Creating the Best Korean Horror Films List
Normally, these country based horror lists are ten films or less, but more than half of the movies I have enjoyed from South Korea are beyond worthwhile. For a great nation known as the “Land of the Morning Calm”, it is amazing how many dark, atmospheric, and compelling horror movies they have created so far.
Breaking the best Korean horror films down to a tangible list is far from easy. Therefore, consider them in random order per star award. Most important, the last pair of films are definitely my number two and number one, and they are both deservedly on that “greatest horror films” of all-time list.
Best Korean Horror Films Top-20
20. The Wishing Stairs (2003) 3 stars
On rare occasions, a 29th step appears on a staircase at a remote boarding school. Whomever sets foot on that step will be granted a wish – that comes with a hefty price.
19. Train to Busan (2016) 3.5 stars
Busanhaeng is an intriguing epic of two heroic journeys told at the same time (and even a third). Commuters are trapped on a train at the start of zombie outbreak. It is epic in its scope.
18. The Call (2020) 3.5 stars
A single phone call connects a young woman in the present with another woman from the past. Soon a deadly game of cat and mouse transcends time and could change their futures forever.
17. Barking Dogs Never Bite (2000) 3.5 stars
Apathy abounds as Yun-ju (Sung-Jae Lee) and his wife try to navigate their dull lives. But the one thing that gets to them both is a neighbor’s barking dog. And soon, dogs begin to disappear…
16. Phone (2000) 3.5 stars
Harassed by a caller, reporter Ji-won (Ha Ji-won) changes her number and even moves. Even so, the threats continue and her world becomes ever darker and ever smaller. Can she survive?
15. Cello (2005) 3.5 stars
In Chello hongmijoo ilga salinsagan strange things begin to happen to a cellist after she escapes a car accident. Now, the lives of her loved ones are under threat from ghosts and malice, and she must find the cause before she loses everything. This film becomes relentless.
14. Bloody Reunion (2006) 3.5 stars
Blood reigns supreme in Seuseung-ui eunhye, where a class reunion unleashes deep-seated hatred as old wounds are torn open. After the violence erupts, will anyone survive?
13. Wide Awake (2007) 3.5 stars
Ri-teon explores the terror of “anesthesia awareness” – where a boy is actually awake while enduring heart surgery. The end result of his trauma leads to murder. Yet, even after psychological treatment, a mystery still haunts him.
12. Epitaph (2007) 3.5 stars
A hospital in 1942 serves as the foundation for three intertwined stories in Gidam, when Korea was occupied by Japanese forces. This not a typical anthology and stories are far from the norm – and that’s a great thing.
11. Black House (2007) 3.5 stars
An insurance agent concludes that a client is murdering people to collect insurance premiums. Can he discover the truth behind the doors of Geomeun jip? If he doesn’t, he may lose his life in the process.
10. Whispering Corridors (1998) 4 stars
The worst part about school isn’t all the work, it’s the dead student that comes back to class… Jin-Ju returns every three years leaving a trail of blood and death behind her. From classmates to faculty, no one is safe from Jin-Ju’s wrath.
9. Tell Me Something (1999) 4 stars
There’s nothing like finding mismatched body parts from men spread across the city of Seoul. A detective’s only clue is a connection to an artist and that’s not even half the mystery. He must put the pieces together before the body count continues to rise?
8. Sorum (2001) 4 stars
Take a creepy apartment building full of weird tenants, add in a 30-year-old murder mystery, and let the madness ensue. It would be a miracle if anyone survives to pay next month’s rent.
7. The Uninvited (2003) 4 stars
A man with no childhood memories witnesses the death of two girls – who start to haunt him. He thinks he’s going mad until meeting a narcoleptic psychic who can see them as well.
6. R-Point (2004) 4 stars
During the Vietnam War, a South Korean military base detects a radio signal from a missing squad, presumed to have been killed in action. A rescue squad heads out to find them on sacred ground and the soldiers will face something they never thought imaginable.
5. Spider Forest (2004) 4 stars
Dreams and reality clash when a television producer finds a dead man hacked to death in a remote cabin. Near the body is the producer’s girlfriend, whispering “Spiders” before she dies. But after he awakes in a hospital, he becomes the number one suspect for the killings.
4. Kingdom: Ashin of the North (2021) 4 stars
Based on the television series, Ashin (Si-ah Kim) loses her tribe and her family by unscrupulous men. But a rare, wild ginseng plant may raise the dead as a grown Ashin (Jun Ji-hyun) unleashes her revenge.
3. The Wailing (2016, USA/Korea) 4 stars
In a small village, a local policemen must determine why a mysterious infection has lead to so many people killing their families. If he doesn’t act fast, he may lose his daughter – and much more.
2. Moebius (2014) 4.5 stars
In this dialogue-free powerhouse, a betrayed wife brings a knife into the bedroom… Explore a twisted implosion of a family in disturbing, unbridled fashion. The tension is fierce, to say the least!
1. A Tale of Two Sisters (2003) 5 stars
A cinematic and storytelling masterpiece, two sisters leave an institution and return to their childhood home. They have to cope with a hostile stepmother and a nagging spirit, as their world continues to fall apart, minute by breathless minute.
Best Korean Horror: Runner’s Up
All are 3 out of 5 stars and definitely worth a watch. I know I Saw the Devil is a major favorite among many horror fans, and I get it. But one important plot point nagged the Hell out of me, and I just can’t shake it…
The 8th Night (2021),The Guard Post (2008), I Saw the Devil (2010), Office (2015), and Thirst (2009).
The Plot Sickens: Crash presents a list of Best Irish Horror Films!
Billy Crash
Also known as William D. Prystauk, he loves great, in-depth characters and storytelling in horror, and likes to see heads roll. However, if you kill a dog on screen he’ll cry like a baby. Crash, an award-winning screenwriter and novelist, co-hosts THE LAST KNOCK horror podcast on iTunes and Spotify (among other venues), and can also be found on Twitter, LinkedIn, IMDb, Amazon, Behance, YouTube, and Instagram. He’s currently in pre-production on a dramatic thriller feature while working on the fourth novel in his award-winning Kink Noir crime thriller series.
THE LAST KNOCK horror podcast is a Crash Palace Productions’ featured show. Besides this site, you can find THE LAST KNOCK on iTunes and Spotify (and more) with new shows posted every other Sunday at 9 PM ET.
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Note: What’s up with the one-man shows as of late? Never fear, Jonny Numb and Billy Crash are still The Last Knock duo! But due to work demands, COVID-19 vaccine recovery, and individual writing projects, time has been demanding. The pair will get on the same wavelength soon enough!
(Moebius movie still from Kim Ki-Duk Films.)