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Over time, South Korea has offered movie lovers masterful cinematic experiences. After the release of films such as parasite And the maidespecially, Korean cinema has attracted a huge group of thriller fans in the West. Of course, everything horror The films from the country are exceptional in their style, which, instead of relying solely on jump scares and grotesque creatures like other traditional cinemas, plays more with the human mind, leaving the audience with a sense of fear for a long time.
Update June 28, 2023: This article has been updated with more must-see Korean horror movies..
movies like the host And Connection Advertised globally by viewers, the list below will feature top notch horror movies made in South Korea that you need to watch. While Halloween may be a few months away, summer scares are very popular. Here are some great Korean horror movies to broaden your viewing habits, which show just how amazing horror movies from all over the world can be.
9 Connection
Based on a 2011 British and Puerto Rican film caller, South korean horror movie 2020 Connection You will mess with your head only to have your mind blown in the end. Directed by Lee Chung-hyun, the film revolves around Kim Seo-yeon (Park Shin-hye), who visits her mother in her decrepit childhood home. Here she finds a walkie-talkie and gets a call from Oh Young-sook (Jeon Jong-seo), who lives in a different time. After connecting through the call, the lives of these two women change dramatically. Meanwhile, audiences get to experience time travel, action, and fantasy since the feature’s inception.
Through an exciting storyline, the main characters take the viewers into the past and, most importantly, leave them in suspense as the suspense builds to the very end. Besides the interesting twists and turns, Park and Jeon’s performances are also top notch, which adds another reason why. Connection Must watch. For her performance, Jeon also received the award for Best Actress – Movie at the 57th Baeksang Arts Awards.
8 Cinderella
Despite its fairytale-like title, Bong Man-dae’s Cinderella Not always happy, however, with Prince Charming coming to the girl’s rescue. Instead, this 2006 supernatural horror film is a gripping take on South Korea’s unhealthy obsession with plastic surgery in order to fit beauty standards.
Cinderella It follows Yoon-hee (Do Ji-won), a plastic surgeon who leads a happy life with her obedient and well-behaved daughter, Hyun su (Shin Se-kyung). However, after Hyun-soo’s friends—as well as her mother’s patients—start committing suicide, Hyun-soo begins to uncover the horrors of the past that her mother had kept from her.
7 thirst
Park chan wook movie thirst is a thrilling horror movie that beautifully showcases a new take on the vampire movie. getting positive reviews from critics and audiences, thirst It won the Jury Prize at the 2009 Cannes Film Festival and was also nominated for the Palme d’Or. Famous film critic Roger Ebert praised Park Chan-wook. thirst It also became the ninth most successful film in South Korea in 2009.
The film follows Sang Hyun (Song Kang-ho), a kind-hearted priest who, as a result of a failed medical experiment, turns into a vampire. However, after his traumatic transformation into a vampire, the movie adapts a dark and gruesome take as well. Things change when Sang Hyun becomes a bloody monster, and to quench his thirst, he starts volunteering at a hospital. There, he meets his childhood friend and his suffering wife, with whom he later falls in love.
6 Train to Busan
Zombie movies have had a renaissance thanks to the walking DeadAnd Korean studios have noticed. Train to Busan is one of their most exciting shows. Written and directed by Yeon Sang-ho, the film follows a group of passengers trapped on a train during a sudden zombie outbreak. With no way of knowing what’s going on, tensions run high, and alliances form as everyone looks to their own survival.
Gong Yoo plays the role of a father trying to protect his daughter. The movie also features Ma Dong-Seok and Jung Yu-mi as part of the basic survival crew, as they do their best to keep the zombies on the train at bay. It’s an intense movie with a lot of emotional gravitas.
5 I saw the devil
Revenge stories rarely suggest overindulgence, but that’s exactly what happens in this mini-masterpiece. Written by Park Hoon-joong and directed by Kim Ji-won, I saw the devil It is a dark and deep film that follows a law enforcement officer, played by Lee Byung-hun, as he seeks revenge against a sadistic serial killer who raped and murdered his fiancée. It is a game of cat and mouse with unique displays of graphic violence and psychological torture. This movie is not for the faint of heart, as the story works as a relentless exploration of revenge, with a gritty atmosphere and a thought-provoking examination of revenge.
4 #Alive
#Alive is a movie that was released at the height of the pandemic, so it was a relatable story for a lot of people around the world. This contemporary tale was written by Matt Naylor and directed by Cho Il-hyung. The story has been used in various tropes of the digital age. The story revolves around a young man, played by Yoo Ah-in, who finds himself trapped in his apartment during a mysterious outbreak that turns people into violent zombies.
With limited resources and communication, he is forced to take on the challenge of surviving solitude until a neighbor across the street notices him, and they begin planning their survival. It’s a great story showcasing the usefulness of technology and social media as a force for good.
3 A story of two sisters
With the help of Kim Ji-won, A story of two sisters Inspired by folklore originating from the Joseon Dynasty. The psychological horror film brilliantly captures the bittersweet tale of two sisters, Bae Soo Mi (Im Soo Jung) and Bae Soo Yeon (Moon Geun Young), who, after returning home from a mental institution, begin to struggle with anxiety. Events caused by their stepmother and ghosts haunt their home. The sisters must go down a frightening and frightening path to discover the turbulent history of their families, as well as the reason behind their suffering.
The twists and turns and the performances by the entire cast are really great, and the finale can leave viewers touched and shocked at the same time. A story of two sisters It is the highest-grossing Korean horror film, and is also the first ever Korean horror film to be released in US theaters.
2 wailing
Coming from announced director Na Hong-jin, wailing It includes not only horror, but also zombies, thriller, black magic and mystery. The unbeatable plot line follows Jong-goo (Kwan Do-won), who sets out to investigate a series of mysterious murders in a remote Korean village to save her daughter. The movie brilliantly carries the suspense and horror till the very end, without any jump scares and demons, which makes it different from the stereotypical horror cinema. As mentioned by VoxAnd Walling It is the most disturbing Korean horror movie in years.
1 the host
Bong Joon-ho from the 2019 movie Superhit parasite helmed the hostAnd Which he was inspired by a local news article about an S-shaped fish found in the Han River. The film shows the events after chemicals are dumped into the Han River causing the birth of an amphibious beast that, after years of pregnancy, presents itself to the locals and causes a bloodbath.
In between terrors, Park Gang-du (Song Kang-ho) loses his daughter to the monster. Later, along with his family, he fights the monster to save his daughter despite the border being closed by the government. In addition to strong-willed personalities, the host It delivers strong visuals, effective direction, and a plot to get everyone involved. The movie can be enjoyed by people of all ages, including kids who love watching action as well as horror. Because of many surprising factors, the host It succeeded in reaching Empire’s list of the 100 best films in world cinema.
