From zombies to ghosts, Korean horror films have become a favorite for people around the world.
With their unique plots, characters and twists, Korean horror films evoke bloodcurdling scenes that capture the audience’s frightened attention. And for Halloween, these films are sure to get renewed interests from viewers.
Here are the five Korean horror films that you can watch on Halloween:
- “Train to Busan” - Forget its sequel “Peninsula.” The Gong Yoo starrer “Train to Busan” is the real deal when it comes to Korean zombie films. It tells the story of a mysterious outbreak in South Korea following an explosion in a plant that triggers a zombie outbreak. Seok-woo (played by Gong Yoo) and his daughter Su-an (played by Kim Su-an) board a KTX train from Seoul and head to Busan to meet her mother. They travel on board the train without knowing the extent of the zombie outbreak and they need to fight back to survive the ordeal. “Train to Busan” emerged as the No. 1 film in South Korea in 2016, selling 11.56 million tickets and grossing $82.37 million, according to the Korean Film Council (KOFIC).
2. “The Wailing” - Another horrifying film that people need to watch is “The Wailing,” which came out also in 2016 and was screened at the Cannes Film Festival. It is a gruesome tale of people in a remote village getting killed, prompting the police led by Jong-goo (actor Kwak Do-won) to investigate. People are linking the killings to a Japanese man (played by Jun Kinumura) who arrived in the area. Actor Hwang Jung-min plays the role of shaman Il-gwang. “The Wailing” became the eight top-selling film in Korea in 2016 with 6.87 million in total admissions and grossing $49.38 million.
3. “The Mimic” - This 2017 film, starring Yum Jung-ah as Hee-yeon and Park Hyuk-kwon as Min-ho, is inspired by the tale of a ghost tiger in Jangsan mountain in Busan, which mimics human voices. The family relocates to a town near Jangsan mountain. She meets a mysterious little girl near a cave who later appears on their doorstep and lives with them. The girl, who introduces herself as Jun-hee, the name of the couple’s lost son, begins to mimic their daughter and things begin to happen in the family.
4. “Metamorphosis” - Released in 2019, the film tells the story of a demon who tries to destroy a family. Joong-Soo (played by actor Bae Sung-Woo) is a priest who performs exorcisms. A girl he tried to exorcise kills herself and the demon who destroyed her family moves to the family of his brother Gang-Goo (played by Sung Dong-Il) and Myung-Joo (Jang Young-Nam). Joong-soo will now try to save his family from the demon.
5. “A Tale of Two Sisters” - This movie has become a staple among Korean horror film fans. The story focuses on two sisters, Su-mi (played by Im Soo-jung) and Su-yeon (played by Moon Geun-young who was only 16 when the film was released). Su-mi and Su-yeon return to their father’s home and it starts a series of confrontations with their stepmother Eun-joo (played by Yum Jung-ah). A ghost appears during a visit by Eun-joo’s brother and his wife, and things start to happen after that.
Other horror films that are worth watching are “Whispering Corridors,” “Road Kill,” “#ALIVE,” “Killer Toon” and “Horror Stories.” (Photo credits: “Train to Busan” (KOFIC/ RedPeter Films); “The Wailing” (KOFIC/ Finecut); The Mimic” (KOFIC/ Studio Dream Capture); “Metamorphosis” (KOFIC/ DANACREATIVE); and “A Tale of Two Sisters” (KOFIC/ Boom Film/ Masulpiri).