Although Korean horror isn’t as mainstream as American horror, never let that fool you. As Squid Game set out to prove in 2021, there is a well of untapped potential in Korea, especially in the acting industry. The immensely successful K-drama introduced international audiences to the likes of HoYeon Jung, Lee Jung-jae, Wi Ha-joon, and O Yeong-su. Even in the years following its broadcast, Squid Game has remained Netflix’s most-watched series, beating Stranger Things 4, Wednesday, and Monster: The Jeffrey Dahmer Story. Not to be confused with J-horror, which brought us The Grudge, Ring, and Pulse, the Korean horrorsphere generally focuses on creature features, zombie outbreaks, and psychological mind-benders.
Although J-horror has existed for decades, Korean horror only gained traction in the early 2000s, eventually improving on genre tropes to perfect the craft in the later 2010s, specifically the year 2016, which was pivotal for the culture. Many movies perform so well that American companies insist on producing English-language Hollywood remakes. Many Korean horrors feature a cruel and sadistic mother-in-law or grandmother/great-grandmother as the antagonist, for example, Amanda’s mother in Umma, starring Sandra Oh. Fancy the K-horror scene? Here’s some must-see movies to get you acquainted with the genre.
Train to Busan (2016)
Perhaps the most well-known Korean horror film, Train to Busan stars Gong Yoo and Kim Su-an as a father-daughter duo who find themselves fighting for their lives against a zombie epidemic on a high-speed train from Seoul to Busan. Releasing in July 2016, the movie set a record to become the first Korean film of 2016 to break the audience record of over 10 million theatergoers in just a few weeks, on August 7. Interestingly, the movement of the zombies was inspired by the dolls in Ghost in the Shell and the Silent Hill nurses. At the Fangoria Chainsaw Awards, one of the most prestigious horror ceremonies, Train to Busan won Best Foreign-Language Film.
The Wailing (2016)
As we stray from zombies and focus more on ghouls, that brings us to The Wailing, which is more of a supernatural/psychological horror. Directed by Na Hong-jin, the movie focuses on Jong-goo, a policeman who investigates a series of murders and strange occurrences in a remote village called Gokseong, all the while on a mission to save his daughter from a malicious spirit. The cast includes Kwak Do-won, Hwang Jung-min, Chun Woo-hee, and Kim Hwan-hee as Jong-goo’s daughter. The Wailing was also nominated at the Fangoria Chainsaw Awards, but obviously lost out to Train to Busan. However, the movie did take home Best Film at the KOFRA Film Awards, Top Films of the Year at the 36th Korean Association of Film Critics Awards, and several Best Actor awards for Kwak Do-won.
The Host (2006)
Here is the first of several Korean creature features; the general theme of these movies is human ignorance, usually that which leads to a monstrous mutation seeking to feast on mankind. Think Slither and the like. You might have heard of a little Korean number called Parasite, and if that’s the case, you’ll be familiar with director Bong Joon-ho, who also helmed The Host. Considering how much of a massive international hit Parasite became, that should be all the persuading one needs. According to Joon-ho himself, his inspiration came from a local article about a deformed fish with an S-shaped spine caught in the Han River. Additionally, if you need more incentive to give The Host a try, by the end of its run on November 8, 13 million tickets had been sold, making it — at the time — the highest-grossing South Korean film of all time.
Save the Green Planet! (2003)
Granted, while not inherently a horror, Save the Green Planet! is something of a genre hybrid, mixing elements of sci-fi, drama, comedy, and also segments of horror. Director Jang Joon-hwan made his feature-film directorial debut with this mix-match movie, which is considered to be one of the most unique and creative in Korean cinema history. Although the story itself is a tad confusing, the basic premise revolves around a man who kidnaps another man, convinced that he is an extraterrestrial. Shin Ha-kyun, Baek Yoon-sik, Hwang Jeong-min, and Lee Jae-yong star in a surprisingly enjoyable mishmash of genres that earned Best Supporting Actor for Baek Yoon-sik and Best New Director for Jang Joon-hwan at the Korean Film Awards. Although the movie wasn’t a massive box office success, it certainly went down a treat with audiences and has since became a cult-classic by Korean movie standards.
A Tale of Two Sisters (2003)
Both 2003 and 2016 seemed to be pivotal years for Korean cinema, but A Tale of Two Sisters certainly earns the credit for renewing the culture for modern audiences. Both of Kim Jee-woon’s horror movies make it on the list, the second being I Saw the Devil, which we’ll get to shortly. Inspired by the Joseon dynasty-era folktale titled “Janghwa Hongryeon jeon,” the plot surrounds a mental patient recently discharged to return home with her sister. She begins to notice stranger happenings in the family home, particularly concerning her stepmother and the ghosts haunting their house. A Tale of Two Sisters opened to positive commercial and critical reception, going on to win Best Picture at the 2004 Fantasporto Film Festival.
I Saw the Devil (2010)
Another masterpiece from Kim Jee-woon, I Saw the Devil stars Lee Byung-hun as a NIS agent who sets out on a vengeful quest to take down the psychopathic serial killer (Choi Min-sik) who murdered his wife. Again, although the movie is classified as an action-thriller and not a horror, there are certainly snippets that are nightmarish and make use of effective cinematography and lighting reminiscent of horrors. I Saw the Devil premiered at the 2011 Sundance Film Festival and had a limited U.S. theatrical release, but despite this short-lived run, the movie certainly left a mark on the Korean cinema industry, namely with both Korean and U.S. critics who found it thoroughly immersive.
Thirst (2009)
Although the poster is a little… let’s say off-putting, Thirst is a severely underrated Korean horror. Directed by one of the most prominent Korean filmmakers in cinema history, Park Chan-wook, Thirst tells the story of Sang-hyun, a Catholic priest who turns into a vampire after an experiment goes awry and falls in love with the wife of his childhood friend. The movie struck gold with critics, winning the Jury Prize at the 2009 Cannes Film Festival, where it was also nominated for the Palme d’Or. There are several elements of Thirst that cross-over other genres — namely romance and thriller — specifically because it’s not only an engaging horror, but also an illicit love story.
The Call (2020)
Loosely based on the 2011 British and Puerto Rican movie The Caller, this Lee Chung-hyun vessel stars Park Shin-hye and Jeon Jong-seo as two women from different time periods who connect through a phone call that alters their fates. It was originally due to be released theatrically, but due to the COVID-19 pandemic, this was canceled. Instead, the movie was released globally on Netflix in 2020. Jeon Jong-seo went home with three Best Actress awards on three separate occasions at the 57th Baeksang Arts Awards, the 30th Buil Film Awards, and the 20th Director’s Cut Awards. Although The Call isn’t as famous as some other Korean horrors, it holds a 100% approval rating on Rotten Tomatoes, so definitely a must-see.
The Closet (2020)
Another lesser-known yet sensational Korean horror is Kim Kwang-bin’s The Closet, which sees a man and his daughter grow apart after the death of his wife. After the daughter goes missing in their home, a mysterious man tells the father to look for her in the closet. Ha Jung-woo and Kim Nam-gil portray the father and mystery man, respectively, both of whom are extremely famous in Korea. It’s a bit of a hidden gem and there isn’t too much online about it, but The Closet does hold a 89% rating on Rotten Tomatoes.
#Alive (2020)
And that brings us full-circle to another zombie thriller, the crown jewel of Korean horror. #Alive was initially based on the script for 2019’s Alone by Matt Naylor (which itself became another film) and revolves around a video game streamer who finds himself trapped in an apartment alone during a zombie apocalypse in Seoul. Although it was originally released in South Korea, it became a global hit through Netflix, at the time entering the all-time Netflix top 10 non-English language movies but has since dropped out. In the same vein, on its opening day in South Korea, #Alive garnered 204,071 viewers and had the highest first-day viewership of any film since February 2020 – due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
