Amok Train (1989)
This low-budget Italian exercise stars Bo Svenson (in a ridiculous-looking fake beard) as a college professor who takes a group of American students to a remote Serbian village to witness an ancient Balkan religious service. Unbeknownst to the kids, Svenson has an ulterior motive: he intends to recruit Beverly (Mary Kohnert), the sole virgin of the group, to participate in the ceremony -- actually an occult ritual in which she is to become the Devil's bride. The kids learn of this treachery and
try to escape aboard a moving train, but soon find that the engineer is none other than Satan himself, who causes the train to jump its tracks and speed off through the wilderness toward the village again. Most of the kids are destroyed in their attempts to avert the train's course -- all but Beverly, who has foiled the Devil's plan in her own way, thanks to an enigmatic flutist (Igor Pervic). Needless to say, the Evil One is not pleased. Released directly to video, this attractive-looking but rather hollow occult horror is related in name only to Mario Bava's penultimate Beyond the Door 2, which in turn bears almost no connection to Exorcist rip-off Beyond the Door (aka Chi Sei?). ~ Cavett Binion, Rovi
