PopHorror Let's Get Scared
To someone living in the Midwest, the idea of riding on the subway can feel foreign, intimidating, and maybe even scary. After viewing The Midnight Meat Train (2008) many years ago, you can bet that my opinion was changed to petrifying. This month is the 10th anniversary of this brilliant film and an ideal time to revisit this modern horror masterpiece. Are you ready to go for a ride?
The Midnight Meat Train was released in August of 2008 and is based on the eponymous short story from Volume One of Clive Barker’s Books of Blood. It was directed by Ryuhei Kitamura from a screenplay written by Jeff Buhler. The film stars Bradley Cooper and Vinnie Jones. There are a few other familiar faces in the movie as well, like Ted Raimi, Brooke Shields, and Leslie Bibbs.
The movie centers around Leon (Bradley Cooper), a vegan photographer who is trying to make it in the art world in the big city. One evening, Leon is at the subway station and wanders across a young women that captures the interest of his camera as well as the photographer. He decides to follow and take pictures of her, but has to intervene to save her from being sexually assaulted by a group of men. Unknowingly, he rescues her from one dire situation only to lead her to her demise on the train. He finds out the next day that she is missing, and this leads him down the rabbit hole… or, more accurately, the subterranean labyrinth tunnels that is the subways system, only to find what horrors transpire on the train.
From the very start of Midnight Meat Train, it is made crystal clear to audiences that they are about to embark on a blood-filled journey of nightmare-inducing visions. The special effects are a masterpiece of visual terror that only a true horror fan will appreciate. They are so eloquently horrific that seeing them will send shivers down your spine. The script is well written and does not lag at any point. The actors deliver on a level far above what is typically delivered in the horror genre.
Take this month to celebrate the 10th anniversary of The Midnight Meat Train and watch Clive Barker’s ominous short story brought to life. Are you brave enough? Do you dare get on the train?
