Ghost Train
review by Bobby Blakey
In the world of horror that Asian market tends to offer up some of the best and most inventive as well as the craziest. The latest from Korea, Ghost Train, looks to bring its own trip into the world of horror starring JOO Hyun-young, JEON Bae-soo, and CHOI Bo-min from director TAK Se-woong. Could this film bring horror to the station, or will it fall behind schedule?
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Ghost Train follows Da-kyung who is desperate to make it as a YouTube content creator, but her failing channel really needs a boost. Her latest plan: to explore an allegedly haunted train station. Her interview with the station master takes her through a horrifying series of chilling tales that may be truer than she could have ever expected. This thrilling horror anthology will chill you to the bone with scares at every stop.
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I am always leery of any horror films in the ghost and haunting subgenre. Often, they end up kind of lame or feel like we have seen it a billion times before. Sure, there were plenty of exceptions, but that didn’t keep me from being suspicious about what this might have to offer. To my surprise the structure of the film wasn’t what I was expecting and while not overly scary in my opinion I find it entertaining and creepy fun.
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The story is a simple set up and the use of a YouTube content creator gives it that current relatable source to expand it out beyond the train station in a real-world way. The cast are all great with lead JOO Hyun-young who brings an innocence that is awkward despite her confidence. It brings a layer to the real-world side of the story that unfolds into the bigger elements of the supernatural as the story plays out.
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I think what makes the film really work is that it plays out like an anthology story with her being told stories about the occurrences on the train as we get to witness them. It allows them to bring a variety of creepy visuals and bizarre directions as opposed to just rehashing the same haunting attacks at every turn like most of these do. That alone would have been enough for the film to be entertaining, but they throw a fun twist in the ending reveal that just brings it all together in a great way.
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I ended up enjoying this film a lot more than I expected. It brings some original tropes to it to help it stand out despite it being familiar with other films we have seen before. Decide for yourself and check out Ghost Train available now on digital., Blu-ray and DVD from Well Go USA.