Korean horror and occult films and dramas

Korean horror films often build slow, creeping fear from emotions like resentment, family ties and social wounds rather than relying only on jump scares. Everyday places such as schools, apartments and hospitals often serve as settings, and traditional elements like shamanism and folktales appear frequently. As a result, many leave viewers with sadness as well as fear.

Whispering Corridors is a horror film series set in girls' high schools, with six films from the first in 1998 to The Humanity Class in 2021. Each film is a standalone story with different characters. The series is known for turning issues such as exam pressure and discrimination at school into horror.

A Tale of Two Sisters is a 2003 horror film directed by Kim Jee-woon, inspired by the Joseon-era folktale Janghwa Hongryeon jeon. It follows strange events between two sisters who return to their country home and their stepmother, told with striking production design. It was remade in the United States as The Uninvited in 2009.

Yes, a few. Into the Mirror (2003) was remade as the American film Mirrors in 2008, and A Tale of Two Sisters became The Uninvited in 2009. The remakes moved the settings and characters to the United States, so comparing them with the originals shows clear differences in mood.

Yes. R-Point (2004), directed by Kong Su-chang, is a horror film set during the Vietnam War. It follows a Korean search unit sent to find a missing squad, who encounter unexplained events; it was filmed in Cambodia. It is regarded as a work that combines the scars of war with horror.

Yes. Epitaph (2007) is a horror film set in 1942 at Ansaeng Hospital, a Western-style hospital in Gyeongseong, as Seoul was then called. Directed by brothers Jung Sik and Jung Bum-shik, it weaves together three strange stories from the hospital. Its period design and sorrowful mood keep it frequently mentioned today.

Jang Jae-hyun is regarded as the leading director of Korean occult films. He made The Priests (2015), about a Catholic exorcism, Svaha: The Sixth Finger (2019), about Buddhism and a cult, and Exhuma (2024), about shamanism and geomancy. Each of his films draws on a different religion or belief system.

Exhuma is a 2024 occult film by Jang Jae-hyun. A shaman, a geomancer and an undertaker take on the job of relocating a family's grave, which sets off a series of eerie events. Korean shamanic rituals and geomancy appear vividly throughout. The film was also invited to several international festivals, raising the profile of Korean occult cinema.

Gonjiam: Haunted Asylum is a 2018 horror film by Jung Bum-shik, told in found-footage style as a crew livestreams their visit to an abandoned psychiatric hospital. The real building that inspired the film was demolished in 2018. Entering abandoned buildings without permission can be dangerous and may be illegal.

The Medium is a 2021 Thai-Korean horror film directed by Thailand's Banjong Pisanthanakun, with Na Hong-jin producing and writing the original story. Shot like a documentary, it follows strange events in a family of shamans in a rural Thai village. It won the top prize at the 2021 Bucheon International Fantastic Film Festival.

KBS's Hometown of Legends is based on folktales and legends from across Korea; it aired from 1977 to 1989 and has been revived several times since. Stories of the nine-tailed fox and maiden ghosts are among the best known. For many Koreans it remains a memory of scary stories from childhood.

Yes. OCN's The Guest (2018) drew attention by combining Korean shamanism with Catholic exorcism. tvN's The Cursed (2020), written by Yeon Sang-ho, dealt with a form of curse called bangbeop. Both are seen as examples of bringing distinctly Korean occult themes to television dramas.

Yes. Spellbound (2011) is a horror romantic comedy about a woman who sees ghosts and a magician who falls for her. It blends scary moments with laughs and romance, so even people who usually avoid horror can watch it fairly comfortably. Mixing horror with other genres has continued to be a common approach.

Shamanism has long been part of Korean folk belief, so themes like ghosts, vengeful spirits and gut rituals feel familiar to audiences. A shaman's role in easing the grief of the dead connects fear and sorrow in a story. However, rituals on screen are often dramatized and may differ from real shamanic practice.

Ghosts in Korean horror are often portrayed as spirits unable to leave this world because of injustice or deep resentment, known as han. The classic image is a figure with long hair wearing white mourning clothes. That is why stories sometimes focus on uncovering the ghost's story and easing its grief rather than simply defeating it.

In Korea, there is a popular idea that chilling stories help you forget the summer heat, so horror films have often been released in summer. TV stations also used to schedule summer horror specials featuring shows like Hometown of Legends. Today, thanks to streaming, people watch horror regardless of season.

Schools are familiar places where most people spent many years, so horror set there feels close to home. Empty classrooms at night and long hallways also easily create a mood very different from the daytime. Schools also let filmmakers turn students' worries, such as exam pressure and bullying, into horror, which is why many works, like the Whispering Corridors series, are set there.

Viewing age in Korea depends on the rating given by the Korea Media Rating Board, and horror films often receive a 15-and-over or adults-only rating. Ratings differ from film to film even within the same genre, so check the rating shown in release information or on the streaming service. Take extra care when watching with children.

Abandoned buildings and so-called haunted houses seen in films can be structurally unsafe and are often private property, so you should not enter without permission. The building that inspired Gonjiam, for example, was closed to visitors and later demolished. If you want to see filming locations, stick to public tourist sites and open film sets.

For a classic atmosphere, A Tale of Two Sisters is a common recommendation, and Exhuma is often suggested for a taste of Korean shamanism. If very scary films feel like too much, start with something lighter, such as Spellbound, which mixes in comedy. Check the age rating and your own taste before choosing.