Peacock Now Streaming One of the Best Zombie Movies Ever

The 2016 South Korean hit Train to Busan has found a new streaming home on Peacock. It may not be October but Peacock just added the major horror movie to its streaming library on a random Wednesday in January. Train to Busan was released eight years ago at this point but has become not only one of the most acclaimed zombie movies of the 21st century, but one of the few films in the genre to manage to make something of itself after The Walking Dead dominated the conversation. You can watch Train to Busan for yourself on Peacock here.

What is Train to Busan about?

Train to Busan has a standard set up for a zombie movie but its execution is what makes it such a well regarded title. Gong Yoo stars as Seok-woo, a workaholic father who is bringing his daughter down to see his ex-wife, her mother, via…you guessed it, a train to Busan. The infection is quickly spreading across South Korea though, giving way to droves of running and violent zombies. Seok-woo must work together with his fellow passengers not only to survive but to reach their final destination. Train to Busan is directed by Yeon Sang-ho and also stars Ma Dong-seok (Marvel’s Eternals), Kim Eui-sung (2036 Apocalypse Earth), Choi Woo-sik (Parasite, Okja), and Park Myung-shin (Oldboy).

As of this writing Train to Busan has a 95% approval rating on Rotten Tomatoes with the critical consensus reading: “Train to Busan delivers a thrillingly unique — and purely entertaining — take on the zombie genre, with fully realized characters and plenty of social commentary to underscore the bursts of skillfully staged action.”

Is there a Train to Busan sequel?

There have been two movies to spin out of Train to Busan, starting with Seoul Station, an animated prequel movie that was released the same year as Train to Busan itself.  Seoul Station was also directed by Yeon Sang-ho, setting the stage for the zombie apocalypse seen in the first film.

A sequel was released in 2020, Train to Busan Presents: Peninsula, a standalone movie that only builds on the events of the first movie without a continuing the story of any of the characters. Set four years after the events of Train to Busan, a group of thieves are hired to break into quarantined South Korea to steal an armored truck full of money. The zombies aren’t the only threat waiting on the other side though as an entire society has been built up around the post-apocalyptic wasteland of the former nation. 

An American remake of Train to Busan was also previously announced as being in development. Indonesian director Timo Tjahjanto was attached to helm the movie, which was at one point titled York, which was set to be produced by James Wan and written by Gary Dauberman. Though it had a release date for 2023 the film was eventually removed from Warner Bros. schedule and has not been made.