Snakes on a Train

Snakes on a Train is a 2006 horror-thriller B-movie which was directed by Peter Mervis and stars A.J. Castro, Julia Ruiz, Giovanni Bejarano, and Al Galvez. The movie, which is a low-budget take on the popular high-concept film Snakes on Plane, was released by The Asylum, a production company often celebrated for its exploitation of blockbuster trends with direct-to-DVD ficitional reductions.

The movie tells the bizarre and terrifying tale of illegal immigrants and venomous reptiles aboard a train headed to Los Angeles. The movie kicks off with a Mexican couple, Alma and Carlo, played by Julia Ruiz and A.J. Castro respectively, who are attempting to illegally cross into the USA in an effort to break away from their troubled past. A mysterious circumstance surrounding a cursed ritual that Alma was a part of in Mexico proves to be an underpinning factor throughout the movie, keeping viewers on edge.

Travelling with other stowaways hidden in a secret compartment of a freight train, the couple's focus on reaching Los Angeles and starting their new life takes a terrifying turn. As revealed, the curse has cursed Alma to transform into a giant snake and, as they travel northwards, small snakes start to spill out of her body. In an effort to delay Alma's transformation, Carlo feeds these small snakes to her, only for each snake she eats to grow inside her and then burst back out.

The horror becomes manifold when the snakes, each growing in size, start slithering about the moving train. As the action goes full throttle, the terror turns palpable, with the passengers facing the terrifying horrors of both the supernatural and natural world. Notably, A.J. Castro's portrayal of the desperate and pained husband, combined with Ruiz’s depiction of an afflicted wife, are central to imbuing the plot with a sense of realism that may otherwise have been lacking.

The director, Peter Mervis, taps into the primal fear of snakes to craft a movie filled to the brim with tension and dread. Furthermore, the confined setting of the train adds another layer of claustrophobia and terror, as each carriage becomes a potential lair for these sinister serpentine creatures. This, combined with the stylized cinematography and strategic framing, accentuates the fear factor of the movie.

Characters played by Giovanni Bejarano and Al Galvez add depth to the story and their performances help to incrementally build the atmosphere of fear and paranoia. An interesting mix of superstition, horror and drama results in a tension-filled narrative.

Despite a very small budget, the special effects and snake animations are surprisingly high-quality for a direct-to-DVD release, causing the viewer frequently to recoil in horror. The film’s success lies in making the unavoidable and terrifying presence of snakes on a moving confined space feels plausible, tapping into and exploiting a primal and universal fear.

One key distinction is that unlike Snakes on a Plane, which is more of an action-disaster film, Snakes on a Train leans heavily into its horror elements, filling its narrative with supernatural and fearful aspects. The unique infusion of cultural elements and supernatural narrative turns this movie into an intriguing and unique watch.

On the whole, Snakes on a Train is a roller-coaster of fear and suspense, designed to keep viewers on the edge of their seats. The film stretches the terror of the premise to its limits, ramping up the suspense with each successive reveal. A cinematic jolt to the system, the movie leverages its low budget effectively and delivers a uniquely terrifying experience for lovers of horror and thriller films. It’s a terrifying trip that has more in store than the ticket initially promised.