Do you want to combine your love for horror and Korean shows? Or do you simply search for something to watch during Halloween? Either way, I got you!
I personally fell in love with the horror genre and cannot stop watching creepy, mysterious movies and series. I also like watching Korean shows and learning more about the culture, so I specifically wanted to make a list combining both, so I can binge watch everything during spooky season. So let’s get started!
K-Dramas
The Guest (손): Ghosts, Demons, Exorcism
This is the most recent K-Drama I watched, and I am telling you, I am obsessed! The first episode is already packed with so much action and excitement that I couldn’t stop watching another two episodes that night.
The Guest is a 2018 K-Drama about Yoon Hwa-pyung a psychic with the ability to see ghosts, and sometimes into the future. He gets help from detective (Kang Gil-young) and a priest (Choi Yoon or Matthew) to find THE terrifying and powerful ghost Park Il-do, who frequently possesses people. Hwa-pyung, Gil-young and the priest have each lost someone to the ghost, and want revenge. Watch this if you are a fan of supernatural movies mixed with some mystery. Kim Dong-wook, Kim Jae-wook, and Jung Eun-chae are the stars of this show.
Sweet Home (스위트홈): Monsters, Survival
Monsters are on the loose in this 2020 K-Drama that landed on #3 of the US Netflix charts. Cha Hyun-soo, a depressed high school student lives on his own when monsters start attacking the world. He and the other residents of the apartment build teams to survive during this catastrophe, and fight the monsters. The mix of these many different characters, including gangsters, teenagers, mothers, and firefighters, make this a fun watch on cold days. This drama includes some well-known actors and actresses, such as Song Kang, Lee Jin-wook, Lee Si-young, Park Gyu-young and Lee Do-hyun.
Goedam (도시괴담): Ghosts, Gore, Urban Legends
If you don’t want to put too much time and energy into a series, but watch something short, this one is for you! Goedam’s eight episodes are only seven to ten minutes long, and deliver urban legends made modern right to your home. The series, published in 2020, resembles Black Mirror in its style, but is way shorter, so viewers don’t get attached to the characters. According to a review by sabinochka on mydramalist.com, one should watch the episode in the reversed order and the episodes will actually offer a story. If you like stories about ghosts, shamans, and demons, you should definitely take a look on this one. Some actors and actresses in this short drama include Seola, Kim Ye-ji, Han Ga-rim, Jung Young-ki and Shim So-young. Also, the second season will have more K-Pop Stars on board: OH MY GIRL’s Arin, MONSTA X’s Shownu, BTOB’s Minhyuk, AleXa, Golden Child’s Jaehyun, THE BOYZ’s Juhaknyeon and Lovelyz’s Jisoo.
Kingdom (킹덤): Zombies
This list would not be complete without this classic zombie-drama from 2019, starring fabulous Bae Doo-na. Kingdom was the first Korean series to premier on Netflix, and thanks to its success, it might have paved the way for so many more series to be produced. During the Joseon dynasty a Crown Prince (Ju Ji-hoon) starts his journey to uncover the mystery of a new plague, turning his people into zombies. Bae-Doona plays a physician’s assistant who tries to find a cure to save the country. The drama was nominated for the “Best Drama” award in the 56th Baeksang Arts Awards, and has gotten a high approval rating on Rotten Tomatoes. It has also been renewed for a second season, and got another special episode called Kingdom: Ashin of the North. It is rarely the case for Korean dramas to be continued in this manner, which speaks for the popularity of Kingdom. If you like zombie movies, this is a must-watch!
Korean Movies
#Alive (#살아있다): Zombies, Survival
This 2020 zombie movie might make you cry. Joon-woo, portrayed by Yoo Ah-in, stays home alone while his family is away. While enjoying his free time gaming, he suddenly realizes that there is a zombie apocalypse in front of his own door. He needs to fight for his life and barricade himself in the apartment, but gets help from his neighbour Kim Yoo-bin (Park Shin-hye). Interestingly, this movie was released at the perfect time, as the pandemic has just started and people had to stay at home, so relating to this character was easier than usual. #Alive is a great watch, even if you don’t usually enjoy zombie movies. It has outstanding actors and very emotional moments. Also, the importance of social media is portrayed in this movie. If you liked Sweet Home, this movie is for you!
Forgotten: Psychological Thriller
Forgotten is a 2017 psychological thriller, so this might not be the horror experience to watch, but I wanted to include it in this list nevertheless because it is such a great movie. Jin-seok and his family have just moved into a new home, when he witnesses his brother Yoo-seok getting abducted. After some time, he returns and seemingly nothing happened. But the entire family is acting strange. That’s when Jin-seok starts investigating the mystery and the story unfolds. Honestly, this movie is mind boggling. The level of being confused for me, was the same when I watched Shutter Island for example. It is so entertaining, so if you like mystery, please watch this movie starring Kang Ha-neul, Kim Mu-yeol, Moon Sung-keun, and Na Young-hee!
The 8th Night: Ghosts, Survival, Exorcism
The 8th Night is a movie about a resurrected demon, that has been locked up and hidden for more than 2000 years. One day a man tries to prove its existence, but as no one believes him, the only way for him to be satisfied is to let the demon loose. One eye of said demon is hidden in the desert and let loose by the man, the other is being protected by Buddhist monks. Once the eyes find each other after eight nights, the demon will be unstoppable. The story follows the monks Park Jin-soo (Lee Sung-min) and Chung-seok (Nam Da-reum) trying to stop the demon and save the world before the time is over.
