Yeon Sang-ho: how South Korea’s zombie king skewers society with his violent horror

Zombie movies aren’t supposed to make you cry. And yet in Yeon Sang-ho’s breakout live-action debut Train To Busan, about a young workaholic father (played by Gong Yoo) protecting his young daughter (Kim Su-an) from a national outbreak on a packed train, tears flowed as much as blood. It was undeniably Train To Busan’s moving emotional content that helped it stand out from the flesh-eating crowd. Read more: The best films of 2026… so far! Acclaimed South Korean auteur Yeon Sang-ho has made all sorts of films to date, from grim animated features to superhero flicks, but it was Train To Busan – which premiered to raves at Cannes Film Festival 2016 – that put him on a pedestal with countrymen Park Chan-wook, Bong Joon-ho and Na Hong-jin. With new K-horror Colony, he’s returning for his fourth rodeo among the living dead. Importantly, Colony isn’t tied to the Train To Busan universe, as were the animated prequel Seoul Station (2016) and stand-alone sequel Peninsula (2020). Nevertheless, it is another expertly made mix of bodily carnage, muscular action and unexpected sentimentality. Yeon Sang-ho at Cannes Film Festival 2026 in France. CREDIT: Michael Buckner/Variety via Getty Images Ta...