Zombie Movie Director Yeon Sang-ho Talks About AI

By Velvet Winter

ABC Arts

Topic: AI

Saturday, June 20, 2026, at 4:47 am

Zombies have been used to show societal problems for 80 years.

Filmmakers use zombies to talk about issues like terrorism and racism.

George A Romero's Night Of The Living Dead started the modern zombie movie.

In the 2000s, zombies changed with movies like 28 Days Later and games like Resident Evil.

South Korean director Yeon Sang-ho made the movie Train to Busan in 2016.

Train to Busan was a hit and showed South Korea's social hierarchy.

Danny Boyle and Alex Garland started a zombie trend in 2002.

Train to Busan premiered at the Cannes Film Festival and made $130 million.

Yeon's new movie Colony is about a zombie-like outbreak in a building.

Colony is a horror movie, but it also talks about our connected world.

What is your favorite zombie movie?

I like George A Romero's Dawn of the Dead and Zack Snyder's remake.

The zombies in The Last of Us game are also interesting.

What worries you about AI?

AI combines general opinions, which can be a problem for individuality.

AI can't oppose or support minority opinions.

AI is mostly positive and doesn't oppose people.

AI is a combination of mainstream thoughts, which can eliminate individual thinking.

We are losing our individuality with AI.

Why are zombies useful for showing current horrors?

Zombies can represent different societal fears over time.

What did you learn about group organisms while researching?

I researched ant colonies and found they have a common weakness.

Colonies can survive by mutating and evolving.

How did the COVID-19 pandemic influence your movie Colony?

The pandemic affected how I showed the government's response in the movie.

I didn't want to criticize the government, but show the deferment of responsibility.

I wanted to portray the real-world emotions and experiences of the audience.

The virus in Colony is man-made, not an accident.

I wanted to show how individuality can become weak in a hyper-connected world.

All of this is related to human characteristics and desires.

I've always studied humanism and what it means to be human.

I wanted to explore the loss of individuality with technology.

I highlighted the ambitions and anxieties of human development.

What it means to be human is a big question.

The zombies in Colony move like they're dancing.

I approached the zombie movement as a group, like fingers on a piano.

I worked with modern dancers to create the zombie movements.

What is more dangerous to society: AI or human ego?

I think human ego is more dangerous, as AI is just a tool.

We need to acknowledge our differences and maintain individuality.

AI tries to mold humanity into one consciousness.

We need to keep our individuality and not be the same.

What do you hope people take away from Colony?

I want people to enjoy the movie and understand its themes.

If people can use Colony as a metaphor for communication, that would be great.

I want my movies to help people understand their world and situations.

This interview was conducted through a translator.

Saturday, June 20, 2026, at 4:47 am

Header image: Colony director Yeon Sang-ho.

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