Highest Rotten Tomatoes Rated Korean Horror Films to Watch

Korean cinema has taken time to exhibit its power and influence over viewers around the globe. It has successfully created its strong presence over time, seemingly acting on the strategy of the moral story we’ve heard in our childhood “Slow and steady wins the race”.

The horror genre has grown gaudily in the past few decades in K-cinema. Its magnificence could be deemed a synonym for innovation and adeptness. Most of the fears reflected in Korean horror movies came out as a reflection of the social unfairness rooted deeply in Korean society. 

A perfect example is the thriller movie The Parasite which won an Oscar for its mind-blowing direction and storytelling finesse. According to BBC, a South Korean film critic Ha Sung-tea said that with The Parasite having won the award for best picture, a miracle was witnessed. The event was considered “historic” and a “cultural breakthrough”. 

Here is the list of the five highest Rotten Tomatoes rated Korean horror films to watch, collectively inclusive of their respective sub-genres. 

The Call 

The Call was released in 2020 and has a perfect 100 Rotten Tomatoes score. Directed by Lee Chuing-Hyeon, produced by Im Seung-Yong, and scripted by Lee Chung-Hyeon, the film managed to retain its full score even after five years of its release. 

It was a story about two women who lived in the same house but in two different times, 20 years apart. The two women, Seoyeon (Park Shin-hye) and Young-suk (Jeon Jong-seo) experienced circumstances that made them feel helpless. 

The time-bending story takes off from an intense and twisted suspense between the two ladies who communicated through a phone, intertwined by their tragedies and the fate of familial circumstances. However, the film’s plot becomes a psychological mystery with a dark supernatural chilling atmosphere that becomes inexplicable, eerie and haunting, and ultimately sinister.   

The Wailing 

The Wailing was released in 2016 with a 99 percent RT score. Directed and scribed by Na Hong-jin, produced by several experts such as Robert Friedland, John Penotti, Xian Li, Suh Dong Hyun, and Ho Sung Kim. 

The story unravels with Kwak Do-won’s investigation, played by Jong-gu. The rural village comes under the spell of grisly crimes that are blamed upon some physical illness. Initially, the director took pleasure in his comic underpinning through his directorial digression, however, soon the audience is brought back to the real dread when Kwak Do-won wakes up in panic from a nightmare. 

His own daughter falls prey to the unsettling fear that gives a hair-raising escalation to violence. The cult tragedy is equally baleful and tragic where the supernatural elements come to play a cinematic misdirection, appearing to be a slow burn, yet hard-to-handle stuff. 

The critics’ consensus on Rotten Tomatoes says: “The Wailing delivers an atmospheric, cleverly constructed mystery whose supernatural thrills more than justify its imposing length.” [Source]

Exhuma 

The third of these highest Rotten Tomatoes rated Korean horror films has been released just recently. Exhuma, released in 2024, has an RT score of 95 percent. Directed and scribed by Jang Jae-Hyun, and co-produced by Kim Jee-hye, the movie gives The Wailing vibes with contemporary genre elements, again mixed with social wealth disparity. 

The story unfolds as soon as a well-known shaman (Lee hwa-rim played by Kim Go-eun) and her shield (Yoon Bong-gi, the protégé, portrayed by Lee Do-hyun) work together to solve the mystery of a rich family’s uncanny illness that attacks every first-born in each generation.

The horror takes a turn to trauma when the silence of grave calling transforms into something that yields ruinous consequences. The clever layering of the story kept the audience’s interest going as the pulling of onion layers gave a regular punch of striking horror imagery.  

Train to Busan 

Whenever Korean horror films are recalled, Train to Busan is amongst the first name that comes to our minds. The film was released in 2016 with an RT score as that of the Exhuma, 95 percent. 

The movie was directed by Yeon Sang-Ho, written by Park Joo-suk, and produced by Lee Dong-ha. Why the flick has still maintained one of the highest spots in the genre is because it ticks all the boxes well. For example, Korea being best at making some of the finest zombies all over the world, the emotional bonding, well-developed characters, and well-executed storyline- nothing seemed overexaggerated or out of place. 

Our favorite recruiter from Squid Game, Gong Yoo who played Seok Woo, gave a lifetime of performance in this Korean horror masterpiece. The passengers on the train from Seoul to Busan struggle to live during a zombie apocalypse that suddenly outbreaks, threatening the life of the protagonist and his estranged daughter. 

One of the top critics from The Guardian said on Rotten Tomatoes, “Yeon keeps us guessing until the nervy closing seconds.” [Source]

A Tale of Two Sisters 

This magnum opus was released way back in 2003 and still holds a special place in the said genre. A Tale of Two Sisters has earned an impressive 86 percent RT score. 

Right from the beginning, the story sets a perturbing tone since Su-Mi (Im Soo-jung) comes back from a psychiatric hospital and reunites with her sister Su-Yeon (Moon Geun-young). Their widower father takes them to a private home where they meet their new stepmother, clearly a disturbing revelation for both of them.

The next incidents of the film come up with surprising discoveries and a twisty conclusion which makes this family trauma tale a chilly story. It was only possible with the use of complex psychological depth and powerful performance with a tinge of apt use of ambiguity, eventually creating worth watching even after two decades. 

Where you could find these highest Rotten Tomatoes rated Korean horror films to watch?

The selected movies would be watched online on YouTube or on several other platforms, such as Netflix, Apple TV, Shudder, etc with subscriptions. The details are mentioned here:

• Good news! The Call is streaming on Netflix these days. Sign up and don’t miss this gem of a movie. 
• The Wailing is easily available on Peacock if you have paid for its premium version. Unfortunately, it’s not available on YouTube and Netflix presently. 
• Exhuma is currently available to stream with a subscription on AMC+ Amazon Channel, Shudder, Microsoft Store, Apple TV, Fandango at Home, Amazon Video, and Shudder Amazon Channel. It is not available for free streaming on YouTube at the moment.
• Train to Busan is currently available for streaming on Amazon Prime Video and Kocowa. It is available on YouTube but not on Netflix.  
• A Tale of Two Sisters is available to stream on AMC Plus Apple TV channel. It is not found on Netflix anymore. However, it can be found for free on YouTube with subtitles.  

What are your favorite horror movies? Which ones had an impact on you? Let us know in the comments.