‘The greatest zombie film ever made’ coming to cinemas for special anniversary

A zombie film hailed as a ‘masterpiece’ and ‘flawless’ is coming back to cinemas to celebrate its 20th anniversary.

Directed by Yeon Sang-ho, Train to Busan follows workaholic dad Seok-Woo (Gong Yoo) as he boards a train to Busan with his estranged daughter Su-An (Kim Su-an) on her birthday to see her mother.

While travelling, the duo and a group of other passengers become trapped on the train during a viral outbreak that transforms people into rabid zombies.

Train to Busan was an instant hit at the time of its release, spawning an animated prequel, Seoul Station, released in the same year, and a sequel, Penninsula, that followed in 2020.

Now, 20 years after its release, Train to Busan will be screened at select Cineworld cinemas on October 6 as part of Cineworld’s Horror Film Season.

What’s more, eager horror fans can scoop a ticket for just £5.99 when booked online, or £6.99 when brought from the cinema itself.

Train to Busan premiered in the Midnight Screenings section of the 2016 Cannes Film Festival and was released by Next Entertainment World in South Korea, quickly becoming the first Korean film of the year to break the audience record of over 10 million theatregoers.

It has been widely acknowledged as one of the greatest zombie films ever released, widely praised for its relatable characters, genuinely terrifying monster sequences, and its gut-punch ending.

The film holds a near-perfect 95% rating on Rotten Tomatoes, with the critics consensus reading: ‘Train to Busan delivers a thrillingly unique — and purely entertaining — take on the zombie genre, with fully realized characters and plenty of social commentary to underscore the bursts of skillfully staged action.’

In their review, film critic and Shelby Oaks director Chris Stuckmann said: ‘It could not be done better. They pulled no punches with this movie.’

Daily Telegraph gushed: ‘Characters you can’t help but care about? Check. A spot of amped-up social commentary? Double check. Lashings of bloody, bite-y mayhem? Triple check.’

Little White Lies said Train to Busan is ‘Funny, scary and with its heart in the right place,’ while Entertainment Weekly thought it was ‘first-class throughout.’

RogerEbert.com wrote: ‘The most purely entertaining zombie film in some time, finding echoes of George Romero’s and Danny Boyle’s work, but delivering something unique for an era in which kindness to others seems more essential than ever.’

Meanwhile, The Hollywood Reporter praised: ‘Yeon Sang-ho has instantly transformed himself into Korea’s go-to-guy for zombie movies.’

It comes after Sang-ho released his latest zombie flick, Colony, earlier this year – and it’s not set in the Train to Busan universe.

The standalone film begins with Professor Han Gyu-seong (Go Su) bringing his cantankerous ex-wife Kwon Se-jeong (Jun Ji-hyun), herself a brilliant biochemist, with him to the Chains Bio tech conference in an attempt to help her land a prestigious job.

The convention descends into chaos when scientist Seo Young-cheol (Koo Kyo-hwan) injects the Chains Bio CEO with a mysterious serum that change him into a vicious zombie – and Young-cheol’s blood contains the only antidote for the disease.

As you might expect, the virus spreads like wildfire across the conference centre, forcing a group of survivors is trapped in the conference centre to work together to survive.

It’s a tall order to follow Train to Busan with another zombie film, but its a challenge Sang-ho told Filmhounds Magazine he relishes.

‘It is true that Train to Busan was a hugely successful film, and I feel that the pressure to achieve even greater success when making a movie has almost disappeared these days,’ he said.

‘I have become more interested in making more unique films. Of course, since a project like Colony involved a considerable budget, a certain level of box office success is very important, but rather than the pressure, the desire to create more unique films has grown.

‘I think that is what led me to start a project like The Ugly last year, which allows me to create a unique story on a much smaller budget.’

Train to Busan will be screened at Cineworld cinemas as part of its Horror Film Season on October 6. Tickets can be booked online.

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