10 Horror-Themed South Korean Dramas Perfect For Halloween – GameSpot

Need more than the scare period of a horror feature? Since the soaring fame and critical acclaim received from 2021’s deadly survival game drama squid gameAudiences around the world who were previously unfamiliar with the world of South Korean dramas would realize that there is more to it than meets the eye, considering the genre diversity of the TV series.

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Defeating the presumption that K-dramas are shrouded in rosy facades of outrageously beautiful people falling in love with nothing introspective to offer, these horror-themed drama series perfectly demonstrate how the South Korean film industry has failed. not afraid to reach gray and grainy territories. . Especially when it comes to flesh-eating zombies, charismatic ghost hunters, and mercurial-tempered psychopaths.

“The Guest” (2018)

A supernatural mystery drama about exorcism and shamanism, The guest (2018) sees the main protagonists collide with age-old evil spirits, which coincidentally brought them together in the first place.

When a powerful demon called “Son” Once again threatening the world with its vengeful powers after 20 years, the unusual trio includes a medium, a priest and a detective. Each has their respective but interconnected pasts and are determined to seek out the possessed and finally end the demonic killings.

“Kingdom” (2019)

Netflix’s first original South Korean drama series, Kingdom (2019), is based on the webtoon series The Kingdom of the Gods. Kingdom went on to release a sequel season as well as spinoffs due to high praise surrounding the drama’s refreshing integration of period political drama with terrifying zombie outbreaks.

The dark historical fantasy drama is set in the 16th century, where the crown prince of Joseon, Lee Chang (Ju Ji-hoon) investigates the mysterious illness that afflicts the king. Only to find himself trapped in a deadly epidemic that has overthrown the entire kingdom, where the dead have been reanimated into agile, cannibalistic creatures.

“The Master’s Sun” (2013)

Blending horror with classic K-drama rom-com tropes, The Master’s Sun sets itself apart from other typical rom-com dramas by offering some of the weirdest ghouls that will literally come out of nowhere.

Since suffering a near-death accident, Tae Gong-shil (Kong Hyo-jin) became a reluctant ghost whisperer, terrified of her psychic abilities to hear and see the ghosts around her. When she comes into physical contact with Joo Joong-won (So Ji-sub), the arrogant CEO of an extravagant mall named Kingdom, she realizes that the surrounding ghosts are soon disappearing. Thus, their quarrelsome alliance is set in motion.

“Strangers from Hell” (2019)

Sometimes humans turn out to be scarier than ghosts and monsters, as evidenced by this 2019 mystery thriller drama aliens from hellalso aptly titled Hell is other people.

When an aspiring mystery writer Yoon Jong-woo (It’s Siwan) moves to Seoul, he becomes a resident of a cheap and ominous-looking apartment named Eden Studios. Far from his idea of ​​paradise, he decides to leave the building once he earns enough money. But a macabre series of mysterious events has led Jong-woo to fear his suspicious neighbors even more, especially neighbor Seo Moon-jo (Lee Dong-wook).

“Bring It On, Ghost” (2016)

A wandering spirit teaming up with a ghostbuster might not be the most logical collaboration, but Bring it on, ghost (2016) challenges assumptions that all ghosts are malevolent while exorcists are indifferent killing machines.

Kim Hyunji (Kim So-hyun) was a bubbly high school girl before she died at the age of 19 following a traffic accident. As a wandering spirit, she meets the exorcist Park Bong-pal (Ok Taec-yeon) who expatriated ghosts to make ends meet and undergo a procedure to remove his clairvoyant abilities. Believing he might be the key to righting his mysterious demise, Hyun-ji teams up with Bong-pal as partners in the fight against ghosts as they battle ghosts of varying backgrounds and personalities.

“Hell” (2021)

Knock squid game out of the number 1 spot on Netflix, Hell (2021) takes the audience’s attention back from a gigantic creepy animatronic doll to supernatural, monstrous emissaries from hell.

A pointed commentary on mortal sins and the influence of mass media, the dark fantasy drama is set in the year 2022, where the future would be tyrannized by otherworldly entities called “angels” issuing decrees condemning certain individuals to evil. random hell. The world is thrown into complete chaos when enigmatic religious organizations join in the frenzy.

‘Sweet Home’ (2020)

Another fan-favorite Netflix production, sweet home (2020) explores a post-apocalyptic setting where humans are confined to relentless fight-or-flight situations, either to fight back against bogey monsters with unique traits and abilities, or to escape their ambushes long enough to survive a other day.

sweet home sees the reclusive Cha Hyun-su (Song Kang) moving to a new apartment after a family drama. As humans are slowly transformed into hostile monsters with symptoms ranging from a bloody runny nose to hallucinations, Hyun-su and his neighbors are trapped in their apartment building while battling these devious monstrosities for survival.

“The cursed” (2020)

While the theories linking the success of certain business conglomerates to shamanism and voodoo are bizarre but not entirely dismissed, Cursed (2020) expands on these speculations by launching a gripping detective effort and shedding light on the role of a psychic child.

The mystery drama follows enthusiastic social justice reporter Im Jin-hee (Uhm Ji-won) as she explores the shady business tolerated by the chairman of South Korea’s largest IT company, Jin Jong-hyun (Sung Dong Il), who clings to shamanism for his professional success. With the help of Baek So-jin (Jung Ji-so), who bears special abilities due to being possessed by a spirit, Jin-hee strives to uncover the wrongdoings maneuvering the IT company.

‘Happiness’ (2021)

If you’re not into period dramas but still yearn for adrenaline-pumping zombie thrillers, Happiness (2021) can be considered the modernized version Kingdom with less political drama and a hint of a romantic subplot.

After being scratched by a trainee infected with a newly discovered deadly virus, special police member Yoon Sae-bom (Han Hyo-joo) is surprisingly little affected by the sequelae of the disease. After moving into a new high-rise apartment with her fake husband Jung Yi-hyun (Park Hyung Sik), a former star baseball player turned detective, an outbreak of a virus – the Lytta virus – caused the building to shut down, heightening residents’ fear and mistrust of one another.

“Sell Your Haunted House” (2021)

The basic premise of a haunted house has led to both iconic and ghastly media productions capitalizing on audience fear, including Sell ​​your haunted house (2021). The film has an awesome protagonist that anyone looking for a new home is bound to hire.

Hong Ji-ah (Jang Naralisten)) is a real estate agent who performs exorcisms on houses and buildings where people have died, while Jung Yong-hwa is a con man who uses ghosts in his schemes to make money. The unlikely duo team up to solve the untimely death of Ji-ah’s mother and uncle while developing Yong-hwa’s underlying psychic abilities.

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