Ten years after its release, Yeon Sang-ho, director of South Korea's first commercial zombie film, "Train to Busan," is reflecting on the movie's unexpected global success and the challenges faced by its sequel. The film, which premiered in 2016, is set to return to theaters on August 14.
Yeon recalled his initial goal for "Train to Busan": "I want you to be able to cry when you watch this film." The result was a gritty portrayal of a zombie outbreak on a train from Seoul to Busan that resonated with audiences worldwide. A decade later, Yeon spoke with Polygon about crafting the film for an audience unfamiliar with the zombie genre, the reasons behind the sequel's reception, and the possibility of a trilogy.
A significant hurdle for "Train to Busan" was the lack of a pre-existing zombie genre fanbase in Korea. To overcome this, Yeon intentionally incorporated a blend of genres. "We just did not have a very solid built-in zombie genre fan base," Yeon explained. "So I had to actively incorporate other elements, other than the typical traits that you see in a zombie film. Train to Busan is also an action film. It's a drama film. It is a true combination of several genres and dramatic elements."
This genre fusion proved key to the film's international appeal. Yeon believes this approach differentiated "Train to Busan" from contemporary zombie films, particularly in the American market, which he noted had a less robust zombie film output in 2016, citing "Pride and Prejudice and Zombies" as an example. "That really set this film apart," he stated. "I think that's been a very decisive factor in the film resonating with international audiences."
Four years after the original, Yeon released "Train to Busan Presents: Peninsula." The sequel jumped ahead in time, depicting a South Korea overrun by zombies and isolated from the rest of the world. The plot followed a group of Koreans returning to Busan to retrieve a valuable vehicle, only to discover a post-apocalyptic society where human survivors posed as great a threat as the undead. The film performed adequately at the box office but received mixed reviews.
Yeon attributed "Peninsula's" critical reception to the misapplication of the zombie mechanics established in the first film. "In Train to Busan, the zombies are working in a very limited space, like a train car," he said. "So one of the things we thought about is, because trains in Korea go through a lot of tunnels, there's a lot of contrast between light and dark. So we came up with the concept of the weakness of the zombie being a sensitivity to light." He elaborated that in the claustrophobic setting of the train, this trait created suspense. However, in "Peninsula," with the zombies unleashed into a wider environment, the same characteristics diminished their threat. "The zombies effectively become powerless, and the movie became more about exploring the human nature that comes from a post-apocalyptic world."
Following "Peninsula," Yeon opted to create an entirely new zombie concept for his latest film, "Colony," which is slated for a U.S. release on August 28. While he is exploring franchise expansion for "Colony," the director has not entirely closed the door on revisiting the characters and world of "Train to Busan." "We'll see if I'm gonna make another movie to complete a Train to Busan trilogy," he commented. "We'll see about that."
