#14 Korean Horror Movies You Need To See

“The Wailing” is Korea’s response to religious horror films focused on Christianity and the battle between God and the Devil. By contrast, Na Hong-jin’s 2016 film is a religious epic about Korean mysticism and ritualistic practices that include an elaborate, yet futile, exorcism. 

In the small rural town of Gokseong, a strange disease is infecting residents, making them go mad and commit violent crimes. The string of murders are linked to the arrival of a Japanese man (Jun Kunimura) who lives on the outskirts of town. As the body count rises and his daughter becomes infected, police officer Jong-goo (Kwak Do-won) begins digging into the truth behind the disease. He’s desperate for a solution, and his family eventually turns to a shaman for some kind of answer. 

But this situation is much more complicated, and an exorcism can’t solve things. “The Wailing” is a story full of ghosts, zombies, and demons that, despite a 156-minute runtime, never gets boring. It’s about religious fear, but also about the fear of the outsider. Korea was once under Japan’s colonial power and experienced a series of atrocities at the hands of the Japanese. This, plus actions taken by Japan during World War II, bred animosity between the two countries, which is reflected in “The Wailing” through Kunimura’s character; his invasion of a small Korean village comes with the historical weight of decades of anger.