40 Korean Horror + Thriller Movies You *Need* To Watch If You Wanna Have Nightmares For Days
From creepy kids to haunted objects to gory revenge movies, Korean cinema is truly one of the best when it comes to the horror and thriller genre. There are sooo many undiscovered gems out there, so we prepped a list of scary K-movies you can add to your watch list!
Here are the best horror Korean movies for your next scary movie night:
Ghosts And The Supernatural
1. Gonjiam: Haunted Asylum (2018)
If you loved Squid Game, you'll be glad to know that this movie stars Wi Ha Joon! "An internet broadcaster recruits a handful of people for their 'experience the horror' show at Gonjiam Psychiatric Hospital. They are to explore the haunted asylum and stream it live on the show. To attract more viewers, the show hosts play tricks on the guests, but things start to get out of hand when they are inside the place, where tortured souls could really be lurking in the shadows." (via GSC Movies)
2. A Tale Of Two Sisters (2003)
This *classic* is both scary AND sad, trust me. The psychological horror film focuses on sisters Soo Mi and Soo Youn, who return to their childhood home to live with their father and ~evil~ stepmother. It's not a happy reunion and soon, eerie things start happening inside the house. Fun fact: This *disturbing* movie with a shocking plot twist actually had a Hollywood remake!
3. The Wailing (2016)
"The arrival of a mysterious stranger in an otherwise quiet village coincides with a rash of vicious murders, causing panic and suspicion amongst the villagers. When the daughter of investigating officer Jong Goo falls under the same savage spell, he calls for a shaman to assist in finding the culprit." (via 20th Century Studios Malaysia) According to GQ, The Wailing comes with "a whole host of twists and turns" and is "the spookiest movie on Netflix."
4. Whispering Corridors (1998)
In the first movie of the Whispering Corridors series, *mysterious incidents* start happening in a school full of secrets. The movie was so successful that five more installments were released after it.
5. Wishing Stairs (2003)
"Have you heard of the stairs that make wishes come true?" According to the Korean Film Council, this movie is part of the Whispering Corridors series and is about two students whose friendship is tested when they compete for a spot at a Russian ballet school. One of them, Jin-sung, wishes on the stairs to win the contest, but her wish comes true in a way she never expected it to.
6. Metamorphosis (2019)
A happy family's relationship is disrupted by an evil spirit that can ~*morph*~ and imitate them. In case you need more reasons to watch it, the movie filmed some scenes in the PH and features some Filipino actors.
7. R-Point (2004)
Set during the Vietnam war, this movie tells the story of soldiers who have been receiving radio signals from their missing colleagues. They go to the "R-point" to find them—dead or alive—but soon they aren't able to tell what's living or what's dead anymore.
8. Svaha: The Sixth Finger (2019)
"A minister who researches religious cults turns to his Buddhist monk friend for help investigating a new group with mysterious origins." (Via Netflix) Say hello to another one of our fave Squid Game actors, Lee Jung Jae:
9. Bunshinsaba (2004)
According to Korean Film Biz Zone, this movie tells the story of bullied young girls who place a curse on their tormentors using an Ouija Board. When they go back to school, one of the "cursed" bursts into flames, and horror ensues at school.
10. The Mimic (2017)
Are you fond of movies with scary children? In this film, a mother takes in a lost little girl who has the same name AND the same voice as her daughter, and soon regrets that decision as it becomes obvious that she's not exactly human. The story is based on the tiger of Mt. Jang, "a legendary ghost which mimics the sound of humans."
11. Epitaph (2007)
The period film involves the corpse of a beautiful girl, a child who can see the dead, and a woman who for some reason doesn't have a shadow.
12. Possessed/Living Death (2009)
"A woman tries to find her missing sister together with a sober cop. According to inhabitants of the apartment block, the girl is possessed by spirits, and her evangelical mother thinks she is the chosen one. When several neighbors die through suicide, it gets increasingly difficult to stay rational." (via International Film Festival Rotterdam)
~Haunted~ Objects And Animals
13. Killer Toon (2013)
Yup, it's about a comic...that kills. Killer Toon focuses on a famous artist whose drawings seem to predict the untimely and gruesome deaths of people around her.
14. The Doll Master (2004)
"Most girls never forget the name of their favorite doll," a voice says in the trailer. OMG, I'm getting chills already! In this film, five people are invited to pose as doll models at a remote art gallery, but the experience soon turns into a nightmare and they are forced to fight for their survival.
15. The Closet (2020)
When his daughter disappears ~inside a closet~, a single dad does everything in his power to get her back. Friendly reminder: Please close your closet doors after watching this film! You never know what could be hiding inside. *Wink wink*
16. The Cat (2011)
Nope, this movie isn't really for cat lovers. An animal groomer, So-yeon, takes in a cat named Silky after its owner dies. There's one problem, though: Ever since she got Silky, she keeps seeing the ghost of a young girl. (via Korean Film Biz Zone)
17. Don't Click (2012)
We're no stranger to movies with haunted video clips that you must not—under any circumstances—ever watch. This movie involves a "forbidden video" making its rounds in the online video-sharing community, and sisters Jung-mi and Se-hi find themselves in the center of it all.
18. Into The Mirror (2003)
Since we already talked about a scary closet, let's take a look at mirrors! In this movie..."Former detective Woo Young-min accidentally shot his partner while trying to arrest a criminal. He eventually starts his own investigation into a serial murder case, where all the murders occur in a department store, and all the victims were killed in front of mirrors." (via Korean Film Biz)
19. Phone (2002)
Haunted dolls, haunted mirrors, haunted video clips, and now a haunted phone. In this film, a journalist starts to wonder if the bizarre incidents around her might be caused by her new number. She soon finds out that its previous owners...died.
Zombies, Vampires, And Monsters
20. Train To Busan (2016)
This is your reminder to re-watch this masterpiece. Single daddy Gong Yoo and his daughter are on their way to Busan when they encounter a zombie outbreak! And in case you were wondering, the child actress who played his daughter is now 15 years old.
21. Seoul Station (2017)
In this animated prequel to Train To Busan, we see the beginnings of the zombie outbreak! It features the voices of Ryu Seung Ryong, Shim Eun Kyung, and Lee Joon.
22. #Alive (2020)
This zombie + survival movie tells the story of a gamer who is trapped inside his home as a virus that turns people into zombies wreaks havoc in the city. He struggles to survive and deals with limited food, the never-ending fear of getting attacked, and extreme loneliness. #Alive was the most popular horror movie on Netflix Philippines in 2020!
23. Rampant (2018)
Zombies, also known as "night demons," go *rampant* in ancient Joseon. According to the trailer, Hyun Bin plays a prince, who "discovers that it will take the strength of his entire kingdom to stop the bloody rampage spreading across the nation." Seo Ji Hye, Hyun Bin's co-star in Crash Landing On You, is also in this film.
24. Thirst (2009)
Vampires, anyone? "A devoted priest from a small town volunteers for a medical experiment which fails and turns him into a vampire. Physical and psychological changes lead to his affair with the wife of his childhood friend who is repressed and tired of her mundane life." (via Korean Film Biz Zone)
25. The Host (2006)
No Korean horror roundup isn't complete without Bong Joon Ho's socially relevant monster movie. "A mutant creature has developed from toxic chemical dumping. When the monster scoops up the daughter of a snack bar owner, he races to save her." (via Netflix)
*Dark* Fairy Tales
26. The Piper (2015)
In this Korean retelling of children's story The Pied Piper Of Hamelin, a village chief makes a deal with a piper to get rid of the town's rats. But when the chief double-crosses him, the piper vows to get his revenge.
27. Hansel And Gretel (2007)
Here's another horror film adapted from a fairytale! A young man is lured to the forest by a little girl, where he is invited to stay at a house filled with "happy" children. He soon discovers that they don't want him to leave. EVER.
28. The Red Shoes (2005)
It looks like Korean horror filmmakers are fond of adapting fairy tales because this one's based on Hans Christian Andersen's children's story of the same name. In this "brutal" retelling, a woman finds a pair of red shoes and immediately falls for them, but strange things start to take place around her.
29. Cinderella (2006)
Eun Soo, the daughter of a renowned plastic surgeon, knows something's definitely wrong when her mom's patients start cutting their faces and dying through suicide. Korean Film Biz Zone tells us: "She also starts to feel that there is someone else in the house where she lives alone with her mother. One day, she discovers a hidden basement and there, she comes to find a secret from her past, which will bring great turmoil to mother and daughter."
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Thrillers, Blood, And Gore
30. The Call (2020)
Two young women who live 20 years apart find out that they can communicate using a phone. You'd expect them to become friends, right? WRONG. Friendly warning: Prepare for *some* blood on your screen!
31. Oldboy (2003)
After being kidnapped and imprisoned for 15 long years for reasons unknown to him, Dae-soo (Choi Min Sik) vows to get his revenge.
32. I Saw The Devil (2010)
A dangerous psychopath and serial killer (Choi Min Sik of Oldboy) kills a beautiful woman. Her grieving fiancée, a special agent named Dae-hoon (Lee Byung Hyun), decides to track the murderer down and in the process...becomes a monster himself.
33. Bedevilled (2010)
A young woman named Hae-won takes a vacation to the *peaceful* island of Moo-do. She reunites with a childhood friend named Bok-nam, who is treated like a slave by men and women alike. After a tragic incident, Bok-nam snaps and gets her revenge.
34. The Silenced (2015)
The new student of a boarding school realizes that not everything is at it seems at her new home as her classmates being to vanish one by one and she feels unusual changes in her body. The movie stars our faves Park Bo Young and Park So Dam!
35. The Quiet Family (1998)
If you're in the mood for a black comedy and horror, this one's for you! It centers on a family that owns a mountain lodge, but the few guests they have keep dying...and they keep burying them.
36. Door Lock (2018)
"Don't you get that feeling sometimes where you're home alone but it feels like someone else is there with you?," Gong Hyo Jin says in the trailer. CREEPY! In this movie, a woman who lives alone finds traces of a stranger inside her apartment. The *mystery* leads to a series of unsolved murders.
37. To Sir, With Love (2006)
Also known as Bloody Reunion, this film tells the story of former classmates and their teacher who reunite after 16 years. The happy occasion turns ultra-bloody as they are killed off one by one.
38. Parasite (2019)
Sure, we see all the *gory* stuff towards the end of the film, but this movie deserves a spot on the list! In Parasite, a young man is hired as a tutor for a wealthy family's daughter. He soon schemes with his family to ~infiltrate~ the home.
39. Death Bell (2008)
During an unbearably stressful day in class, "elite" high school students are suddenly asked to solve a series of exam questions that will decide the fate of their classmates. For K-drama fans out there, you'll be happy to know that everyone's childhood crush Kim Bum is in this movie! Death Bell was so successful that a sequel called Death Bell: Bloody Camp was released in 2010.
40. The Handmaiden (2016)
Last but not least, we have an erotic psychological thriller set in 1930s Korea. The Handmaiden tells the story of two women—a Japanese heiress and her new Korean maid—who end up developing a sexual relationship. However, the Korean woman has a secret: she's plotting with a conman to rob the heiress of her inheritance.
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