The Ghost Station (2022) Review

In horror cinema, there are few motifs more iconic to audiences than creepy children. Whether they be possessed like in The Exorcist (1973), ghosts like in The Shining (1980) or simply brutal killers like in Halloween (1978), filmmakers have been utilising the motif for decades, to get scares out of audiences. It is a peculiar trope of sorts, given that if we are to analyse the horror genre from a theoretical standpoint, a child threat seems possibly out of place. Horror aims to scare us and audiences want a harrowing experience; violence, gore, shadows, suspense, are just some of the most generalised tools filmmakers have used to convey this intention and their film’s individual thematic meanings.

This discussion of what makes up the horror genre, and the “creepy child” trope is quintessential to The Ghost Station (2022), a film deeply entrenched in the conventions of horror with a mystery surrounding a group of supernatural children.
A quick glance at the film’s writers and horror aficionados will quickly notice Hiroshi Takahashi, most famous for writing the screenplay adaptation of J-Horror classic Ringu (1998), it’s original screenplay sequel Ring 2 (1999) and the basis for the American remake The Ring (2002). The Ghost Station much like Ringu is an adaptation, this time of Horang’s Webtoon ‘The Ghost of Oksu Station’ but the similarities go beyond just a shared writer and existence as an adaptation.

Set in South Korea, the film follows reporter, Na-yeong, and her friend U-won, as the duo investigate a supernatural train station that is home to a series of deaths and alleged curse. As expected, the investigation unravels a dark twisted conspiracy that the two most resolve before they run out of time. This abridged summary already solidifies the likely influence of The Ring series to familiar audiences. A journalist investigating a mystery surrounding unexplained deaths and a curse by the hands of a ghostly victim of abuse is near identical to the story of Sadako, audiences will likely have seen.

This is all to say, The Ghost Station’s biggest failing for some will be its lack of originality. The template, the film follows is certainly one that isn’t innately flawed and does allow director Jeong Yong-ki to execute some tense frightening sequences, my personal favourite being the scene in the tunnel where Yong-ki utilises his actors and sound to misdirect audiences. And, for all the parallels I draw to The Ring series, the underlying themes of The Ghost Station stand independent as an intellectually stimulating discussion.

The supernatural antagonistic force of The Ghost Station is not an arbitrary threat, instead as the film addresses symbolising the overwhelming hate and desire for help that victim of injustice and grave abuse feel. Throughout the film’s eighty minute runtime, Yong-ki and crew examine the emotional toll that anger towards one can take and how when left unresolvable can lead to an alienating general distain for everyone, expertly summarised in possibly the most important line “Grudge forces one to lash out at the one who harmed you, but as time passes, you realise no one will help, and the hatred expands to everyone” in the form of a transmissible curse once one becomes aware of the victim. It’s a compelling origin behind the horror that will resonate with those who want darker films or can relate, becoming increasingly potent given that is grudge held by the film’s creepy children. What should already be scary becomes more so with this added dimension of the grim reality of child abuse, as the horrific nature of what is unfolding is visually reinforced through a contrast between innocence and the crushing hatred.

However, this praiseworthy deeper theme is still told in this very stereotypical fashion. Beyond the clear influences of works like The Ring series, The Ghost Station is vanilla in its visuals and editing. While, still able to get frights out of some audiences, the formula many modern horror films utilise of loud jump scares, harsh cuts and a drab colour grading are on full display.

These decisions may not impact the quality of the film for anyone unbothered by these trends but for those who are intimately familiar with the genre it is difficult to recommend The Ghost Station as anything more than a competently average film bolstered slightly by a screenplay with a premise rich in potential. It was an entertaining experience that never bored or unintentionally confused me but as I reflect upon it in the following days, very little stands out, especially when the prior works have had such immediate cultural impacts and legacies in not just the landscape of Asian Horror but world cinema as a whole.

Movie Rating:

The Ghost Station Trailer