Welcome to 31 Days of Streaming Horror. Every day this October we’ll be highlighting a different streaming horror movie to help you get into the Halloween spirit. Today’s entry: Train to Busan (2016).
Train to Busan
Now Streaming on Netflix and Shudder
Sub-Genre: Gut-wrenching, gut-munching zombie train movie
Best Setting to Watch It In: On a train with great WiFi and no zombies
How Scary Is It?: There’s scary stuff here, but there’s also big emotional moments that will make you weep like the little baby that you are
Zombie movies have become stale. There was a time when the zombie genre had a lot to say, but over the years, thanks in big part to The Walking Dead and dozens upon dozens of George Romero rip-offs, tales of the undead have grown as rotten as a month-old corpse. But every now and then a movie comes along to remind us that it’s still possible to make a zombie movie feel fresh and original.
Train to Busan is one of those movies. This South Korean film from director Yeon Sang-ho follows several commuters trapped on a train during a zombie apocalypse. And oh yeah – zombies are on the train, too. Blending class warfare with battles against ghouls. What makes Train to Busan stand out is its focus on its human characters. The movie takes its time introducing us to the potential zombie victims, particularly a workaholic dad (Gong Yoo) and his neglected daughter (Kim Su-an). There are plenty of other people on board as well, including a rough and ready tough guy (Ma Dong-seok) who is the polar opposite of the high-class workaholic.
As the train speeds on, and more and people grow infected, the survivors must band together to fight their way through hungry hordes. Much like the method of transportation the film’s characters themselves are on, Train to Busan almost never lets up, barrelling along at rapid speed, sweeping us up in its blend of horror and humanity.
If you think you’ve exhausted every possible zombie movie and are bored with the genre, I advise you to hop on board Train to Busan and see what you’ve been missing – especially since an inevitable, and likely inferior, American remake is on the way.
The post 31 Days of Streaming Horror: ‘Train to Busan’ Proves There Are Still Original Zombie Movies Out There appeared first on /Film.