom written for him. A little slow paced for my taste, but when there was action it was great. It reminded me of a horror version of "no country for old men". Although it sucks that Lionsgate didn't even give it a chance, it most likely wouldn't have achieved much mainstream success no matter how wide of a release it got. some of the camera angles were amazing! I'm a huge Kitmura fan after this one, can't wait to see what he comes with next. Hope he stays in english.
i just seen the this movie in Grand Rapids, Mi. i have been very excited to see this film cause i had seen the directors other films and was entertained, because he has alot of style. the story is a mess, the gore was great and the direction was good. i agree the movie didn't get really interesting till the end and it was over:(
I loved it. Flat out. I had been waiting a while for this film, and maybe that coupled with the controversy made it even better, but I loved it.
It's a darkly shot movie, that takes full advantage of the claustrophobic environment of the subway setting. The effects were tight for the most part except for the Ted Raimi scene, it just didn't work, but obviously I don't think Lionsgate would have cared to shell out the cash to fix it anyways.
The story, tone, and ending are total Clive Barker. I love his work because it's irreverent and usually takes something familiar and makes it fresh. This is no exception.
The film begins with a good bit of character development, that I actually found quite enjoyable. In between these scenes we see "The Butcher" taking lives on the train, until Leon and The Butcher begin to intertwine. It follows pretty standard from there, but yet it still felt fresh. The last 15 minutes however were amazing, and much of it I did not see coming.
It's a wonderful little film. It would be perfect late night viewing. It is a damn shame for what happened to it. It almost feels like a PR stunt to garner interest but sadly it's not. Either way, if you have a chance, see the flick.
The Midnight Meat Train. Wow. What a great title. This should be a fun, dark-humored flick, right? No, not really.
The title, the premise, and the outrageous gore create a tone that should make the movie fun (and funny in the best way possible) to watch, but it isn't. The confused tone created is more of a dark, serious film. The problem is, you've seen this movie before. It's a humorless American Psycho or The Texas Chainsaw Massacre set in an underground subway instead of rural Texas. I kept waiting for it to go somewhere new, but rather it became repetitive. The film wasn't bad, but it wasn't great either. It was simply okay.
It really wasn't until the ending in which the movie became slightly original and somewhat interesting. But by then, it was over sadly. The mystery of Vinnie Jones' character grew old and the deprecation of our hero's mental state was very fast and seemed unbelievable. The behavior and actions of his girlfriend made her seem extremely superficial and selfish. While the argument could be that she's trying to help her boyfriend, I saw it more as she wanted to prove him wrong.
I went in knowing nothing about the movie except that there was a bunch of anger over the movie going directly to "cheap" theaters. Well, it really had direct to DVD written all over it. The film must have had a low budget because it seems nothing is done with practical effects. Everything, including most of the blood and the subway trains and shots in the train were done with CGI. It leads to an outrageous scene involving Ted Raimi, but I've always been more of a practical effects person when possible. Low budget movies can and have been successful in the past at creating tension and using the cheaper CGI effects, but this simply wasn't one of them.
I started off thinking it was going to be a darkly-humored movie with the likes of American Psycho based on Jones' early scenes and was confused when I found myself realizing it was trying so hard to be a serious, but unoriginal horror film where the ending finally made the movie interesting, albeit with the almost expected, if actually unique, twist.
well, i just saw this film in wichita, ks. and it wasn't bad. definitely worth seeing. some parts were a little far fetched but every movie like this is. not as gory as inside or high tension or even frontier, but still a hell of a movie. glad to see american made horror again.
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