By Melissa Antoinette Garza
If you’ve ever seen NIGHT TRAIN TO TERROR (1985) you obtained a glimpse. Footage from CATACLYSM (1980) was taken and a very short synopsis of this movie was shown to create the anthology short. I love NIGHT TRAIN TO TERROR, but you must experience CATACLYSM in its fully glory. It has one of the greatest horror villains of all time and the film itself is an underappreciated compelling film.
The movie begins when Catholic Claire Hansen (Faith Clift) goes to a psychic magic show. She gets a strange vision of a Nazi gathering and talks to the man after. He then is murdered and a symbol of the demon Moloch is left with him.
Her husband James (Richard Moll) is an atheist and becomes increasingly irritated with Claire’s faith. He is consumed by the belief that religion is bullshit. He even writes a new book, GOD IS DEAD, about it. He’s basically Richard Dawkins. Claire thinks his book is a catalyst for even and feels that the Devil is loose. She tells James of omens and foreboding clues and asks him to stop publication on the book, but he refuses.
Meanwhile Abraham Weiss (Marc Lawrence), a holocaust survivor has spent the last 35 years trying to track down the Nazi that killed his family. He brings in Lt. Sterne (Cameron Mitchell) who reluctantly decides to pursue the case. When he realizes that the man being accused is only in his 20s, he initially takes Abraham as a loon. To offer evidence, Weiss brings Sterne back to his place and shows all the pics and articles following the Nazi over decades showing he never aged. The Lt sees the resemblance but thinks it’s a coincidence. He leaves, but promises to stay in touch.
Weiss unable to wait for justice any longer tracks the villain down. His name is Olivier (Robert Bristol). He is as evil as he is gorgeous. The first time we see him he has long black hair evenly parted. He wears a white shirt under a black jacket with a red rose. He’s got an Eric Burden sex appeal that I am ALL ABOUT. He is yummy. He’s horrible. He’s dreadful, but he is just terrific to look at.
When Abraham breaks in with a gun, the old man doesn’t make it far. Sterne devastated by Weiss’s death, smells a rat and starts investigating. As he’s investigating Olivier, Olivier is investigating James. Olivier is happy with the book and the spreading of hedonistic philosophy. He’s warned by his devoted cult to be wary of Claire who keeps trying to convert James.
Also trying to convert James is former monk Papini (Maurice Grandmaison). Papini stops by James’s work and tells him to fight Satan. James laughs him off, but Papini won’t leave and talks about how the devil is controlling earth. James doesn’t listen to him and though Claire is more compelled by what he says, she doesn’t act when he advises her during confession.
Sterne is must easier to convince than James. Following, Olivier to a nightclub and watching the way he possesses a woman with his eyes is enough to convince him that he murdered Abraham. Later when that same woman is dropped off a tattered wreck, Sterne decides it’s time to pay Olivier a visit. The gal was having fun until Olivier took his shoes off and showed he had hooves. He was still yummy from the knee up.
Sterne confronts Olivier who basically gloats that he’s guilty of everything, but that the Lt is helpless to do anything about it. He doesn’t come out and admit that he did anything, but his demeanor and mannerisms speak volumes.
Olivier sends to meet James who suddenly becomes confronted with the realization that Satan is real. Olivier asks him to join the organization. He declines and says he doesn’t believe in Satan anymore than he believes in God. Olivier gives him a chance to recant before a cloth falls to the floor and when he doesn’t, he’s faced with deadly consequences.
Meanwhile, Claire drapes herself in religious garb and goes to church only to see Olivier following her there. Hmmmmm….. a member of Satan’s army breaking into Church looking all sexy. Noooo! I never had any fantasies like that when I was younger and forced to go to a 2 hour long boring services every Sunday against my will.
In the end, Claire is forced to fight Olivier herself. It’s a fun movie with a cool ending. Cameron Mitchell is sensational as the Lt. He’s always an over-the-top treat and he doesn’t let down here.
Moll is well-suited as the pompous know-it-all that insists on putting reason above even firsthand experience.
Lastly, Robert Bristol is sensational as the lead. He owns the camera when he’s on. I wish there was more with him in the film.
The only negative is that Clift’s acting is forced and at times very affected.
Despite that the movie is fantastic and a must-see. It’s currently both available on AMAZON PRIME and YOUTUBE as TROMA is making their films readily available.
Scared Stiff Rating: 7/10
