Hallyu Wave has been extremely prominent worldwide, with various kinds of audience consuming different aspects of the Korean culture. One among them includes Korean movies, which have achieved commercial as well as critically acclaimed success globally. Moreover, K-movies have avidly experimented with horror, and they have been good at it.
The style of Korean horror movies doesn’t just restrict themselves to jump scares or scary scenes, they also explore many storylines and delve deeper into the human thought process to make it as real and scary as possible. Some of the most well-known Korean horror films include Train To Busan, Gonjiam: Haunted Asylum, The Witch, Parasite, and many others.
Check out some of our recommendations below.
Train To Busan
starring Gong Yoo, Choi Woo-Shik, and others, Train to Busan released in 2016. The film follows the story of a father-daughter boarding a train to Busan when they encounter a nightmare. The father-daughter duo, along with the train’s passengers, gets trapped amidst a zombie outbreak in South Korea. The movie became successful and also spawned a 2020 sequel.
Gonjiam: Haunted Asylum
Gonjiam: Haunted Asylum, starring Lee Seung Wook, Wi Ha-Joon, Park Ji-Hyun, and others, released in 2018. The film follows the story of a crew of an online horror show. They decide to go to an asylum and stream more clips of the show in an effort to gain more viewers. However, unforseen circumstances change the course of their lives.
The Witch
The Witch stars popular K-actors like Kim Da-Mi and Choi Woo-Shik and was released in 2018. The movie follows the story of a young girl who lives with her adoptive parents. However, one day, she appears on a television show to earn money for her family. At this point, many faces from her past return and change her life upside down. The movie was so successful that it spawned a Part 2 in 2022.
Monstrum
The 2018 film Monstrum stars Kim Myung Min, Choi Woo-Shik, and Park Hee-Soon in lead roles. The movie documents the journey of a loyal subject of the King of Joseon, who goes to any extent to protect the King and the people when a monster makes their lives miserable. The subject only faces dangerous challenges amid political conspiracies and power struggles.
The Host
Starring Kang Ho-Song, Bae Doona, Go Ah-Sung, The Host was released in 2006. The film follows the journey of a family’s chaotic lives after a monster erupts from Han river and abducts their daughter. The family sets out to find the monster and get their daughter back. The movie is known to showcase exemplary cinematography and storyline.
The Closet
The Closet, starring Ha Jung-Woo, Kim Nam-Gil, and Shin Hyun-Been, was released in 2020. The movie centers around the journey of a father and his daughter, who begin their life in a new home after his wife’s passing. However, their lives take a turn for the worse when the house is filled with strange noises and the daughter goes missing.
Bedevilled
The 2010 film Bedevilled stars Seo Young-Hee, Ji Sung-Won and Park Jeong-Hak in lead roles. The movie follows the story of a young woman who brings her daughter to a remote island only to witness the latter’s death by murder. Bedevilled deals with several uncomfortable subjects and presents gory images. However, it is a perfect watch for fans of the genre.
Korean horror movies deal with the human mind, the harsh realities of the world, and also socio-political instances. As such, the wide variety gives way to more storylines to create a plethora of content for the horror fans to watch.
