While the global film industry is largely dominated by Hollywood and Westernized ideals, several other film industries are breaking through to the worldwide stage. Korean films are one such industry, with their movies having been masterfully fashioned, and often unpredictable, laced with folklore that gives way to films that bend traditional genres and take their audiences on psychological journeys that explore the darker sides of human experience.
With the popularity of films such as Train to Busan (2016) and Parasite (2019), the best South Korean thriller movies are here to stay, and they aren’t slowing down any time soon. With so many amazing thrillers out there, it can be hard to decide which ones are worth watching. South Korea offers a wide range of interesting movies that will likely leave viewers unsettled. To celebrate the genre that is so well-executed by South Korean filmmakers, we compile a few of the best Korean thriller movies.
30
‘Lady Vengeance’ (2005)
Thanks to stunning outings like Oldboy, Thirst, The Handmaiden, and more, Park Chan-wook is widely recognized as a master of unconventional thrillers with unique, well-crafted characters. Lady Vengeance, the final film in his Vengeance Trilogy (following Sympathy for Mr. Vengeance and Oldboy), follows Lee Geum-ja (Lee Young-ae), a wrongly convicted woman released after a 13-year prison stint for the murder of a 5-year-old boy. Despite maintaining a demure and kind demeanor in prison, Geum-ja is consumed by an all-encompassing drive for revenge as soon as she leaves the prison walls.
Like the key string-puller in Oldboy, the main antagonist of Lady Vengeance is a memorably shocking villain, and Lady Vengeance is a tense and tightly-paced journey towards that end. It’s an exceptional film that will stay with you long after the credits finally roll. —Jeff Ewing
29
‘The Age of Shadows’ (2017)
Kim Jee-woon is a master of a wide range of genres, directing supernatural thrillers, revenge epics, and black comedy horror, with equal flair. For The Age of Shadows, he took a wildly successful turn into period action thriller territory. Set in Seoul in the 1920s during Japan’s colonial rule over Korea, it follows Korean police captain Lee Jung-chool (Song Kang-ho). Jung-chool’s task is an unenviable one, having been appointed by Japan to find members of the Korean resistance to Japan’s occupation. The film mines the complexity of Jung-chool’s position, working with Japan for self-preservation but seen as a traitor to the Korean people, and simultaneously being subject to the watchful, critical eye of Japanese agents.
The Age of Shadows successfully balances numerous elements. It’s a detailed and beautifully shot historical epic, simultaneously having interesting political themes and thrilling spy elements, and there’s considerable high-octane action. The Age of Shadows is an exceptional piece of filmmaking from a master filmmaker skilled at thrillers with wildly divergent attributes. —Jeff Ewing
28
‘A Tale of Two Sisters’ (2003)
Image via Cineclick Asia Big Blue Film
Powerhouse Korean director Kim Jee-woon doesn’t necessarily have the international name recognition of his peers Bong Joon-ho and Park Chan-wook, but his exceptional classics, including I Saw the Devil and A Tale of Two Sisters, easily cement his legacy. The latter film follows Su-mi (Im Soo-jung), a teen girl recently released from a mental institution, mourning her mother’s death and excited to be reunited with her younger sister Su-yeon (Moon Geun-young). She finds growing tension with her father’s new wife (who had been her mother’s nurse), Eun-joo (Yum Jung-ah), whom she comes to suspect may have had a role in her mother’s tragic demise.
A Tale of Two Sisters is an incredibly suspenseful and moody picture with an exceptional command of tone. Best yet is its surprising ending, which won’t be spoiled here but involves one of Korean cinema’s most surprising reveals. —Jeff Ewing
27
‘The Housemaid’ (1960)
Kim Ki-young is a foundational filmmaker in the Korean canon, famed for his housemaid trilogy, Insect Woman, and other genre classics. The Housemaid is widely considered one of the greatest films in the history of Korean cinema, even influencing Bong Joon-ho’s masterful Parasite. In the film, after Mr Kim (Kim Jin-kyu) and his wife and children move into a large two-story house, he hires a housemaid to assist his wife with household chores. His student recommends factory worker Myung-sook (Lee Eun-shim), who easily takes the position thanks to the position’s healthy salary. Everything goes awry when Myung-sook becomes obsessively attracted to Mr. Kim, causing spiraling chaos for him and his whole family.
The Housemaid is a suspenseful and continually surprising psychosexual thriller with a stellar cast. Kim Ki-young excels at keeping and escalating tension, and The Housemaid is a stunning exhibition of his influential talents. —Jeff Ewing
26
‘The Closet’ (2020)
After Sang-won (Ha Jung-woo) loses his wife in an accident, he raises daughter Yi-na (Heo Yool) on his own, moving the pair into a new house. The emotional gulf between the two troubles the widower, but he doesn’t know what to do. Yi-na’s mood improves when she finds a mysterious, old doll in the house, before her personality starts to exhibit other changes. One unfortunate day, she disappears entirely, and after a frantic search, Sang-won is pointed in an unlikely direction: the girl’s closet.
Sure, it’s more of a straightforward horror film than some of the other entries on this list, but director Kim Kwang-bin builds exceptional suspense alongside potent emotion as Sang-won goes on the hunt for hard-to-find answers. It has strong echoes of family drama and mystery at its core, which elevate the film beyond its premise, making it a must-see, thrilling Korean cinematic outing. —Jeff Ewing
25
‘Silenced’ (2011)
As astonishingly powerful as it is brutally disturbing, Silenced is a fantastic adaptation of Gong Ji-young’s novel, The Crucible, which was itself based on a harrowing true story of heinous abuse. It details the ongoing sexual and physical abuse of students at a school for the hearing impaired at the hands of faculty and staff, and the efforts of Kang In-ho (masterfully performed by Gong Yoo) to bring systemic atrocities to light and ensure justice is served.
Despite its confronting focus and its deeply unsettling realization, Silenced became a huge commercial hit in South Korea, one that ignited social outcry over the insipid consequences the culprits faced, with the ones who were convicted facing less than a year in jail while others didn’t even lose their jobs. Ferocious, rage-inducing, and loaded with both political and societal ire, Silenced is a viewing experience that is perfectly balanced between unnerving inhumanity and provocative fact-based storytelling. — Ryan Heffernan
24
‘Thirst’ (2009)
Among the most underrated vampire films of all time, Thirst is a divine marriage of religious drama and blood-sucking horror that features Park Chan-wook at his almighty best and capitalizes on a typically sublime lead performance from Song Kang-Ho. He stars as Sang-hyeon, a widely respected priest whose life of faith and compassion is uprooted when his noble decision to volunteer in a medical experiment leads to him becoming a vampire. Torn between his staunch morals and his ceaseless lust for blood, Sang-hyeon finds himself becoming obsessed with the wife of his childhood friend.
Unafraid of embracing the full philosophical might of Sang-hyeon’s journey while also relishing the underlying eroticism present in many vampire tales and occupying a surreal and even comedic atmosphere, Thirst is a wonderful gem of horror cinema at its most thrilling and ambitious. It is also among the more disturbing and unnerving vampire films released in recent decades. — Ryan Heffernan
23
‘Carter’ (2022)
Carter is an action-thriller that focuses on a virus that causes the infected to become violent and zombie-like. A man with a cross-shaped scar on the back of his head (Joo Won) wakes in a motel, where CIA agents demand that he reveal the location of Dr. Jung Byung-Ho (Jung Jae-young). Carter is able to escape and Han Jung-Hee (Jeong So-ri) reveals that he was to rescue the cured Ha-na (Kim Bo-min), Jung Byung-Ho’s missing daughter.
With incredible stunts, a good dose of violence, an action-packed narrative, and a fast-paced plot, Carter is a futuristic-style movie that reflects the pandemic-type world experienced over the past few years and cannot help but leave a feeling of unease. Despite its lower reviews at times, it certainly still does the job of at least helping to keep boredom at bay.
22
‘Confession’ (2022)
Min-Ho’s (So Ji-sub) lover is found dead in a hotel, with Min-Ho as the prime suspect due to the room being locked from the inside. With no evidence of an intruder, the character flees to an isolated cabin to meet with Shin-Ae (Kim Yunjin), who has never lost a case. Throughout the night Shin-Ae prompts Min-Ho to recount the events leading to the victim’s death.
Confession is a gripping whodunit that skillfully examines how perspective can shift when presented with the true intentions, lies, and twists from Min-Ho’s tale. Events play out in multiple different ways as his story has holes poked in it time and again, prompting a complex account of events, and leaving its audience to question where the truth actually lies.
21
‘The Villainess’ (2017)
This South Korean action thriller serves as a compelling character study, as it follows the story of trained assassin Sook-hee, played by Kim Ok-bin, who a criminal organization takes in after witnessing the brutal murder of her father as a child. While Sook-hee makes an effort to leave her traumatic and violent past behind, she is soon enough drawn back into the world of brutality.
Featuring great action sequences and absorbing cinematography, The Villainess fully immerses audiences in its tale about identity, revenge, and betrayal. The plot twists are also notable and elevate it to higher levels. However, what makes The Villainess an unsettling watch is its blend of graphic violence and psychological trauma endured by the protagonist, inspired by iconic films such as Lady Snowblood.
