Il treno fantasma

Train passengers are stranded overnight at a train station due to the hijinks of an obnoxious man named Tommy Gander (Arthur Askey), who pulled the brake so he could go get his hat he dropped off the train. That's the first of this guy's annoyances in this movie, but hardly the last. He spends the entire film being annoying. While they're at the station, they're told the station is haunted and a ghost train passes at night. If anybody looks upon the train they will die. At this point I was cheering for Gander to see the train.

I'm a sucker for a train movie so I really wanted to like this. I did like the train station set, particularly the platform outside with the moody matte painting backdrop. The mystery elements aren't bad. I would rate this one a lot higher if not for Askey's overbearing character and the fact we seem to get little relief from him in the movie. As one other reviewer rightly noted, whether or not you will enjoy this film depends on how you feel about Arthur Askey's performance. For me, he was unfunny, irritating, and unlikable. You might think he's the funniest person who ever lived. Watch it and see for yourself.

Ghost Train is a fine and entertaining film, typical of the better British comedy chillers of the 1930s and 40s. The antics of comedian Arthur Askey are not as funny as they once apparently were, but this can be overcome by viewing him as a period piece or a curiosity.

For a low-budget wartime production, Ghost Train is atmospheric, effective, and it provides some genuine suspense. Great fun for a dark (and, yes, stormy) night. Lighten up, take off the critic's hat, and enjoy.

I was so looking forward to settling down to a nice creaky English ghost story. I was very disappointed. There was no reason whatsoever to have the unwarranted intrusion of that so-called comedian Arthur Askey. A previous reviewer indicated that he stole every scene he was in but in actuality he ruined every scene. A big disappointment overall.

With mostly gags and very little plot, this is an entertaining film overall but hardly a brilliant one. It improves a great deal after the one-hour mark though when the horror finally starts to seep through. The thriller and comedy elements of the film only work about half the time themselves, however there are still some amusing bits and the plot is reasonably intriguing. It is easy to see that the film was intended to be a showcase for Arthur Askey's talents. He does show talent here, but it can be questioned as to whether his comic antics could have been put to better use. On the positive side, the characters are relatively interesting, and those beginning credits are great. The film makes an interesting companion piece to 'Rome Express', also directed by Walter Forde, and also set on a train. This film is the weaker of the two but it is a slightly different approach to friendships between strangers on trains. It is worth a look in the end. If not a great film, it is a fairly enjoyable ride.

Now this is one of Big's Best, Jack Hulbert's single role in 1931 split into two for the Band Waggon radio team Askey & Murdoch. It boasts a great stalwart cast, who ham the play up for all they're worth, especially Askey of course. Histrionics were provided by Linden Travers, melodramatics by Herbert Lomas, and pragmatics by Richard Murdoch.

The group of rail passengers stranded at the lonely country station for the night find more than they bargained for, ghostly trains, spectral porters, hairy sausage rolls and Arthur trying to entertain them all. His repartee with everyone falls between side-splitting and ghastly dull. When the formula works it's very good, but it sometimes gets very contrived and forced making the film seem more dated than it is. But those damn treacherous fifth columnists - thank any God Britain hasn't got any nowadays!

Ultimately a nice harmless film, to welcome back to the TV screen as an old friend, but if you were expecting to be shivered out of your timbers you'll probably be very disappointed!