Ah, the land of South Korea—known for taking the world by storm through K-pop and K-dramas. The country is on a different level when it comes to delivering entertainment, and continues to evolve in doing so. Aside from the music and the dramas, the Land of the Morning Calm boasts another appeal: Its remarkable movies.
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You have probably heard about the Oscar-winning movie Parasite, not to mention the well-known zombie apocalypse film Train To Busan, so allow us to introduce you to Korea’s horror genre this time. These films are not just your usual scream fest, but they also dig deeper into the *darker side~* with themes of revenge and social issues, all in one. It is never too early for Halloween, so here are five Korean horror movies on Viu and Netflix that will make you want to sleep with the lights on for a few nights:
1. Gonjam: Haunted Asylum (2018)
Watch on: Viu
Reading the title itself is already pretty scary with “haunted” and “asylum” combined in one word, but what makes this movie even more terrifying is that it’s based on an actual abandoned psychiatric hospital in South Korea. The film follows a web series team who visit the asylum to get more views for a Youtube project, and find themselves dealing with the supernatural, as they get possessed one by one. Gonjam: Haunted Asylum made us realize that your sanity (and life) is not worth sacrificing for clickbaits.
2. Killer Toon (2013)
Watch on: Viu
What happens when comic stories come to life? You suspect the cartoonist for the series of murders happening. Killer Toon is a psychological horror-thriller film about a webtoon artist named Kang Ji Yoon who submits her latest work to her editor, Seo Mi Sook. Much to her surprise, Mi Sook finds out that the comic is about her mother’s death. Unfortunate events happen after (including Mi Sook’s own death), which will leave you checking all the comic books you’ve read once you’re done watching this movie.
3. Metamorphosis (2019)
Watch on: Netflix
Metamorphosis didn’t land on Netflix’s Top 10 most-watched movies and TV shows for nothing: Its theme on exorcism is fascinating on its own. Starring veteran actors Sung Dong Il (a.k.a our favorite appa), Jang Young Nam (that annoying nurse in the K-drama It’s Okay To Not Be Okay), and Bae Seong Woon, this horror movie explores the demon in disguise, and will surely keep you on the edge of your seat. Watch out for the connections hidden in this film.
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4. The Host (2006)
Watch on: Netflix
Directed by Parasite’s Bong Joon Ho, The Host is not your typical monster film especially when you have an award-winning director behind it. This poignant movie starts with the Park family, who owns a small business along the river. Chaos ensues when the son, played by Song Kang Ho (aside from The Host and Parasite, he also starred in Joon Ho’s other films like Memories of Murder and Snowpiercer—you can say that he’s a director’s favorite!), discovers a chemically-mutated creature that swallowed his daughter. Just like how Parasite won an Oscar for being an insightful human behavior observation, expect The Host to be on the same boat.
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5. Svaha: The Sixth Finger (2019)
Watch on: Netflix
Imagine a teenage girl with a strange, demonic twin sister who chewed her leg in the womb, and is often whipped by their grandparents—this odd kind of plot will definitely make you wonder who the hell the twin sister is. Svaha: The Sixth Finger’s story slowly leads to a pastor and police detective’s unerring suspicions about a religious cult, and a plot twist that you never expected in the end.
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