Part of a celebrated class of premieres at the 2014 Bucheon International Fantastic Film Festival, Kim Seok-jung’s “Zombie School” has served as a rather enjoyable genre entry while not doing anything special or out of the ordinary ever since its release. After serving as a solid if unspectacular part of the Korean zombie wave just before the explosion several years later with “Train to Busan,” the film now finds its way to home media courtesy of Echelon Studios.
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Arriving at Chilsung Reformatory School, student Jung-sik (Baek Seo-Bin) discovers from the principal (Kim Kyeong-ryong) that he’s been sent there for his attitude issues, similar to other students including Hye-na (Ha Eun-seol), Jung Ja (Min Ji), and Choi-gil (Joon Seo) who are also left there to deal with their issues. While they plot to rebel against the authoritarian regime holding them there for their studies, they learn the true nature of the island where the school is the home to a series of diseased pigs from an undisclosed pandemic years ago which has raised one of them from the grave to get loose within the school. When the principal gets infected and turns the faculty into creatures just like him, the unturned students find themselves forced to find a way out of the zombie-infested school and get to safety.
Overall, “Zombie School” was a fairly solid and likable genre effort. Among its better elements is the straightforward and simplistic storyline by writer Jo Seong-geol involving the means that the different groups are brought together. The main storyline of getting Jung-sik and the other students at the school where we get an in-depth look at their personal issues and behavioral qualities that require them to deal with the ruthless treatment at the hands of the other teachers, works rather well. This sets up the personality and different motivations each student has while getting a chance to see the treatment that occurs at the hands of the verbally and physically abusive teachers. We also get enough of a backstory for the zombie virus to come about where the discovery of the infected pig carcasses from decades ago comes back to life and turns one of the faculty into a zombie to spread it to the other faculty members. It all works nicely enough here to get both of these aspects settled which gives the storyline a fine start.
On top of that, the main zombie action also works rather nicely. Almost solely relegated to the final half of the film following all the opening introductions and character reveals, the series of encounters and chasing offers some incredibly thrilling moments, involving the ravenous creatures wandering through the halls looking for victims. After getting the initially shocking moments that showcase the group encountering the possessed faculty member turning in front of them for the sudden shock sequences, the more involved sequences involving the group trying to maintain a sense of secrecy getting out of the school alive provide some suspenseful aspects. As the ravenous numbers and darkened hallways bring about the traditional swarming sequences in an atmospheric location so crucial for the genre, it brings about some technical aspects to the film which hit the required marks of the genre. With the scenes also bringing about some fine gore in the bloody kills and plenty of traditional and no less impressive make-up in the zombies on-screen, there’s a lot to like with this one.
There are some big issues with “Zombie School” that hold it back. The biggest drawback here is the absolutely awful and outright terrible characters that we’re supposed to follow and care about. Since Jung-sik and the other students are presented as rebellious troublemakers sent to Chilsung as a means to help their studying in school and get better, their attitude and snarky behavior constantly makes everyone out to be the most unlikable and despicable group of toxic teens around. The teachers and other authority figures present are no better, and far more content to verbally abuse the students or beat them physically to encourage better attitudes or school habits. No one in the film becomes likable as a result and that severely cripples the immersion in the first half, as the inability to care about anyone is a big factor. It also ties into the other issue where the first half is a bit too sluggish and underwhelming with very little zombie action in favor of dealing with the students. It’s not until quite late in the film do the attacks begin in earnest after getting hints before then, and these all manage to bring this down.
Featuring enough to like with some positive aspects and a couple of big issues, “Zombie School” comes off as fun enough for what it is but has some big drawbacks to keep it from going higher than that. Those who appreciate Asian horror in general or are undiscerning zombie fanatics will have the most to enjoy here.
