South Korean horror movies are famous for their unconventional treatment of scares and not shying away to show how dark human nature can be. Here are top five Korean horror movies to watch.
A Tale of Two Sisters (2003)
A Tale of Two Sisters had a plot twist that can be regarded as the mother of all plot twists and it’s also one of the highest grossing horror movies in South Korea.
The movies follow the story of a girl named Su-mi who returned home after being treated in a mental asylum. She tried to adjust to her new life with her father, sister, and her stepmother with whom she does not share a good relationship. The movie then turns out to be a haunted house movie where dark secrets are revealed and it shows how terrible things humans can do to each other.
Gonjiam: A Haunted Asylum (2018)
Gonjiam: A Haunted Asylum is a found footage horror movie about a group of people who came to shoot a web series in an abandoned and haunted psychiatric hospital.
Gonijam: A Haunted Asylum was inspired by the various urban legends related to the real-life Gonjiam Psychiatric Hospital which is believed to be haunted. It’s a found footage movie that follows a crew of a web series who came to the abandoned Gonjiam Psychiatric Hospital. Slowly they realize that this place is haunted and they are followed by supernatural entities.
The Piper (2015)
The Piper is an adaptation of the popular western folk tale The Pied Piper of Hamelin.
It tells the story of a flute player- Woo-ryong, and his 10-year-old son. They come across a village that was terrified of strange predatory rats with a taste for human flesh. Just like the original tale, the piper who is Woo-ryong in the movie makes a deal with the chief of the village to get rid of the rats but gets betrayed by the chief after work is done. The movie shows how an act of inhumanity changes a loving, happy father into a shattered, revenge-seeking man.
Train To Busan (2016)
Train to Busan is a zombie apocalypse movie and the movie’s success brought Korean cinema to international attention.
The movie is a perfect blend of zombie horror, action, and emotions making it a must-watch. The movie follows the story of a father with his young daughter on board a train to Busan. The the passengers of the train get infected by a zombie outbreak and the rest of the movie shows how the father-daughter and other non-infected passengers of the train survive.
Monstrum (2018)
Monstrum released in 2018 is a quite entertaining monster movie. What makes it different from other monster movies is the reasoning behind the monster.
The story of this movie is set in the 1500s. It’s a story about a kingdom that is already suffering from a deadly plague, and some monster rumors causing a threat to the throne of the king. King Jungjong sends a team of his soldiers to find the truth behind the rumors.
