PopHorror Let's Get Scared
I’m a huge fan of anthologies. I like how they offer a variety in their storytelling while usually being tied together by a theme. It’s been awhile since I’ve gotten the chance to check out a good anthology so I was excited to check out the South Korean anthology film Ghost Train.
Read on for my thoughts.
Synopsis
Da-kyung is desperate to make it as a YouTube content creator, but her failing channel really needs a boost. Her latest plan: explore an allegedly haunted train station. Her interview with the station master takes her through a horrifying series of chilling tales that may be more true than she could have ever expected. This thrilling horror anthology will chill you to the bone with scares at every stop. Take a step onto the GHOST TRAIN.
Ghost Train was directed by TAK Se-woong (Devil in the Lake). The film stars JOO Hyun-young (The Story of Park’s Marriage Contract), JEON Bae-soo (The Wailing) and CHOI Bo-min (Gory: A Horror Tale).
One of the things I liked going into Ghost Train was the main character Da-kyung. She’s a failing YouTube content creator who really just wants her channel to take off. She’s an underdog and that makes her likable and relatable. I enjoyed how the story was constructed with her being told the stories from the stationmaster. Maybe that comes from loving Are You Afraid of the Dark as a child but I’m a big fan of anthologies where characters are telling the stories to another or a group of people. It’s just so satisfying. I really loved how in between stories we stayed with the main character and got to know her better and see how her brand was building. It made me invested in the story that much more.
I liked that all the stories felt distinct and unique and that the stories were kind of weird. It gave them a nice spooky flavor. We get ghosts, pop cans that make people disappear, mysterious deaths and disappearances, a crazy woman throwing acid on people and a ghost train. I like how some of stories wound up directly involving characters from the main story and how it tied everything together well. I thought it was a nice touch that we saw a darker side of Da-kyung start to come out as the story goes along. Once she gets a taste of success she will do whatever it takes to push it further and keep it. I liked how everything resolved in the end.
Final Thoughts
Ghost Train is a fun and spooky Korean Horror anthology that covers a lot of variety in its stories while mostly connecting to the wraparound story. Recommended.
