Chang-gwol / Rampant (2018) - Haunting zombie movie meets epic historical fiction and twisted political intrigues - 10/10 (19/11/18)

Two years after the outstanding zombie movie Train to Busan, South Korea comes around with yet another extremely memorable zombie film entitled Rampant. Instead of copying the concept of yore, Rampant walks off the beaten path and mixes gripping horror movie elements with historical fiction and political intrigues. The story takes place during an era when the kingdom of Joseon was controlled by the Qing Dynasty. The heir apparent organizes a revolt against his own father who is manipulated by the minister of military. When his treason is uncovered, his allies and himself decide to commit suicide, leaving his pregnant wife behind. His last wish is that his pregnant wife is brought to safety in China and his estranged brother travels from China to Joseon to look after her. Upon arriving, the estranged brother realizes that a strange plague that originated from a foreign merchant ship is haunting the country and spreading like wildfire. He has the challenging tasks to survive the attacks of the immortals, save his dead brother's pregnant wife and defy the minister of military who wants to overthrow the dynasty and seize power. At the same time, he has to annihilate the hordes of zombies, be a leader for the suffering villagers and ultimately find his own identity.

There are numerous elements that make this excellent movie entertaining from start to finish despite a surprisingly long running time of one hundred twenty-nine minutes. The historical context is authentic, complex and fascinating. The settings look at times gloomy or majestic. The special effects are gripping and stunning. The sound effects are even more haunting and best enjoyed at your local movie theatre. The characters have depth and development. The acting performances are diversified and outstanding. The story has numerous twists and turns without ever losing itself in unnecessary subplots. The horror elements are bloody, dynamic and haunting which makes for an excellent mixture. The action scenes includes martial arts sequences, gun fights as well as epic confrontations with archers. The dramatic elements in the film are fleshed out and give this horror movie some unusual emotional and intellectual depth.

There is no doubt that Rampant is the best horror movie of the year and follows the contemporary trend of outstanding South Korean horror movies such as the creepy, mysterious and surreal The Wailing. If you don't have the chance to watch this movie in your local cinema that blindly supports vapid Hollywood productions, buy a physical copy of this masterpiece to support everyone involved in this epic project to make sure we can witness movies of similar quality in the future. Even if you don't like horror movies in general or might find zombie films superficial in particular, open your mind and enjoy this film to the fullest and forget endless, predictable and repetitive American series like The Walking Dead that can't compete with this masterpiece.