You know that, more than anything over here at Top 5 Scary Videos - we like to keep things
fresher than fresh.
And when it comes to keeping things fresh - foreign cinema is at the tip-tip-tippity-top
of that list.
International cinema has a penchant of creating painfully original horror movies that are
oftentimes so damn good, that the Hollywood machine feels compelled to recombobulate them
into a watered down version for a quick buck - but we don’t really have the time or the
place for that.
So let’s take a look at the country that produces perhaps the best of the untouchable
best when it comes to Horror Cinema.
South Korea.
Hello horror fans - and welcome back to the scariest channel on YouTube - Top 5 Scary
Videos.
As per usual, I’ll be your horror host Jack Finch - as today, we curiously take a look
at the Top 5 Scariest Korean Horror Movies.
Roll the clip.
For the curious amongst you, that scene was from the legendary neo-noir film, Oldboy,
directed by Park Chan-wook and released back in 2003 - and for me, it’s the height of
South Korean cinema, and if it was a horror film - it would definitely make this list,
but alas, it’s not.
Although it is pretty horrific in places.
Check it out.
Kicking off at Number 5 - The Host, 2006
Damn, this film is good - and it would’ve placed higher on this list if it wasn’t
for the fact that it isn’t exactly the most fear inducing of the bunch - but instead relies
on the drama of family and community to consistently hit you where it hurts.
Released in 2006 and directed by Bong Joon-ho, The Host is a creature feature like no other,
really - and it’s so incredibly well executed and original, that I’m not entirely sure
you could put this film in any sort of box.
And that’s exactly what makes it so good.
The Host tells the tale of Park Gang-du, a slow witted young man that runs a snack bar
by the Han River - and his daughter, Hyun-seo who gets kidnapped by a grossly-mutated amphibious
creature that was created by a secretive chemical spill - and subsequently sends the city of
Seoul into complete and utter mayhem.
Well, Gang-du, alongside his badass of a father and the rest of their family - sets out on
a wild, horror fueled hunt - that somehow manages to satirise global corpocracy, is
absolutely hilarious in small doses, and so incredibly captivating that every wrong step
taken will have your stomach doing somersaults.
We’ll end it there really, because I don’t want to spoil anything - but The Host is a
must see for any curious horror fan.
Next up at Number 4 - A Tale of Two Sisters, 2003
And if you came here for pure, unfiltered - unabashed - straight up skin-crawling horror,
then look no further than 2003’s A Tale of Two Sisters.
Also, if you have a fear of step-mothers - and/or creepy sisters - then … yeah, this film
may be a little bit too much for you.
Loosely based on the wildly popular Korean fairy tale - Janghwa Hongryeon jeon - which
roughly translates to Rose Flower and Red Lotus - there are so many fantastical, dream-like
twists and turns to this film that oftentimes, it can get very confusing.
Granted, if you do manage to keep up though - there are so many psychological layers to
this film that rewatching it will still make your skin-crawl in varying different manners.
So, that’s a bonus, I suppose.
Directed by Kim Jee-woon, A Tale of Two Sisters tells the tale of Su-mi - a teenage girl that
has been treated for shock and psychosis in a mental institution, following the death
of her mother.
She’s released, and sent to live with her father and step-mother, Eun-joo, at their
secluded family estate in the countryside.
Yeah, we know what happens after that, don’t we?
Secluded family estate.
Step mother.
Dismissive father.
In ways, this film is unconventionally familiar and A Tale of Two Sisters is almost Grimm-like
in its approach, but the level of atmospheric dread that it conjures and consistently adds
upon only serves to completely pull the rug from your feet in its closing act.
I’m still not exactly sure what to think about A Tale of Two Sisters.
It’s messed up, man.
Coming in at Number 3 - Train to Busan, 2016
Okay, the thing that makes South Korean horror cinema so unique - is in its ability to take
the conventions of Western cinema, then completely flip them on their head, delivering a form
that we’ve all come to know and love.
So, when you hear that Korean cinema took on the zombie genre - you just know it’s
gonna be hella good.
And guess what - spoilers - it is!
Since the days of Night of the Living Dead, and Evil Dead - zombie cinema has been a little
bit hit or miss in its approach to keeping things fresh - but you know what South Korea
does?
They stick it on a train, a bullet train to be exact - set that train on fire - fill it
with zombies, and let it speed off happily on it’s way.
And it is brilliant.
Written and directed by Yeon Sang-ho, Train to Busan manages to simultaneously evoke horror
at several different levels.
A father and his daughter, a carriage full of teenagers - and an entire country succumbing
to post-apocalyptic zombie panic.
The plot focuses on Seok-woo, a workaholic businessman alongside his reluctantly lovable
daughter Su-an.
They board the KTX 101 bullet train at Seoul Station so Su-an can see her mother in Busan
for her birthday - and as soon as that train pulls out of the station, we’re on a break-neck-speed
journey at 200 miles an hour - with zombies.
I don’t want to ruin anything, because this film is 100% worth a watch if you haven’t
seen it.
It’s on Netflix.
Do it.
There’s no excuse.
Swinging in at Number 2 - The Wailing, 2016
We’ve covered this film several times on this channel - and rightly so.
I’m just gonna come out and say it.
The Wailing is an epic modern horror saga, not just in runtime - but in the massive scope
of themes and styles that his film somehow manages to effortlessly cover.
At nearly 3 hours, The Wailing is a slow crawling tour-de-force, but never - not once - is it
ever boring.
Which is a feat in and of itself, because while managing to keep us completely gripped
by the mystery of its narrative - nearly every other scene is either beautiful or horrific
to look at.
And we haven’t even gotten started on the way that 2016’s The Wailing weaves both
mysticism with religion, with stark social commentary, xenophobia, zombies, murder - the
Devil himself - hysteria, a virulent plague - shamanism.
Ritualistic Sacrifice.
The list goes on, and on.
Written and directed by Na Hong-jin, The Wailing really does deserve every bit of praise its
received since its release.
The narrative focuses on local Police officer, Jong-goo, investigating the spread of a mysterious
disease that is plaguing a small village in the mountains of South Korea.
That’s just the first thread, and then it unravels - and unravels - and then some, weaving
one of the most captivatingly original tales in horror cinema.
Give it a watch.
If you can’t tell, it’s quite good.
And finally - at our Number 1 spot - I Saw the Devil, 2010
Because there is one film that manages to transcend even The Wailing - and it’s this
behemoth of a movie, perhaps one of the finest displays of psychological horror cinema in
recent times.
If you’re looking for a film that will leave you out of breath and distressed, after holding
your breath for the entire 143 minutes of screen time - and then wonder, what the hell
did I just watch, am I a good person - and all other manners of emotional inner conflict
- then look no further.
Because this is the film that delivers exactly that.
It draws a line in the sand that says, okay - this is what you think good and evil is
- and then it vomits blood all over it.
Alright, let’s not beat around the bush - because this film is violent, and it delivers
wincing ahh-what-the-hell scenes in bucket loads.
So in that sense - it won’t be for everyone, but when you cut past the timely gore - what
lies beneath is the true nature of the human soul.
Written and directed by the absolute cinematic master, Kim Jee-woon, the director of The
Good, The Bad, The Weird - which is so much fun that it deserves a watch - I Saw the Devil
tells the tale of a psychopathic, sadistic killer that murders the wife of an elite special
forces agent - and ignites one of the most captivating cat-and-mouse roller coasters
in horror cinema.
Not only does it do that though, but somehow - without you even realising it, it makes
you kind of empathise with a serial killer.
This film is not a pleasant experience, in any way, shape or form.
And that’s what makes it so good.
Well - there we have it horror fans, our list of the Top 5 Scariest Korean Horror Movies
- why don’t you let us know your picks in the comment section down below.
Before we depart, why don’t we do what we always do - and read out some of your more
captivating comments from over the past few days.
First up - Jim Darnell says - Hi Jack, when are you going to answer the ultimate question?
Who will win between yourself and Lucy in a Thunder-Dome contest?
“Two goes in, one comes out!”
--
Great question, Jim - and you’re a wise man to bet on Lucy.
If you think she’s handy with a fork - just imagine her proficiency with a Mad-Max chainsaw
spear.
It ain't pretty pal.
Next up - Robert the Dude says --
Top 5 Scariest God like entities -- I WILL NEVER GIVE UP.
-- Well Robert the Dude, I’m pretty sure you’ve got a bit of a following on that
suggestion - so, leave it in my hands - I’ll see what I can do, buddy.
Well - there we have it horror fans, unfortunately that’s all we’ve got time for in today’s
video - cheers for sticking around all the way until the end.
If you were a fan of this video, make sure to hit that thumbs up button - as well as
that subscribe bell - and I’ll be seeing you in the next one.
As per usual, I’ve been your horror host Jack Finch - you’ve been watching Top 5
Scary Videos - and until next time, you take it easy.