Think the Korean Wave is only about cute idols and catchy tunes? We dare you to discover some of the best Korean thriller movies of all time!
As countries around the world become increasingly receptive to foreign films, South Korean cinema has especially been achieving unprecedented levels of global acclaim. Many genres of Korean movies have become worldwide hits, but the immense popularity of The Wailing (2016), Oldboy (2003), and Parasite (2019) points to the nation’s exceptional knack for crafting one genre in particular: thrillers. Distinct yet equally as bone-chilling as your fave Cantonese horror movies, the best Korean thriller movies deserve a spot on your to-watch list. We dare you to watch these in the cinemas for the full impact – even if it means just peeking through from between your fingers!
Feel your spine tingle from the best Korean thriller movies
1. Exhuma (2024)
Led by a masterful ensemble cast full of well-known faces in the Korean entertainment industry (like Choi Min-sik and Kim Go-eun), Exhuma follows supernatural occult forces that arise after an exhumation. When a team well-versed in restless spirits is hired to help a newborn baby, exhuming an ancestor’s mysterious grave unleashes vengeful entities that come to torment much more than a single family. Taking great care to keep aspects of Korean shamanism and geomancy grounded in humanity, much of the eerie nature enveloping this film is created through the attention to detail. With clever techniques used to depict spirits without relying on heavy digital effects, Exhuma brings chilling realism to occult elements. Complicated themes concerning family, history, and national trauma will keep you on the edge of your seat for every new twist and turn.
2. I Saw the Devil (2010)
Widely regarded as one of the best Korean thriller movies in no small part due to its sleek action and visceral cinematography, I Saw the Devil is a gruesome spectacle. When a National Intelligence Service agent’s fiance is brutally murdered by a sadistic serial killer, the agent vows to enact his own twisted form of revenge. Led by two veterans of the Korean thriller genre, Choi Min-sik and Lee Byung-hun, this film by the acclaimed director Kim Jee-woon doesn’t skimp on showcasing the full brutality of both its villain and its “hero.” Not hung up on trying to aggrandise the morality of its vengeance-seeking protagonist, I Saw the Devil takes full advantage of the fact that its grim game of cat-and-mouse isn’t chasing after a resolution of lawful justice.
3. Joint Security Area (2000)
While technically not the first film by Korean filmmaking legend Park Chan-wook, Joint Security Area is largely regarded to be the auteur’s true directorial debut. Perhaps more accurately the first movie where Park was able to hold a significant amount of creative control, this nail-biter helped establish Park as a master of suspense, storytelling, and technique. When two North Korean soldiers are found dead at the DMZ in the JSA with a South Korean soldier attempting to flee, a special investigation unfolds to determine what actually happened. Featuring early performances by the now-renowned Song Kang-ho, Lee Byung-hun, and Lee Young-ae, each character brims with emotion and nuance. Truly putting the “thrill” in thriller, Joint Security Area balances its tension perfectly by keeping the volatility of larger North-South relations looming in the background of every small action, without the parallel spilling into melodrama.
4. The Call (2020)
Fortunately for global viewers at home, being able to stream juggernaut Netflix’s expanding library of South Korean media has led to the rediscovery of some of the hidden gems in the Korean thriller movie genre. In the sci-fi-tinged psychological thriller The Call, Seo-yeon discovers she is able to contact the troubled Young-sook in 1999 from 2019 through a mysterious old phone. As the two women communicate and learn how to help each other from their respective spots in the timeline, it becomes clear that there’s more to each character than meets the eye. With much of The Call’s energy and suspense resting on its two leads, Jeon Jong-seo’s Young-sook is particularly captivating as her transformation overwhelms the viewer just as much as it does to Seo-yeon. With even the film’s heartwarming moments leaving you with a sense of unease, make sure you stay for the end credit scene (then choose for yourself if you want to ignore it – no spoilers here!).
5. The Chaser (2008)
In the same vein as the critically adored Memories of Murder (2003), The Chaser is inspired by the story of a real-life Korean serial killer. After ex-detective-turned-pimp Joong-ho discovers some prostitutes have gone missing, he reckons he can’t rely on the police to stop Yeong-min (an explosive breakthrough role for Ha Jung-woo) from murdering more victims. An inventive spin on the typical story beats of the crime-thriller genre, The Chaser diffuses the usual source of tension and chills – the quest to arrest the killer – early, then turns its lens on the systems that allow a killer to go free. Thrilling action sequences throughout the film turn more grisly, but the worst is when you realise the murderer is still allowed to be released, despite his horrific crimes and confessions.
6. Lady Vengeance (2005)
It’s inevitable that a discussion of the best Korean thriller movies of all time would mention Park Chan-wook’s name more than once. For the final instalment of Park’s legendary Vengeance Trilogy, Lady Vengeance focuses on the revenge quest of a newly released female prisoner. After confessing and serving time for a crime she didn’t commit, Geum-ja goes after the true culprit of a young schoolboy’s murder and uncovers a horrifying reality. In one of the best revenge-thriller films in the highly crowded playing field, Lee Young-ae’s masterful lead performance proves that the calculating, pistol-toting Geum-ja brings just as much vengeance as a haggard man wielding a hammer.
7. Train to Busan (2016)
Setting a new standard in the zombie genre when first released, Train to Busan found international success that even called for a Hollywood remake. On a high-speed KTX train, a group of passengers are forced to band together in order to fight off a zombie-infected horde growing throughout the train. The unexpected heart found at the centre of this zombie horror truly raises its stakes, as crossover star Ma Dong-seok fights for his pregnant wife, while the incredibly famous (and incredibly attractive) Gong Yoo desperately protects his daughter. A heart-facing, action-filled flick made all the more compelling by its claustrophobic setting, Train to Busan is certainly not one for the nervous travellers amongst us!
8. Mother (2009)
For those first introduced to the cinematic legend Bong Joon-ho through the record-breaking Parasite, here’s the signal to explore the rest of his filmography and uncover hidden gems like Mother – a unique, emotional, and shocking work of neo-noir. When an acupuncturist’s intellectually disabled son is arrested for murder, she unrelentingly seeks to prove his innocence despite a complicated life crumbling around her. Carried by magnificent acting performances, this Korean thriller movie reveals the complex and devastating relationship a mother can have with her child. Harnessing Kim Hye-ja’s recognisability as a mother figure in Korean media, Kim’s performance makes the viewer feel as if the mother’s desperation is leaking through the screen and tugging at their heartstrings.
