We continue the 31 Days of Frights with Train to Busan from 2016. A man catches a train to the city of Busan with his daughter on her birthday to go see his wife. However, things take a nightmarish turn when a zombie outbreak occurs in South Korea. This is not only one of the best zombie movies of all time, but it is simply one of the best horror movies of all time.
The Story
This is one of the horror movies I recommend to almost everyone who is looking for something new to watch. The reason is that I don’t know how anyone can not like this one. There are a lot of different types of horror films out there, and a lot of the time, horror movies can focus on scares and gore. This isn’t a bad thing, but sometimes the story is sacrificed. Train to Busan doesn’t have this problem. The movie is able to deliver big scares while telling an engaging story and having memorable characters.
The movie is a horror story, of course, but it also tells a story about selfishness and human connection. Almost all the characters here have some sort of arc that they go through, learning to work together and put others above themselves. The direction here is phenomenal, creating a sense of tension and claustrophobia in just about every scene. You are holding your breath from beginning to end.
Certain scenes in this movie will leave you on the edge of your seat. The best scene of the movie is when the people on the train arrive at a station looking for help. If you do not feel your heart racing during this entire scene, you might have to check if you even have a pulse.
The Characters
The thing that works best in this film is how amazingly the characters are written. I honestly cannot think of a movie where I was so quickly worried about what would happen to the characters. The movie takes its time telling everyone’s story, and we see right away what everyone is about. When they are in danger, we truly care. The journey for many of the characters is extremely relatable to the audience.
The standout of this movie is Kim Soo-An, who plays the daughter. She is, realistically, the only innocent one in all this. Every character has some sort of baggage, while she is only trying to see her mom. She cares about other people and wants everyone to be okay. She is so full of emotion in this film that I just have to say, she is one of the best child actors I have ever seen.
Overview
Train to Busan is one of the best zombie movies ever made. It is full of great characters, amazing edge-of-your-seat tension, and some fantastic writing. I was feeling my heart race one minute and having tears come out of my eyes the next. If you haven’t seen this one yet, please check it out.
Train to Busan is now streaming on Netflix and Pluto TV.
Come back tomorrow for some more spooky reviews.
