10 years later and Train to Busan has lost none of its devastating stopping power

By 2016, zombie horror looked like it was running out of steam. Again.

Experiencing a surge in popularity in the 2000s after the release of 28 Days Later, Shaun of the Dead, and Zack Snyder’s Dawn of the Dead remake, the subgenre was propelled into the pop culture stratosphere by The Walking Dead, based on Robert Kirkman’s long-running comic book series of the same name.

The market, though, quickly became oversaturated, and films like World War Z, Land of the Dead and 28 Weeks Later did little to reignite the spark, in spite of the high-profile talent behind the camera.

Even The Walking Dead was suffering – the introduction of scenery-chewing villain Negan signalling a death knell from which the show would never quite recover.

Just as it seemed as though the zombie horror film had worn out its welcome, the subgenre was re-animated all over again with Yeon Sang-ho’s Train to Busan.

Ten years on from its release, the film remains every bit as relevant and emotionally devastating as it once was.

Originally premiering at FrightFest in 2016, Train to Busan quickly secured its legacy as one of the biggest and most successful releases the film festival has ever seen.

To celebrate its ten-year anniversary, the film played at FrightFest again this year, along with animated prequel Seoul Station and the 2020 sequel Peninsula.

FrightFest’s opening weekend also saw the release of Sang-ho’s latest work of zombie horror – the grisly Colony, which re-imagines zombies all over again for a post-COVID audience.

All are indelible works from a director who’s not afraid to push the boundaries of everything a zombie horror film can be.

However, he’s yet to top Train to Busan – a film that remains not only Sang-ho’s best work to date, but also the best zombie movie of the past two decades.

And, having viewed the film again at this year’s FrightFest, I can confirm that it still left me a sobbing wreck by the end.

Much of what makes the film work is its powerful emotional core.

Yes, there are zombies, and they are terrifying (like Snyder and Danny Boyle, he opts for the controversial running variety), but at its heart, Train to Busan is a film about a father and his daughter.

Recent divorcee Seok-woo (Gong Yoo, now best known for playing Squid Game’s slimy recruiter) is travelling with young daughter Soo-an (Kim Su-an) to visit her mother in Busan.

In typical Spielberg style, he’s a workaholic and frequently absent from her life, leaving Soo-an feeling neglected and isolated.

But Seok-woo is forced to reconsider his priorities when a virus begins to transform the people of Seoul into bloodthirsty zombies.

Train to Busan is as much a Korean soap opera as it is an action-packed zombie horror film, never losing sight of the father/daughter relationship at its heart – even as the situation on the train goes from bad to much worse.

Elsewhere on the train, Gong Yoo is joined by Ma Dong-seok (Eternals, The Roundup), who delivers a scene-stealing performance as the burly Sang-hwa.

The group’s plans for survival are derailed by the actions of arrogant CEO Yon-suk (Kim Eui-sung), whose own self-interest proves to be just as dangerous as the literal zombies.

It’s this keen eye for character that sets Train to Busan apart from many of its peers, capturing humanity at its very best and worst – as only a stint on public transport can.

And then, of course, there’s that brutal final act. It’s not just the most heart-wrenching scene in a zombie film; it’s one of the most emotionally ruinous sequences in all of cinema.

It’s a last stretch which left me curled up into a ball, sobbing, as the credits first rolled back in 2016 (I was watching at home, should you worry for my FrightFest etiquette).

At least this time I knew it was coming, and was able to prepare accordingly.

Train to Busan’s FrightFest re-release followed the UK premiere of Sang-ho’s Colony on Thursday night.

An ambitious new take on the zombie horror film, it finds a disparate group of survivors trapped in a quarantined high-rise amid a zombie virus outbreak.

Once again, the director blends high-octane action with heart-wrenching melodrama and all-too-human bickering.

It’s a fine (if slightly absurd) film – but watching it so close to Train to Busan only compounded how special Sang-ho’s 2016 hit is.

A return journey well worth taking. Just remember to pack the tissues.

Train to Busan played at Tubi FrightFest on August 28, 2026. It is available to rent digitally on Amazon Prime, Apple Video or Sky Store in the UK.

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