Hello everyone and welcome back to another movie recommendations content by EonTalk! Today’s post will be on 10 Korean movies to watch during Halloween.
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Halloween wasn’t celebrated as traditionally in Korea as the US, and it’s only of recently that Halloween has been celebrated here. There are now tons of Halloween events at amusement parks, malls, movie theaters, and other recreational places, and the streets of Itaewon are at its peak in terms of being crowded during the season. With this spooky holiday approaching, I thought I’d recommend 10 movies you can watch to prepare yourselves for the special day.
Before getting into the list, I’d like to remind you that this list is ranked based on my personal recommendations, and are totally biased towards my opinions. This isn’t in the order of “best movies,” per se, but just in the order of my recommendation. That being said, let’s get right into today’s list on 10 Korean movies to watch during Halloween!
#10
Starting off the list, the #10 film is the 2009-released movie, <Thirst>.
<Thirst> was directed by the legendary Korean director, Park Chan-Wook, who’s other amazing works include <The Handmaiden>, <Sympathy for Lady Vengeance>, <Sympathy for Mr. Vengeance>, <Oldboy>, and <Joint Security Area>, all great movies to watch for Halloween as well. The film starred the likes of Song Kang-Ho, Kim Ok-Bin, Kim Hae-Sook, Shin Ha-Kyun, Song Young-Chang, and Oh Dal-Soo.
The synopsis is as follows:
Sang-Hyun is a respected priest who volunteers for an experiment that’s looking for a cure to a deadly virus. The procedure doesn’t go well, and he gets infected, eventually dying. However, a blood transfusion is done on Sang-Hyun, and he comes back to life; but with a twist. He’s been cursed with vampirism, and is now torn between his faith and lust.
#9
Next, the #9 film is a movie that was released back in 2015, <The Silenced>.
<The Silenced> was directed by Lee Hae-Young, and another movie recommendation by this director is the film <Believer>. <The Silenced> starred the cast members Park Bo-Young, Uhm Ji-Won, Park So-Dam, and Park Sung-Yeon, and I saw the film because it was available on the Korean Netflix, not knowing that it’d be so scary. I thought it’d be a mildly dark movie, but boy was I in for a surprise.
The synopsis is as follows:
In 1938 Korea, Joo-Ran, a sick girl, is transferred to the Gyeongseong Boarding School. At the all-girls school for those with medical conditions, Joo-Ran is given a new name, ‘Shizuko.’ At first, everything seems to be normal, and not all that different from other boarding schools. However, she soon learns that before her arrival, another girl with the name ‘Shizuko’ had suddenly disappeared without saying goodbye to the other girls. And soon after, more girls start to disappear. The school claims the students have gone back home, but Joo-Ran can feel that something’s not right. She starts to look into the mysterious disappearance of the girls and the school itself, putting her in more and more dangerous circumstances.
#8
The #8 movie goes to the most recently released movie on this list, <Metamorphosis>.
Directed by Kim Hong-Sun, who also directed <The Chase>, <The Con Artists>, and another incredible thriller <Traffickers>, <Metamoprhosis> had a cast lineup of Bae Sung-Woo, Sung Dong-Il, Jang Young-Nam, Kim Hye-Jun, Cho Lee-Hyun, and Kim Kang-Hoon. I saw this film at a pre-screening last year, and right from the get-go, the movie is freaky AF. If you enjoy movies regarding possession/exorcisms, this is the movie for you.
The synopsis is as follows:
As a demon that can change into human enters a family’s home, extremely strange things start to take place. Everyone starts to accuse and distrust each other, and things get more and more out of hand. The family turns to an exorcists for help, but things don’t go as planned.
#7
Moving along, the #7 movie is another relatively recent film, <Svaha: The Sixth Finger>.
<Svaha: The Sixth Finger> was directed by Jang Jae-Hyun, and another great Halloween movie directed by him is <The Priests>. The film had an ensemble cast of Lee Jung-Jae, Park Jung-Min, Lee Jae-In, Yoo Ji-Tae, Jung Jin-Young, David Lee, and Jin Seon-Kyu, and by that, you can see that the movie will have superb acting performances.
The synopsis is as follows:
In a rural area far from the city, a pair of twin sisters are born. Geum-Hwa was born with a disabled leg, and her older sister, whom does not have a name, was forseen to die without living too long. However, both have lived up until now, 16 years later. Meanwhile, Pastor Park, a member of the Institute of Religious Affairs, starts looking into a cult he’s discovered. And when a young girl’s body is discovered following a tunnel accident, Pastor Park begins finding correlations between the two. Unfortunately, the suspect of the tunnel accident commits suicide before the investigation officially begins, but Pastor Park manages to find the last person that talked with the suspect. As his investigation grows deeper and deeper, he finds more and more connections between the twins, the cult, and the tunnel incident.
#6
The #6 movie goes to an older movie, the 2008 film, <The Chaser>.
This movie was directed by another incredible Korean director, Na Hong-Jin. Na Hong-Jin is a great director who did other amazing thrillers such as <The Wailing> and <The Yellow Sea>, all great movies for Halloween as well. <The Chaser> starred the actors Kim Yoon-Seok, Ha Jung-Woo, and Seo Young-Hee, and the movie is a must watch if you love Korean thrillers.
The synopsis is as follows:
Joong-Ho is a former cop that now operates an on-call prostitution business. Several of the women that work for him start to disappear, and he soon finds that the customer that called for Mi-Jin has the same number as the missing girls’ last call. He tries to get in contact with Mi-Jin right away, but it’s too late, as he cannot reach her either. As he goes out to find Mi-Jin, he runs into Young-Min. He discovers blood on Young-Min’s clothes, and realizes right away that he’s the guy he’s been looking for, and starts chasing him down. After a long chase, he eventually captures him and reports him to the police. At the station, Young-Min, everso calmly, confesses that he killed all the girls, leaving everyone shocked, and the police station turns upside down. Amidst all the chaos, Young-Min says with a chilling smile that Mi-Jin is probably still alive. However, there isn’t a single solid evidence that could keep Young-Min in possession. The authorities put all focus on finding evidence, rather than finding Mi-Jin, and Joong-Ho, who still believes Mi-Jin is alive, puts all focus on finding her.
#5
The #5 movie is one of the oldest films on this list, <A Tale of Two Sisters>.
<A Tale of Two Sisters> was directed by Kim Ji-Woon, yet another legend in Korean cinema. This legendary director has legendary films under his name, such as <A Bittersweet Life>, <I Saw the Devil>, <The Age of Shadows>, and <The Good The Bad The Weird>, all movies I highly recommend watching. <A Tale of Two Sisters> topped the list of my “Best Korean Horror Movies” video, and starred the likes of Lim Soo-Jung, Yum Jung-Ah, Kim Gab-Soo, and Moon Geun-Young.
The synopsis is as follows:
A Japanese-style wooden house stands alone in a rural area. The house, which is beautiful in the daytime, begins to emit a deafening gloom when darkness falls. In this house with unusual energy, two sisters, Su-mi and Su-yeon, move in with their father and new stepmother. The day Su-yeon and Su-mi came to the house from Seoul, the stepmother welcomes the sisters in a friendly manner, but the sisters aren’t as welcoming in their greeting. As Su-Mi tries to take care of her father and her younger sister on behalf of their dead, biological mother, the stepmother gets into frequent fights with the sisters, and the father just sits by without intervening. As the relations continues to go downhill, strange things start to occur in the house.
#4
Moving onto the #4 spot, the #4 movie goes to the 2016 film, <Train to Busan>.
<Train to Busan> was directed by Yeon Sang-Ho, who’s responsible for directing <Psychokinesis>, as well as the follow-up to <Train to Busan> that released earlier this year, titled <Peninsula>. <Train to Busan> is one of the most globally-recognized Korean movies, and this is a must-watch if you like zombie movies. The film starred Gong Yoo, Jung Yoo-Mi, Ma Dong-Seok aka Don Lee, Kim Soo-Ahn, Kim Eui-Sung, Choi Woo-Shik, and Ahn So-Hee.
The synopsis is as follows:
A state of emergency is announced as an unknown virus spreads throughout South Korea. On a train bound for a southern city of Korea, known as Busan, that’s also known to be a safeground from the virus, various circumstances arise. What seemed to be a normal train ride, turns into a 442km battle of survival.
#3
Coming in at #3 of my list of Halloween movies is the 2010-released film, <I Saw the Devil>.
<I Saw the Devil> was directed by the previously mentioned Kim Ji-Woon, and featured the veteran actors Lee Byung-Hun and Choi Min-Shik. This is one of the most gruesomely awesome thrillers of Korean cinema, and has so much rewatchability. I’ve seen this film countless times, but can still watch it again and enjoy it thoroughly each and every time.
The synopsis is as follows:
After Soo-Hyun, an NIS Agent, loses his fiance in a brutal murder, he feels extreme shame, guilt, and anger that he wasn’t able to protect the woman he loves. Thus, he commits to taking revenge in the most gruesome way he can think of. After discovering that Jang Kyung-Chul is the culprit, he starts to inflict severe pain on Jang, just right up until he actually dies, and let’s him go. He repeats this process, over and over, to show Jang the same level of pain he had to go through after losing his love. However, Jang, a more vicious killer than the devil himself, starts to fight back, enjoying the equal appearance of an adversary that he’s never met before in his life.
#2
And now, just two movies left. First, the #2 film is the oldest on this list, being released in 2003 <Memories of Murder>.
Directed by the one and only, pride of Korea, Bong Joon-Ho, <Memories of Murder> is a classic when it comes to Korean crime thrillers. I’m sure you could’ve guessed this movie would appear somewhere on this list. Not only was the film directed by one of the best in Korean cinema, Bong Joon-Ho, who also directed <The Host>, <Mother>, <Snowpiercer>, and <Parasite>, which are other good watches for Halloween, but it also starred the top-of-the-notch actors Song Kang-Ho, Kim Sang-Kyung, Kim Roi-Ha, Song Jae-Ho, Byun Hee-Bong, Park No-Shik, Jun Mi-Sun, and Park Hae-Il. I believe this is making a US theatrical release soon, so if you can, try checking this out in theaters. It’s definitely an experience worth your time.
The synopsis is as follows:
1986, in the countryside of Gyeongi-do province of South Korea, a young woman is found dead after being brutally beaten and raped. 2 months later, another body of a young lady is found in the same way. As the incidents start to receive massive international coverage, the whole country starts to be filled with fear, as nothing like this has ever occurred in the country before. A Special Investigation Team is placed in the area of the incidents, and as a possible suspect was arrested and closure of the case seemed to be in sight, the suspect denies the crime. The true criminal is known for leaving no traces of himself, to the extent that leaves the investigators dumbfounded. As the new Captain joins the team, the investigation starts to pick up steam. The detectives plan a trap by planting a cop to catch the criminal, but the plan doesn’t go as planned as another victim is found, dead. The case is reset back to phase 1, and the media gets even more riled up, making the detectives go crazy.
#1
And finally, the #1 Korean movie that I recommend watching during the Halloween season. The #1 spot goes to the 2016 film, <The Wailing>.
Ah, yes, the movie that shook not only the domestic movie market but international as well. Directed by Na Hong-Jin, who was mentioned before for directing <The Chaser>, <The Wailing> is another globally-recognized film, starring the likes of Kwak Do-Won, Hwang Jung-Min, Kunimura Jun, Chun Woo-Hee, and Kim Hwan-Hee. The acting performances by everyone in this was top-notch, and is one of the most freaky films I’ve seen. This will definitely set the tone for Halloween, and I highly recommend watching <The Wailing> this Halloween season.
The synopsis is as follows:
Upon the arrival of a strange man, a town starts to suffer from a series of mysterious events. The police closes the case claiming that it’s the addiction to the mushrooms that the villagers have for the reason of the events, but rumors and suspicions spread that the cause of all the incidents was due to the strange man. Jong-Goo, a cop, meets with a woman that claims she witnessed the incident, and starts to believe all the rumors. As his own daughter starts to show symptoms of the same nature as the affected villagers, Jong-Goo starts to go after the truth.
Conclusion
And that’s it for today’s content on “Korean Movies to Watch During Halloween.” How many of these films have you seen? Which are your favorites, and which will you be watching? Let me know in the comments! Please remember, some films that you believe should have made it on this list may not have been included, but this top 10 list was based on my personal recommendations. If you would like to further discuss with me and other Korean movie lovers, join the EonTalk Telegram group, and if you have requests for other content, please let me know by commenting down below as well!
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Disclaimer
Please keep in mind this review is composed of solely my own opinions, and should be taken with a grain of salt. I am in no way a professional writer, nor have I majored or studied journalism. This is for informative entertainment purpose only, representing my personal views. I do not own the images and/or videos used in the review. No copyright infringement intended.
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