The Scariest K-Horror Movies of All Time

Further to the recent list of the scariest J-horror movies of all time, Korea has some too. I would like to change a few in the Japanese list and this one isn’t perfect either. But all together you should have no problem finding some horrifying scary movies to watch on Halloween! According to Wikipedia:

K-Horror is a genre of Asian horror that emerged due to the enormous success of the horror films in Japan, which itself was initiated by the film Ringu. This movement in Japan was tentatively called J-Horror. K-Horror features many of the same motifs, themes, and imagery as J-Horror, but set in its own country’s locale and influenced by their own society. A prevailant theme in Korean movies seems to be long, protracted suffering and prolonged scenes of grief and torture. Sure enough, Korean horror movies are almost guaranteed to focus more on the plight and anguish of the characters rather than over-the-top gore effects. Other than this, they are often indistinguishable from J-horror movies.

Tale of Two Sisters (2003) Two young sisters recovering from an unnamed trauma must face a mysterious past in this excellent South Korean shocker. A worldwide hit upon its release and based on an old Korean fairy tale; two sisters come to live with their cold and distant father and turn-on-a-dime stepmother in a house where nothing is as it seems. A wonderfully haunting score, starkly beautiful imagery, and a labyrinthine plot that twists and turns at every dark corner all set the stage for a riveting and often terrifying guessing game of a movie. [Wikipedia]

The Phone (2002)  An investigative reporter, who has recently published a controversial article about sex scandals, begins to receive a series of menacing phone calls. In an effort to escape these calls, she changes her number, but the calls keep coming. When a friend’s young daughter innocently answers the ringing telephone, she begins to exhibit increasingly crazed behavior. As the mystery of the calls is uncovered, a terrifying secret is revealed. Stylish and shocking, Phone is a new entry in the Asian horror genre. [amazon.com] Trailer here.

The Quiet Family (1998) The parents along with their three children and the uncle, buys a lodge in the forest on a mountain, hoping to make a fortune running their own business. After a few weeks they received their first guest but misfortune strike the family as several of their guests are found dead. To avoid the bad publicity of the deaths in their lodge they decide to bury the bodies in the forest. As the body count increases the family seems to get used to their new way of running the business but unfortunately the police take notice that many people have disappeared in the area. [KFCC] Trailer here.

Whispering Corridors (1998) This film shines through the usual glut of glib teenage screamers partly because it works on so many levels: socio-political commentary, an understanding of the natural hierarchical order within schools (all-girls’ schools, in particular), urban legend and even a philosophical look at the nature of friendship. It also works on a purely entertaining level, with a tight script, great quality acting and directing, atmospheric cinematography and, most importantly, a fascinating psychological ghost-mystery-whodunnit-thriller-suspense story, rammed with red herrings and false leads, and also with a sad, moving, and terribly bleak undertone. [Mandi Apple] Trailer here.

Wishing Stairs
(2003) In a Korean boarding school, there is a legend about its twenty-eight steps stairway: when the twentieth-ninth step appears, the fox will grant a wish to the climber. The lesbian ballet student Kim So-hee is in deep love with her passive girlfriend and also ballet student Yoon Jin-sung. When there is a competition for a single spot in a famous ballet school in Russia, the envious Jin-sung finds the twentieth-ninth step and asks to beat the favorite So-hee. However, there is a price to pay for the wish unknown to Jin-sung and the consequence is the accidental death of So-hee. Meanwhile, the fat student Eon Hae-ju, who is despised and tormented by her classmate Han Yoon-ji, misses So-hee. When she also finds the mysterious step, she wishes the return of So-hee with tragic consequences. [amazon.com] Trailer here.

15 Responses to “The Scariest K-Horror Movies of All Time”

riki Said:

Didn’t like Tale of Two Sisters, it looked visually amazing but the story jumped around too much. Whispering Corridors was good, but the second version “Memento Mori” was even better.

Papigiulio Said:

lol riki you just liked memento mori becus of the lesbian scenes :P

Khorrors are pretty lame if you ask me. Always the same bulllcrap girl with long hair in front of her face scaring the crap out of everyone.

To see some good horror I urge everyone to see:
Bloodrain, into the mirror, face, r-point, and the latest I have seen were Muoi which was very nicely shot and the ridiculous blackhouse, which was just weird.

You can find some reviews on my site about asian movies if anyones interested. Small hobby of mine :P

riki Said:

yeah papi am I that obvious :)

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[...] is Halloween and thanks to Japundit he has compiled a list of the Scariest Korean Movies.  I am a big fan of Korean movies, but personally I find the K-horror genre of movies pretty [...]

jen Said:

well we all know that the host is pretty scary
it was like number 5 or somethin on cnn’s top ten scariest movies
it was very gruesomee

Bow Said:

I’ve seen Memento Mori which was alright, it went a bit slow for my liking and I felt nothing much really happened. I have also seen Wishing Stairs, and blooming heck that scared me quite a bit indeed!! I am still to watch the other two films of the Whispering Corridors series and I am hoping they will outdo the two I have already seen. I’ve seen parts of The Quiet Family and it seems more like a black comedy, the film has the unfortunately hilarious aspect that I like [the family's misfortune and ways of trying to right their doings] managed to get a fair few chuckles out of me.

Kirsty Said:

You left off Shutter, the origina obviously, thats a fantastic film!

Ray Said:

I think shutter is thai horror, not korean.

sustika Said:

i think comming soon (thai movie) ia the most scarest movie after shutter
you guys should watch it

Anonymous Said:

wishing stairs was horrible

Joon Said:

If K-horror suck, J-horror does too, as J-horror also always uses the long black hair thing, so Papiliugio, I wouldn’t be talking, coz Japan does the same, why blame Korea if Japan does the same thing, and I bet you’re just saying that coz ur freaked out by the movies. You can’t ever say K-horror sucks and J-horror rules, coz they both use long black hair. Japan isn’t that innocent to say.

Joon Said:

Papigiulio you are so lame. You say it’s always the same bullcrap long hair thing. But those movies you recommended have long hair. So idiotic of you. Muoi uses an excessive amoun tog long black hair, but you recommend it, and you say long hair sucks? What a shitty thin to say. And no, K-horror doesn’t always have long black hair. Whispering corridors doesn’t, R-point doesn’t either, dumbass, you’re such an idiot.

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