10 Monster Movies No One Was Ready For

4. Train To Busan

Even as far back as a decade ago, it felt as though every single angle from which a zombie story could be approached had been approached. Surely there was nothing new left to tackle, but Train to Busan still managed to stand out as simply exceptional.

From the very beginning, when a deer rises from the dead and an infected woman sneaks aboard the train, with Su-an (Kim Su-an) wandering the carriages alone without her dad, it would have been next to impossible for an audience not to tense up ready for the worst. The tone was set from the very beginning, not only in terms of the tension built, but that this would be something more than maybe many expected.

The obvious, relentless terror offered in the claustrophobic circumstances is something very few in the genre would be able to match, but what truly elevates Train to Busan is the quiet and sombre human moments. 

Above everything, it's a film about compassion, and being good and decent even in the face of overwhelming and unimaginable horrors. Like many on this list, Train to Busan transcends its genre. It isn't just an outstanding zombie story; it is an outstanding story, period.