The subway is an underground series of tunnels that we enter willingly, many of us doing so on a daily basis. It’s generally understood to be a safe place – barring a sketchy stretch throughout 1970s and 80s New York City – but it remains ripe for tales of horror running the gamut from the claustrophobic to the cannibalistic. Even so, there really aren’t very many horror films taking advantage of the setting.
Exit 8 hits theaters this week, and while its horrors are more sterile and existential in nature, it still finds terror in the seemingly endless tunnels winding through the dirt, hundreds of feet beneath the surface. It’s a story of a man being forced to find his better self by facing painful personal doubts, and a twisted nightmare is enough of a reason to revisit and rank the handful of other horror movies set in subway tunnels, cars, and stations.
Our parameters are simple. A single subway scene won’t cut it here, so don’t expect to see An American Werewolf in London or Marebito make the list. Similarly, we’re not talking trains, so movies like Train to Busan, Terror Train, or Howl aren’t welcome here either.
This list is all about subway horrors with movies that devote a good chunk of time to the subway setting (stations, tunnels, cars), so keep reading to see where your favorites land.
9. Underground Terror (1989)
A group of sadistic bastards led by a certified madman is roaming the city’s subway tunnels for prey. They’re abducting, assaulting, torturing, and murdering with abandon, and only a rogue, trigger-happy cop stands between them and a civilized society.
At the risk of being berated and belittled by the one other person on this site who’s also seen James McCalmont’s Underground Terror, yes, it just barely skirts by on the definition of a horror film. The plot suggests more of an action/thriller, but Letterboxd calls it horror, and it features lots of grisly antics, a high body count, and spends a considerable amount of time on and around the subway tracks – so we’re including it.
Is it a good movie? Not necessarily, but fans of old-school grindhouse cinema capturing the sweaty, mean-spirited foulness of 70s New York City will still appreciate its low-budget thrills. Ears and fingers are sliced off, a sledgehammer is used to silence an assault victim, and kills are typically bloody affairs. Our cop “hero” is the epitome of a bad cop who shoots his way through the film without apology or introspection, and the film is at least smart enough to condemn his behavior along the way.
8. The Tunnel (2011)
Australia is facing record droughts, but people grow suspicious when a government plan to extract water from abandoned subway tunnels comes to an immediate, unexplained halt. A four-person documentary/news crew heads into the tunnels in search of the truth, and they find it in the form of a monstrous, humanoid creature.
Found footage horror films have both blanket defenders and detractors, and both sides of the coin are understandable. On the one hand, the format puts viewers in the characters’ shoes, allowing for more immediate scares and first-person point-of-view terrors. On the other? They’re typically drawn-out, overly chatty, and overflowing with filler before a third act that finally finds some decent horror film energy. (Hush, you know it’s true.) There are terrifically creepy ones like Rec and Hell House LLC, but too many found footage films get lost up their own low-budget, creatively bankrupt behinds.
The Tunnel’s biggest misstep is in a format that sees the suspense and atmosphere undercut by repeatedly cutting to talking head interviews. Not only do they neuter the tension, but they also spoil the fact that certain characters survive the ordeal. Still, director Carlo Ledesma finds some engaging beats within the tunnels from the appearance of the creature itself to the increasingly claustrophobic feel of the environment, so it’s still worth a watch.
7. Bugs (2003)
A cop is murdered in a subway tunnel, and the corpse suggests something inhuman as the culprit. The path forward is unclear until an engineer and an entomologist combine their skillsets to determine that some large, scorpion-like creatures are loose underground. Hopefully, they know how to kill them, too.
You get what you pay for with movies, more often than not, and the Syfy Channel wasn’t exactly known for paying much. Still, there’s fun to be had with Bugs as it riffs on the likes of Mimic and Aliens with equal attention and affection. Our highly educated heroes take to high-powered weaponry, and an elite military squad joins the fight too, ensuring lots of gunfire and exploding bugs.
Antonio Sabato Jr. and Angie Everhart are perfectly serviceable as the two leads, and director Joseph Conti matches their abilities. It can feel a bit dull at times as locations are reused, the kills take on a familiar feel, and the CG effects fail to impress as much as the practical, but it remains a passable eighty minutes for fans of killer bugs, TV terrors, and subway mayhem.
6. Stag Night (2008)
Four friends riding the tail end of a bachelor party are kicked out of a strip club before hopping onto a late-night/early-morning subway ride. A messy interaction with a pair of dancers aboard the train sees them all deboard at an abandoned station, and soon they’re being stalked by a trio of long-haired cannibals.
This late 2000s horror/thriller has a pretty recognizable cast for a film that so few people have seen. Kip Pardue, Breckin Meyer, Vinessa Shaw, and action icon Scott Adkins (just one year before landing his first leading role in Ninja) all descend into a grimy, bloody nightmare pitting them against three guys who feel like the city-dwelling cousins of Wrong Turn’s rural wackos.
Stag Night follows familiar enough beats as the two sides square off, but director Peter Dowling couches those expected bits with some solid gore and minor set pieces. Where he falters is in the extremely poor and obnoxious decision to film so much of the action with a shaky camera. It’s a nonsensical distraction that works to hamper the parts that are working and arguably prevents the film from being better than its nonexistent reputation suggests.
5. Mimic (1997)
Children are dying as a disease carried by cockroaches is infecting humans in New York City at an alarming rate. Scientists use genetic fiddling to combat the illness and succeed, but the cure may end up being worse than the disease as the genetically modified bugs evolve into a wholly new threat. They’re the size of humans, they’re multiplying, and they’re hungry.
It might seem difficult to believe these days, but Guillermo del Toro used to make movies where monsters were allowed to be monsters. They weren’t misunderstood, they weren’t more “human” than the humans, they weren’t the protagonists – they were the monsters. That’s the strength of Mimic. These human-sized roaches are walking around in trench coats with a carapace that resembles a person’s face, their attacks are often suspenseful and thrilling, and the practical effects bringing them to life are terrific and fun.
Dated and dodgy CG effects knock it down a few pegs, and its probable studio mandate to make it look and feel like David Fincher’s Seven doesn’t help things, but del Toro is having good fun unleashing his big bugs with recognizable inspiration from bigger genre fare. They’re spotted above, but they thrive below in the shadows, particularly in practical form. Big larvae sacs add to the ick, and the plot driving it all adds an engaging layer of sci-fi malfeasance.
4. Death Line (1972)
A young couple exiting a London subway discovers an unconscious man, but when they report it to the police, they’re labeled as troublemakers. The body is gone, and their concerns are dismissed, but soon more carnage hits the tube. Could it be related to the grim rumors surrounding a cave-in in the century prior?
There’s an argument to be made that Gary Sherman’s Death Line (aka Raw Meat) is actually the best film on this list, and had it spent more than the bare minimum of its screentime underground, it definitely would have landed closer to the top. As it stands, though, the time spent in and around the subway is outsized by a lot of conversations, commentary, and character beats above ground.
The film was one of the very first horror efforts to delve into cannibalism, and it’s served with sides of social commentary on class and the acceptance of violence inflicted upon the lower, blue collar types. That’s evident in the legend behind the nearly mute subway killer – rumored to be a descendant of workers abandoned during construction in the 1800s who’ve had to resort to eating human flesh over the years – and in the way the goofily disinterested detective (a terrific Donald Pleasence) reacts to the murders of regular folks. Add in some fine gore and a very entertaining scene between Pleasance and Christopher Lee, and you have a winner.
3. Creep (2004)
As is often the case, the trouble starts with George Clooney. Kate (Franka Potente) thinks she has a chance to meet Clooney, but she falls asleep at the station awaiting the last train. She awakes to find herself locked in, and unfortunately for her, she’s not alone.
Director Christopher Smith’s feature debut is a mean little number that is both a straightforward nightmare and a seeming nod to Sherman’s Death Line, above. The singular killer is a mentally ill man named Craig (Sean Harris) who abducts, tenderizes, and ultimately eats the people who cross his path in the subway system. He’s not made nearly as empathetic a killer as in Death Line, but it’s still clear that something awful brought him to this point.
There’s also a class element here as the posh and well-to-do Kate has a clear affinity for her people, while she looks down on everyone else. A coworker attempts to assault her early on, and she’s still more trusting of him than she is of a young homeless couple who offer her help. These beats, combined with some gnarly violence and genre set pieces, make for a good, messy time that’s well worth seeing before Smith’s own impending remake due later this year.
2. End of the Line (2007)
Kate is hoping to get home after a long day, but her subway ride is interrupted by a world gone mad. A religious cult has decided that the apocalypse is imminent, and it begins with them slaughtering any and all non-believers. That’s bad news for Kate and a handful of other riders as the subway train stops and the murders begin.
This Canadian effort is a low-budget affair to the point that it might just turn off some viewers, but those of you who stick with it will be rewarded with a scrappy, cruel, and ultimately pretty fun tale of madness and murder. Maybe I’m just partial to cult horror, but while the characters are a mix of the engaging and obnoxious, they all hold you until their final moments.
Director Maurice Devereaux puts his minimal budget to good use, crafting atmosphere and suspenseful set pieces, and he unleashes some pretty spectacular gore effects as the murders splash across the screen. The ending will divide audiences, but it’s an effective wrap-up all the same that pays off the film’s commentary on religious fanatics.
1. The Midnight Meat Train (2008)
Leon (Bradley Cooper) is a photographer looking for his big break in New York City. He thinks he’s found it when a late-night subway visit reveals something is amiss on the overnight rails. People are disappearing, and Leon thinks he knows who’s responsible.
Lions Gate may have boned the theatrical release of this bloody gem, but it’s gone on to find its people on home video. Director Ryuhei Kitamura delivers one of the very best Clive Barker adaptations that makes its own thrills – the POV beheading is a real treat – even as it brings Barker’s story faithfully to the screen. Its only real misstep is some egregious CG blood that looks very bad and feels woefully out of place given the abundance of practical blood also being used.
Cooper is great here, especially knowing the highs he’d ascend to in Hollywood, and he sells his character’s descent into obsession and violence. Vinnie Jones has never been better, and while that’s mostly because he’s a mute here, it’s still a terrifically physical performance. The film also earns points for keeping Barker’s ending that crafts a mythology around the murders, suggesting an almost Lovecraftian world existing beneath our feet and behind our eyelids. It’s a violent, gory nightmare, and it is one hell of a ride.