Overview
The Midnight Meat Train is a 2008 American horror film based on Clive Barker's 1984 short story of the same name, which can be found in Volume One of Barker's collection Books of Blood. The film follows a photographer who attempts to track down a serial killer dubbed the "Subway Butcher", and discovers more than he bargained for under the city streets.
The film was directed by Ryuhei Kitamura, and stars Bradley Cooper, Leslie Bibb, Brooke Shields, Roger Bart, Ted Raimi and Vinnie Jones. Its script was adapted by Jeff Buhler, the producer was Tom Rosenberg of Lakeshore Entertainment, and it was released on August 1, 2008. Producer Joe Daley, a long-time friend of Buhler's, brought the two writers together and helped develop the script, along with producers Anthony DiBlasi and Jorge Saralegui, for their and Clive Barker's production company Midnight Picture Show, which was responsible for Book of Blood, the next film adaptation from the anthology of short stories that spawned The Midnight Meat Train.
Plot
Leon is a photographer who wants to capture unique gritty shots of the city. He is crushed when, instead of giving him his big break, gallery owner Susan criticizes him for not taking enough risks. Emboldened, he heads into the city's subway system at night, where he takes pictures of an impending sexual assault before saving the woman. She kisses Leon before running to catch the subway. Thinking she’s safe, a mysterious man comes from behind her and hits her with a weapon. The next day, he discovers she has gone missing. Intrigued, he investigates reports of similar disappearances. His investigation leads him to a butcher named Mahogany, whom he suspects has been killing subway passengers for the past three years.
Leon presents his photos to the police, but Detective Hadley disbelieves him. Leon's involvement quickly turns into a dark obsession, upsetting his girlfriend Maya, who is also disbelieving of his story. Leon follows Mahogany onto the last subway train of the night, only to witness a bloodbath. The butcher kills several passengers and hangs their bodies on meat hooks. After a brief scuffle with Mahogany, Leon passes out on the train. He awakes the next morning in a slaughterhouse with strange markings carved into his chest.
From Wikipedia (CC BY-SA 4.0).