Ghost Train Review: A Polished K-Horror Anthology That Knows Its Stops

A haunted subway becomes the final destination in Korea’s latest supernatural anthology.

Ghost Train Review: A Familiar, Well-Executed Ride for K-Horror Fans

Korean anthology horror Ghost Train arrives next month on digital and Blu-ray courtesy of Well Go USA, and for fans of modern K-horror and Asian supernatural thrillers, this one lands exactly where you’d expect it to.

Built around a contemporary wraparound story involving a struggling YouTuber chasing views, Ghost Train uses modern anxieties—online relevance, algorithm pressure, and attention economy obsession—as its entry point into a collection of supernatural tales tied to a haunted subway station. It’s a smart framing device, especially in an era where internet clout often outweighs common sense, and it gives the anthology a clean narrative spine rather than feeling stitched together at random.

What works best here is structure. The film understands the fundamentals of anthology horror: a clear wraparound, distinct internal stories, and a deliberate crossover element that connects everything in a way that feels intentional rather than obligatory. That connective tissue is where Ghost Train earns its keep. It’s carefully written, easy to follow, and rewards viewers who are paying attention without over-explaining itself.

Stylistically, the film leans into classic East Asian ghost imagery—long-haired apparitions, contorted bodies, and unsettling physicality—without reinventing the wheel. These tropes are familiar, but they’re presented with confidence and polish. One particularly effective recurring element involves something deeply embedded in everyday Asian life, grounding the supernatural horror in the mundane in a way that genre fans will immediately recognize and appreciate.

That said, Ghost Train isn’t a reinvention of K-horror. Outside of its modern YouTube framing and solid presentation, there are few surprises. This is not a genre reset or a bold escalation in the way Korean and Japanese horror once redefined global horror cinema in the late ’90s and early 2000s. Instead, it’s a competent, atmospheric anthology that knows its audience and plays to them well.

And that’s not a knock. Sometimes the goal isn’t to break the genre—it’s to deliver something watchable, rewatchable, and satisfying. Ghost Train does exactly that. Each segment feels like it could be expanded into its own feature, and the overall experience makes for an easy recommendation for fans of Asian supernatural horror anthologies.

At the end of the ride, Ghost Train feels less like a destination and more like a well-maintained route—familiar stops, effective scares, and a steady pace throughout.

Rating: 3 out of 5

Ghost Train arrives on digital, Blu-ray, and DVD on February 17, via Well Go USA.