Directed by Rizal Mantovani, “The Train of Death” (Original title: Kereta Berdarah) is an Indonesian horror film on Netflix. It follows a group of train passengers trying to survive a horrifying situation linked to their pasts. Then, it turns into a mix of a survival thriller and a supernatural horror as it shows them trying to save themselves. The film’s director has previously directed over 60 films, “Kuldesak,” “5 cm,” and “Adagium” being the most notable examples. Its script was written by Erwanto Alphadullah, known for “Mangkujiwo” and “The Verge of Death.”
Spoilers Ahead
The Train of Death (Kereta Berdarah, 2024) Plot Summary & Movie Synopsis:
“The Train of Death” (Kereta Berdarah) is a survival horror-thriller that follows a group of train passengers trying to survive the terror of supernatural forces. Hana Malasan, Zara Leola, and Putri Ayudya are cast for the central roles in the film.
What is ‘The Train of Death (Kereta Berdarah, 2024)’ about?
“The Train of Death” begins with workers in a forest at night facing the threat of some mysterious forces. Then, the narrative shifts to a nearby train station where people have gathered, waiting for the train. Bara (Kiki Narendra), an influential authority figure, has made some new developments in this region against the wishes of the locals. So, the locals gather around the station, shouting at Bara, asking for justice for their missing relatives. Bara doesn’t feel any compassion for them. While that happens, Purnama (Hana Malasan) is happy to take the train with her young sister, Kembang (Zara Leola).
Purnama had been battling terminal cancer. Recently, Kembang learned about Kembang’s recovery and felt happy for her. The treatment procedure has fatigued Purnama and drained her energy. So, she hopes to celebrate her recovery. To do so, she has invited Kembang on vacation to a resort that had recently opened in a remote area. They need to take Bara’s train to get there. Tekun (Fadly Faisal) guides the sisters to their seats in the Economy Class. Besides them, Ramla (Putri Ayudya) enters the train, whose husband also suffered a tragedy because of Bara’s greedy plans. But she hides that from the other passengers.
The Classes in the Train
The train is divided into different classes. So, the people in the superior VPI class look down upon the others in the economy class. From her economy class seat, Ramla suddenly notices her lost husband sitting in the cafeteria. She walks there to realize that she has imagined it. Instead, she only sees a man writing on his laptop. In the VIP class, she sees a man and wants to talk with him. But the waitress stops her. In the VIP section, Bara’s wealthy companion expects him to keep the protests in control as they scare the potential investors away.
During the journey, Kembang recalls the time when Purnama was bedridden. At that time, Kembang had to take care of her and tend to all her needs. Even though Purnama now looks much better, she hides a crucial detail about her recovery. Later, while the train enters a tunnel, Kembang looks for Purnama in the washroom but can’t find her. During that time, a young girl passenger sees a ghastly figure on the train and gets spooked. Eventually, once they leave the tunnel, Kembang finds Purnama. But they realize that the fifth train wagon is not there anymore.
The Madness and The Chaos
Kembang and Purnama realize their wagon is no longer attached to the train. Ramla, who happens to be in the cafeteria, also realizes that. The sisters inform Tekun, who realizes it for the first time. Since the other passengers begin to panic, he calms them with some lies even though he has no idea what exactly is happening to the train. Soon after, Kembang picks up a call meant for Purnama. On the other side, Purnama’s doctor reveals that Purnama’s liver cancer surgery was, in fact, unsuccessful. The cancer cells have spread throughout Purnama’s body.
Kembang confronts Purnama about why she wasn’t honest about her recovery. Purnama says she is afraid of going through the painful process with intense medications. So, she decided not to undergo further procedures and not to spend the remaining time of her life in pain. Kembang gets emotional and says they can look for an alternate treatment. But Purnama seems to have lost all hope. Meanwhile, Tekun checks what’s wrong with the main circuit. While he is already horrified by what is happening, his senior scolds him as if it is his fault. In the later journey, Tekun continues to be an obedient servant to his superiors even though they keep seeing him as a scapegoat to blame.
The Train of Death (Kereta Berdarah, 2024) Movie Ending Explained:
Why did a wagon separate itself from the train?
When the train passes through another tunnel, a man gets haunted by a spirit and terrifies other passengers. Then, a couple of other passengers keep getting haunted one by one. The spirits take control of their bodies and ask the civilians how they can be greedy. Only for those brief moments, Kembang, Tekun, and those on the other side notice these horrifying events in the fifth wagon. Then, Bara and his companion learn about these changes. Ramla believes it is a supernatural issue. But Bara calls her illogical. He keeps ignoring the reality and tries to pretend that everything is fine.
Bara walks up to the control station and sees the video footage of horrifying entities taking charge of the passengers in the fifth wagon. Despite the evident threat, he makes the operator delete that footage so no one else learns about it. Then, Ramla questions Bara’s wealthy friend about their greedy plan that took her husband’s life. In the later journey, the spirits take charge of other passengers’ bodies and turn them into ghastly creatures. They all ask the investor why he went ahead with his train route plan. As the situation worsens, Bara takes charge of the train’s controls and puts everyone’s lives in danger.
Does Purnama survive the horrifying onslaught on the train?
The passengers get together and stop Bara from putting their lives at risk. Then, Ramla reveals Bara forced her husband and other workers to operate on a train route plan through a forest – even though Ramla’s husband warned him against it since it is inhabited by otherworldly beings. Ramla’s husband was one of the workers who suffered working for Bara’s greedy, exploitative plan. By the time she reveals the truth, innocent Tekun loses his life. Then, the passengers surmise that the train gets haunted every time it passes through a tunnel. So, they decide to get down and take matters into their own hands.
As they enter the forest, the ghastly creatures engulf them, one by one. At the end of the film, only Purnama survives the onslaught while seeing Kembang gradually turn into a tree. She mourns Kembang’s death but cannot do anything to save her. Six months later, Purnama returns to the location, wondering why the creatures didn’t consume her. She realizes that it is likely because she is going to die sooner than others. So, the entity thought it wouldn’t make for fertile soil like the other living beings. Regardless, she meets her sister again and weeps.
Overall, the film revolves around the age-old conflict of humans vs. nature, explaining the evils of human greed and overconsumption. But it is an overperformed and underwritten mess. The redundant plot points and heavy use of cliches make it far worse.
