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| Let's not get this confused with Wes Craven's latest theatrical effort starring Cillian Murphy. This is South Korea's latest stab at the ghost sub-genre, only this time the ghosts are set on a mysterious train, which is sadly the only remotely original thing in this film. Director Dong-bin Kim returns to the genre after his failed South Korean remake of "Ringu" in '99 entitled "The Ring Virus". Using the same old scare tactics we've seen time and time again, we follow a young stewardess as she takes a new nightshift job on an old train, that's on its last run. Strange things begin to happen as we come to realize that this train is inhabited by the ghosts of the passengers who died many years prior while on the same route. I admit that the film does succeed to entertain, as I thought a ghost-train theme was rather interesting, but since the scares we're given aren't anything we haven't already seen, it fails when it comes to being scary or creepy for that matter.
The movie also has an unusual amount of silly coincidences that tie into the film's plot, leading to a number of "twists" into the storyline; although it's not too hard to predict ahead of time. The film could have used its train setting more to its advantage, capitalizing on its claustrophobic setting and the use of a pitch black night drop. I could think of a number of ways it could have been scary, but director Dong-bin Kim decided to go towards the more mainstream, and clichéd way around things. The film does have its moments though, with the interesting twist of past and present, and some use of lighting in the train, adding little to a wannabe creepy atmosphere. Either way, with all its predictability and clichés aside, it's a mediocre watch for fans of Korean horror.
OVERALL:
This is yet another clichéd ghost-effort from South Korea. Although it manages to entertain, it fails in the scares department. If you're not stranger to Asian horror, then you'll probably find yourself rolling your eyes more than hiding under the covers with this one. |
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ALTERNATE SYNOPSIS:
There was a tragic train accident departed from Seoul on 16th July, 1988 at 12am, which killed a hundred passengers on board. Nevertheless, the cause of the accident is still unknown and bewildering over the years. 16 years later, on 16th July, 2004, the same scheduled train has completed its last journey departed from Seoul. Afterwards, the train on its way brakes for an emergency which stops and delays for about 10 minutes. In the meantime, Mi-Sun discovers that passengers on board are very bizarre and pale, and the carriage is turned into a run-down place all of a sudden. What's more, the strangest thing is that it comes as a shock that the date 16th July, 1988 is printed on the newspaper. When Mi-Sun tells another steward, Chan-Sik, unbelievable events occur. For instance, passengers are killed without any reasons, souls of the deceased haunt the train, and creepy incidents ensue... |
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