The History of Korean Horror

Joe and Shawn are joined by Justin Kyle, co-host of the weekly horror film podcast Straight Chilling, for a decade-by-decade guide to Korean horror cinema. Starting from a lost 1924 silent film made under Japanese occupation and running through Na Hong-jin's divisive 2024 creature feature, Justin leads a structured tour of the films, directors, themes, and historical forces that shaped one of world cinema's most distinctive horror traditions.

Guest

Justin Kyle, Straight Chilling Podcast
straightchilling.com
Also writes for koreanfilm.org and Korea Times

Topics discussed

The 1924 silent horror film adaptation of the Tale of Two Sisters, made during Japanese occupation around the same time as Nosferatu and The Cabinet of Dr. Caligari, now a lost film

The Korean Film Archive's YouTube channel and Blu-ray releases for older films, and the ongoing problem of lost or damaged Korean films even from relatively recent decades

Why Korean horror rarely produces slashers, monster films, or vampire stories, and what it produces instead

The femme fatale and the vengeful female ghost as recurring figures in Korean horror, and the argument that these women have genuine narrative agency rather than existing simply as threats to be defeated

The 1960s as the first golden age of Korean horror, and the unusually high cinematographic quality of films from that era

How Park Chung-hee's nationalist cultural policies in the 70s inadvertently created a boom in shaman-themed cinema

The censorship era of the 70s and 80s, what it did to Korean filmmaking, and why the 80s produced so few horror films

The shamanism film tradition in Korean cinema and why claims that it is a new trend are wrong

Whispering Corridors (1998) as the beginning of the second golden age of Korean horror

Why the end of censorship in the mid-to-late 90s unlocked a new era of ambitious Korean filmmaking

The Quiet Family, A Tale of Two Sisters, The Host, and Thirst as the peak of 2000s Korean horror

The debate over whether Park Chan-wook or Bong Joon-ho is the better filmmaker

Train to Busan and the argument about whether it is a great zombie film, a mediocre horror film, or an accessible action film that Koreans don't even classify as horror

The Wailing as the conclusion of the second golden age

Seire (2021) as the best Korean horror film of the current decade, and the Korean folk traditions around birth and death it draws on

Exhuma and what happens when horror films prioritize accessibility over atmosphere

Na Hong-jin's Hope and why it's deeply divisive

The Netflix and K-pop effect on Korean cinema and the argument that chasing international accessibility has drained the daring out of mainstream Korean horror

A Halloween party on October 24, 2026 at Dyson Comics Cafe in Seoul with horror board games, movie trivia, and a Halloween magic show

Korean horror film timeline by decade

Korean Horror Film Timeline by Decade Silent Era

1924 — Untitled Tale of Two Sisters adaptation — director unknown — lost film

1960s

1960 — The Housemaid (하녀) — Kim Ki-young
1960 — Madam White Snake (백사부인) — Shin Sang-ok
1964 — The Evil Stairs / The Devil's Stairway (마의 계단) — Lee Man-hee
1965 — A Bloodthirsty Killer / Devilish Homicide (살인마) — Yi Yong-min
1967 — Public Cemetery Under the Moon (월하의 공동묘지) — Kwon Cheol-hwi
1967 — Yongary, Monster from the Deep (대괴수 용가리) — Kim Kee-duk
1969 — The Devil and the Beauty (악마와 미녀) — Yi Yong-min

1970s

1970 — Ghosts of Joseon (이조괴담) — Shin Sang-ok
1975 — The Man with Two Faces (공포의 이중인간) — Yi Yong-min
1977 — Io Island / Ieodo (이어도) — Kim Ki-young
1978 — A Woman Chasing a Killer Butterfly (살인나비를 쫓는 여자) — Kim Ki-young
1979 — The Divine Bough (신궁) — Im Kwon-taek

1980s

1981 — Suddenly in the Dark / Suddenly at Midnight (깊은 밤 갑자기) — Go Yeong-nam
1981 — The Hut (피막) — Lee Doo-yong
1981 — A Monstrous Corpse (괴시) — Kang Beom-gu
1982 — Dracula in a Coffin — director unconfirmed

1990s

1995 — 301, 302 (삼공일 삼공이) — Park Chul-su
1997 — The Hole — director unconfirmed
1998 — Whispering Corridors (여고괴담) — Park Ki-hyung
1998 — The Quiet Family (조용한 가족) — Kim Jee-woon
1999 — Memento Mori (여고괴담 두번째 이야기) — Kim Tae-yong and Min Kyu-dong
1999 — The Ring Virus (링) — Kim Dong-bin
1999 — Tell Me Something (텔 미 썸딩) — Chang Yoon-hyun
1990s — Deep Scratch — director unconfirmed

2000s

2001 — Sorum (소름) — Yoon Jong-chan
2003 — A Tale of Two Sisters (장화, 홍련) — Kim Jee-woon
2004 — R-Point (알 포인트) — Kong Su-chang
2006 — The Host (괴물) — Bong Joon-ho
2009 — Thirst (박쥐) — Park Chan-wook

2010s

2010 — I Saw the Devil (악마를 보았다) — Kim Jee-woon
2010 — Bedevilled (김복남 살인사건의 전말) — Jang Cheol-su
2012 — Horror Stories (무서운 이야기) — Min Kyu-dong, Jung Bum-shik, Hong Ji-young, Kim Gok and Kim Sun, Lim Dae-woong
2015 — The Silenced (경성학교: 사라진 소녀들) — Lee Hae-young
2016 — Train to Busan (부산행) — Yeon Sang-ho
2016 — The Wailing (곡성) — Na Hong-jin

2020s

2021 — Seire (세이레) — Park Kang
2022 — The Fifth Thoracic Vertebra — Park Se-young
2024 — Exhuma / Pamyo (파묘) — Jang Jae-hyun
2024 — Hopeu (호프) — Na Hong-jin

Resources mentioned

Straight Chilling Podcast: straightchilling.com
Korean film database: koreanfilm.org
Korean Film Archive YouTube: Korean Classic Film
Korea Times film coverage: search Justin Kyle

Timestamps not available for this episode.

About the podcast

The Dark Side of Seoul explores Korea's hidden history, true crime, folklore, ghost stories, urban legends, disasters, political scandals, and the strange corners of Korean culture that rarely make it into guidebooks. Hosted by long-time Korea residents Joe McPherson and Shawn Morrissey, the show blends historical research, cultural analysis, and firsthand experience to examine the people, events, beliefs, and mysteries that have shaped the Korean peninsula.

Some episodes take deep dives into forgotten historical events, serial killers, political intrigue, and supernatural traditions. Others tackle current events and unusual news stories through our shorter "Fun Sized" episodes, connecting today's headlines to larger patterns in Korean society.

Whether we're discussing Joseon-era conspiracies, haunted mountains, cults, disasters, ghost encounters, or modern social issues, our goal is always the same: to explore the darker side of Korea with curiosity, skepticism, and historical context.

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