Solemplex
To me, this movie is perfection.
Ensofter
Overrated and overhyped
Griff Lees
Very good movie overall, highly recommended. Most of the negative reviews don't have any merit and are all pollitically based. Give this movie a chance at least, and it might give you a different perspective.
Cristi_Ciopron
Actually quite a crafty and thoughtful sitcom, with some enjoyable twists, and perhaps one should begin by understanding what this movie's style implies, you can judge the degree of craft that went into shooting this comedy by the very natural instantaneous changes of key, from the overabundance of comedy to the suspenseful moments (as when the station master returns, or when the ghost train passes, etc.); despite the fact that some mistake it for a shocker, which by no means was it ever meant to be. Even a seeming clumsiness like Julia's acting when she raves within the station, gets explained after-wards. Slapstick and sitcom, thoughtfully plotted; though coming from the league of unpretentiousness (the script is an occasional story, with a patriotic intent, and at least one mind-blowing twist …), it shows an enchanting ease at switching registers, at passing from slapstick to paranormal suspense, I also liked very much the sets, the station and its few shown surroundings. A 4th intimation would be that the leading actor knew how to move, how to use his body, and also how to make a bawdy remark; also, complainers who find his acting indigestible or astringent should be aware that this movie is a vehicle for him, he actually is the leading actor.
utgard14
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.
mark.waltz
OK, so Abbott and Costello aren't in this film, but there's lots of laughs here so American audiences can learn to appreciate, as I did, the comedy of someone we here in the states haven't had the pleasure of getting to know. Arthur Askey is a comic I discovered several years ago on TCM with a double showing of "The Band Waggon" and "Charley's Big-Hearted Aunt". I had heard of him before and seen movie stills of him, but hearing his voice and seeing him in his comic firm had not occurred until then. I was able to see this film, based upon an ancient British play, I too, had heard about, yet had never seen in any form."The Ghost Train" is just what the title implies: a train which, filled with ghosts, wants to add the living to their list of passengers. You see the train, you become one. This is the type of play that almost a hundred years ago toured around England and even the states, playing in community theaters (mostly converted barns) and giving audiences a chill much like Tod Slaughter was doing with his similar melodramas "Sweeney Todd" and "Murder in the Red Barn".Previously filmed in 1931, this remake got the comedy treatment with the Harold Lloyd like Askey, playing a ham actor who is stranded in a country station with a group of strangers. Through the station master, these lost folks learn the story of the mysterious train, which fell nearby through a bridge when the old stationmaster died before being able to close the bridge, sending everybody aboard to their deaths. The plot has been updated to the beginning of World War II to give it a sense of timeliness. It still retains the spooky atmosphere, gives Askey a cute song, a damsel in distress, and provides some comedy with a drunken female passenger who passes out and sleeps through the whole thing. Askey's in-your-face comedy is actually quite subtle; He's just a dude who likes to entertain and make people laugh, and some passengers like him more than others. What makes this more watchable for Americans is that there are few references to things we might not get, and the humor is more slapstick than droll.
kfo9494
From the first few minutes of the film it was clear that the main character, Arthur Askey, was an obnoxious person that would have been better left on the tracks after pulling the emergency cord on the train. Because they waited for him to pick up his hat and return to the train we are forced to listen to a man that should have been beat with a large stick until his mouth was so swollen that he could not speak. But since none of this happened, we are forced to watch a performance by Askey where he tries to hog every scene by what some call humor.Askey was like a case of herpes- he would just not go away. He kept inserting himself in every third line by means of something like juvenile humor. (I do not mean to speak bad of juveniles)I know I am being rough on Arthur Askey. I have seen other comedy films from this period that is just as dated as this film. But that does not make a poor performance any better to watch. Some will say that this is classic humor. If so, thank goodness we do not live in a time where we think classic humor needs to be obnoxious and unfunny.Actually this story is not a bad idea for a film. If you took Askey out of this and inserted another comedian, that was not so obnoxious, then this would be a good film. The last half of the film could have been a good film on it own merit except for one character.This film does contain the beautiful actress Kathleen Harrison. I have never seen a film where Ms Harrison gave an unpleasant performance. She is the only one that deliveries in this film. But with Askey, it was hard for anyone else to do anything but listen to his rants.It is clear that Askey was better in front of a live audience. He could play and mingle with the people. He relied on the interaction of people to be funny. In front of the camera that did not play well. In this film it did not play well - at all.
