Seoul Station – Korean: 서울역 – is a 2017 animated South Korean zombie horror film written and directed by Yeon Sang-ho. The movie is a prequel to Sangho’s much-praised 2016 film Train to Busan. It features the voices of Ryu Seung-ryong, Shim Eun-kyung and Lee Joon.
As the sun sets around Seoul Station, an old man thought to have died sinks his teeth into the warm flesh of a homeless person. Soon, the streets are filled with vicious zombies desperate to feed.
Hae-sun, a runaway, witnesses the frightening sight while her father and boyfriend desperately search for her. As the attacked become the attackers, the government declares a lock out of the station, leaving the uninfected to struggle desperately against the dangerous undead. With zombie numbers exploding, people are forced to flee with no place to run to, not knowing if they will survive…
The film is released by FilmRise on iTunes in the US on May 30, 2017. Studiocanal released Seoul Station on Blu-ray and DVD in the UK on 30 April 2017.
Buy: Amazon.co.uk
Reviews:
” …Seoul Station‘s aesthetic style and social commentary are certainly in-sync with the more political, European bande dessinée, known for its engagement with real life. And the film also nods at traditions set by George A. Romero’s rough-and-ready subversive zombie flicks, as Yeon moulds the gore and grotesquerie into admittedly understated social metaphors about hopelessness and alienation in a society ridden with inequality.” Clarence Tsui, The Hollywood Reporter
“Where Busan was a brash and frequently deafening spectacle, this is notably more downbeat, cast in a muted, perma-grey hue and focusing on those desolate souls trapped in life’s margins. At times it is oppressively morose, but it has a nice dusting of social realism to go with the violence, and reaches an agreeably nasty conclusion.” Gwilym Mumford, The Guardian
“As much as it has to say about the struggles of Seoul’s marginalized, this is not a movie without it’s guilty pleasures. There are enough close calls, creatively claustrophobic suspense, and hilariously over-the-top voice acting to work as a fun popcorn movie. It’s only unsettling once you let it sink in.” Assholes Watching Movies
“With the final fade to black dawns a realization that “Seoul Station” is a mature horror story disguised in a format not commonly known for adult content. Sang-ho Yeon has found an inventive way to make zombies as relevant as ever, without requiring soap opera theatrics for drama or snarling KNB creatures to convey terror.” Ian Sedensky, Culture Crypt
” …there are a few neat plot twists that you won’t see coming that add an extra bit of excitement, which the film needs because at 92 minutes long the sombre tone and sociopolitical messages do start weigh it down and it becomes a bit of a slog at around the hour mark. Nevertheless, Seoul Station looks fantastic, has a story to tell and is worthy of your attention…” Amie Cranswick, Flickering Myth
