When it comes to thrillers, there is no one better than the South Koreans. From zombie apocalypse stories to dystopian narratives, to tense melodramas. Apart from thrills, dread and tense moments, these films are packed with high production values ​​and pitch-perfect performances. Here is our list of top 5 Korean thrillers

Exhuma

The story begins in Los Angeles when two exorcists, Hwa Rim (Kim Go Eun) and her assistant Bong Gil (Lee Do Hyun), are called in by Park Ji-Yong (Kim Jae-Chul), an influential Korean American man, to cure his troubled infant. Hwa Rim discovers that the baby, like all firstborns in the family, is surrounded by an ominous presence. The source is the family elder, Ji Yong’s grandfather who was an influential man who swore allegiance to the Japanese. The only way out is to excavate his grave, which is in Korea. Hwa Rim seeks the help of renowned geologist Kim Sang Duk (Choi Min Sik) and funeral director Ko (Yoo Hae-jin). However, they discover that the grave is in a secluded spot on the mountain, with ominous feng shui as well as strange markings and a plain headstone. Kim Sang Duk warns the team that digging this grave will have dire consequences for everyone.

Xuhuma, a supernatural thriller, also uncovers layers of South Korea’s painful historical past.

Train to Busan

This 2016 film has achieved a sort of cult status in the genre. An innocent train journey goes haywire due to a strange viral outbreak that begins infecting the passengers on the train and they turn into zombies. A businessman and father played by Gong Yoo, who is oblivious to this catastrophe, has to save his daughter and himself. When the government declares a state of emergency and martial law, will the humans be able to challenge the zombies?

old boy

This 2003 Korean film is one of the best ever made. Oh Dae-soo (Choi Min Sik) is an ordinary businessman with a wife and daughter. One day he gets drunk and finds himself locked up in a strange, private “prison” for 15 years. While he is being held in this strange place he learns that he has been framed for the murder of his wife.

After getting out, Oh Dae-soo is determined to find out who his mysterious enemy is. He gets his first clue when a homeless man gives him a cell phone and a wallet full of cash, and he hears someone challenging him to find the real killer.

Parasites

A film that made history for the South Korean film industry, Parasite received international awards as well as honors and won the Academy Award for Best Picture in 2020. Ki-taek (Song Kang Ho) is the patriarch of the down-and-out Kim family. Neither he, his wife who was a former shot put champion, Chung-sook (Jang Hye Jin) and their adult children, Ki-woo (Choi Woo Shik) and Ki-jung (Park So Dam) can find steady jobs. They live in a cramped sub-basement. Their lives take a dramatic turn when Ki-woo gets a job as a private tutor in the home of the wealthy Park family. This is when the Kims begin to depend on the Kims and wreak bloody havoc. The film is a harsh statement on S Korea’s capitalist ecosystem that is a must-watch.

Confession

When Min-ho’s (So Ji Sub) boyfriend is found dead in a hotel. Min-ho is the prime suspect as the room is locked from the inside. With no evidence of an intruder, he flees to an isolated cabin to meet Shin-ae (Kim Yunjin), a shrewd lawyer who has never lost a case. Throughout the night as Shin-ae prompts Min-ho to recount the events leading up to the victim’s death, it seems Min-ho is hiding many secrets. A psychological thriller CONFESSION delves deep into the human psyche.