In 2010, director Leonard Zelig used improvisational filmmaking to present a social experiment about 16 strangers trapped in a New York City subway car and facing imminent death. Sixteen years later, this 2026 adaptation expands on the original premise, once again exploring human behavior in the face of disaster.  

Having not seen the original film, I approach this modern adaptation without comparison. It examines what might happen when a horrific accident confines unstable, anxiety-ridden, and religiously driven individuals in a cramped space, forcing them to cooperate to survive.  

On a typical New York City afternoon, subway passengers sit absorbed in their own thoughts as they await their stops. Among them are young newlyweds, a resilient lesbian couple, a former officer, an expectant father, and a woman managing severe OCD—each carrying personal struggles. As the train moves along the tracks, none suspects that a dreadful nightmare is about to unfold.  

Suddenly, the subway car stops—an ordinary occurrence in New York City—before lurching violently as though convulsing, then exploding. Screams erupt as the passengers are tossed around like rag dolls on a broken roller coaster, convinced the train has crashed and they are about to die.  

Once the chaos subsides and the passengers check one another for injuries, a conductor arrives to assess the situation, provide light, and report that he has radioed the control center. “Help is on the way,” he assures them.  

And now…the real horror commences.  

Recent flashbacks introduce the passengers and reveal what brought each of them onto the subway that day. We begin with the lesbian couple, whose relationship is strained by differing views on having a child or adopting. Hoping to work through their disagreement, they are headed to their first therapy session. Clearly, they will be late.  

The conductor is torn between an apparent drinking problem and caring for his son, who is waiting to be picked up from school. Meanwhile, another man struggling with alcohol makes his way through the stalled subway car and offers to lead the group in prayer—an idea the panicked passengers do not welcome.

We also meet young newlyweds who are already struggling amid the crisis. Their problems began before the accident: the bride has difficulty expressing affection toward her new husband and wants to be left alone to “have fun.” Yes, have fun—while trapped on a train with little food or water but no shortage of drugs and alcohol.

As we learn more about these troubled passengers—their psychological struggles and reliance on substances to cope with the disaster—madness gradually overtakes more than half the group as the hours pass.  

Tempers flare, violence escalates, and personal secrets emerge, provoking judgment and impulsive attempts at resolution as everyone clings to hope of rescue. After 47 hours of adapting, laughing, crying, sinking into despair, and even flirting beyond their relationships, normal boundaries begin to collapse. What would you do in an impossible situation? Human behavior becomes fascinating under extreme pressure and inescapable circumstances—but when hysteria takes hold, who remains to hold anyone accountable?  

I want to see what happens when the monster finally emerges—and how far a person can descend before insanity becomes permanent.  

SubHysteria compellingly illustrates how ordinary people respond to extraordinary circumstances—and the consequences of reckless, impulsive decisions driven by distorted thinking among those who once believed themselves rational. It may not be a fun “ride” but it’s an interesting outcome!