One of the most anticipated theatrical releases of 2020 was Sang-ho Yeon's zombie film Peninsula, the much-anticipated follow-up to the superb 2016 hit Train to Busan but those aren't the only great South Korean horror movies from recent years, zombie movies included.
Updated on July 9th, 2021 by Mark Birrell: It may seem like a fairly niche topic to those who aren't in on the fun, but many film fans the world over are often looking for a definitive list of the best South Korean zombie movies. IMDb ranks some much more highly than others but, from anthology movie segments to whole epic features, there may be more examples of South Korean zombie movies than most fans may necessarily realize. But which ranks as the best of them all?
10 The Neighbor Zombie (2010) - 4.8
● Available on AsianCrush
With an honorable mention given to the equally-rated American Zombie, this list kicks off the 2010 horror-comedy The Neighbor Zombie, a four-part anthology revolving around a violently infectious outbreak.
In 2010, a global pandemic ravages the globe, including the capital of Seoul, South Korea. When the government declares Martial Law in order to quarantine its citizens and trace the source of the outbreak, several heroic civilians set out to help hide and feed the inflicted while searching for a vaccine. Its charms are much more low-budget than the most famous examples of South Korean zombie movies, as evidenced by its score on IMDb, but it's worth mentioning for movie fans looking to get a full perspective on the genre's influence on Korean filmmaking.
9 Peninsula (2020) - 5.5
● Available on Hoopla, DirecTV, and Shudder
Despite massive interest from movie fans, Peninsula is rated far lower than its breakout predecessor, Train to Busan. Both films are directed by Sang-ho Yeon, but this sequel failed to live up to the standards set by the first film. In addition to its IMDb rating, the film currently holds a middling 53% rating on Rotten Tomatoes but does have a much higher audience score on the site.
Jung Seok (Dong-Won Gang) is an ex-soldier who accepts a mission to lead his squadron into the wastelands of the South Korean Peninsula to obtain a truck full of cash only to be greeted by hordes of the movie series' terrifying undead. Fans of the original will welcome the return of the zombie action but, as the Rotten Tomatoes critic consensus reads, they may be left wanting by the "disappointing sense of familiarity" throughout.
8 Horror Stories (2012) - 5.7
● Available on Tubi
Another quartet of terrifying vignettes, Horror Stories arguably saves the most frightening tale for the final entry. Following a home invasion story, an escaped convict story, and a cautionary parable about plastic surgery, the film ends with a mortifying zombie onslaught.
Directed by Kok and Sun Kim, Ambulance on the Death Zone features a little girl who morphs into a mouth-foaming zombie after succumbing to an unknown infection. The little girl's mother and the paramedic she calls confront the little monster with harrowing results. Zombie fans will have a blast with the final segment, but the rest of the movie may not necessarily be to their tastes.
7 Doomsday Book (2012) - 5.9
● Available on Tubi, YouTube, and Pluto TV
A viral zombie pandemic is given a satirical edge in one chapter of Doomsday Book, a three-part horror omnibus from directors Kim-Jee Woon and Pil-sung Yim.
In Yim's tale, A Brave New World, a nerdy scientist throws a contaminated apple in the garbage disposal, which in turn makes its way into the feeding trough for local cows. The beef becomes contaminated and eaten by a man at a barbecue, setting off an infectious chain of violent zombification. It's worth noting that popular Korean filmmakers such as Bong Joon-Ho have cameos in the film so it's a must-see for die-hard fans of modern Korean movies, not just zombie enthusiasts.
6 Seoul Station (2016) - 6.2
● Available on Tubi, Vudu, and Prime Video
Directed by Train to Busan's Sang-ho Yeon and released the same year, Seoul Station is an animated feature-length zombie movie that serves as a prequel to the live-action horror hit.
Set one day prior to the events depicted in Train to Busan, Seoul Station imagines downtown Seoul being overrun by legions of zombies. Much of the plot revolves around Suk-Gyu (Ryu Seung-Ryong), a father desperately searching for his missing daughter, Hye-Sun (Shim Eun-Kyung), prior to the zombie pandemic. It's an interesting chapter in the story of modern South Korean zombie movies that fans of Train to Busan definitely need to check out and takes a refreshing approach to the set-up.
5 #Alive (2020) - 6.3
● Available on Netflix
Released in South Korea on June 24, 2020, Il Cho's action-packed zombie outing #Alive quickly started turning heads and winning hearts, with Netflix picking the movie up for global distribution quite quickly.
The story finds a densely populated building under siege from a vicious zombie incursion borne from an unknown virus and follows Oh Joon-Wo (Ah-In Yoo), a secluded gamer who must remain hunkered down in his apartment and fend off droves of home-invading zombies. The very positive critics consensus on Rotten Tomatoes praises the acting, the horror, and the comedy, showing that Train to Busan wasn't a one-off.
4 Rampant (2018) - 6.3
● Available on Hoopla, Rakuten Viki, and Hi-YAH
In Sung-Hoon Kim's period-set zombie film Rampant, dynastic Korea finds itself under a ruthless attack from an army of blood-thirsty ghouls. The story revolves around Lee Chung (Hun Bin), the Prince of Joseon who is kidnapped by the powerful Qing family with plans to appoint him the new Crown Prince. As Lee Chung spars with Kim Ja-Joon, the Joseon Minister of War, a relentless attack of gory "night demons" threatens to annihilate the entire region.
Though the movie wasn't as big a hit as its ambitious scale implied it would be, it remains an epic example of how South Korea has put its own unique spin on zombie fiction.
3 The Odd Family: Zombie on Sale (2019) - 6.5
● Available on Shudder
One of the best zom-coms (zombie comedies) to come out of South Korea is The Odd Family: Zombie on Sale (sometimes simply titled Zombie for Sale), directed by Lee Min-Jae, which adds a memorable degree of quirkiness into the mix.
The Odd Family revolves around the Park family as their lives are upended when the elderly patriarch suffers a sudden zombie bite. When the family learns the zombie was created due to an illegal experiment conducted by a corrupt pharmaceutical company, the Park family attempts to use the experiments for their own financial gain. With a high rating from critics, it sits above most South Korean zombie movies to rest just under the real masterpieces of the genre.
2 The Wailing (2016) - 7.5
● Available on Tubi, Pluto TV, Crackle, Prime Video, and Fubo TV
While Hong-jin Na's masterful horror/thriller The Wailing has a lot more going on in it than just zombie movie influences, there's no denying the terror conjured by the zombified, demonically-possessed ghouls in the film.
More in the vein of dark cop thrillers like Se7en than a zombie romp by George A. Romero, The Wailing tracks a series of supernatural occurrences that plague a small fishing town after the arrival of a mysterious stranger. A viral illness begins to spread throughout the hamlet, thought to be a result of an evil spirit in the region. It's up to local police officer Jong-g00 (Do-wan Kwak) to solve the mystery with the story's eye-watering mixture of strong cultural and genre elements making for an unforgettably bold cocktail. The Wailing sits above not just most modern zombie movies, but most modern horror movies in general.
1 Train To Busan (2016) - 7.6
● Available on Tubi, Pluto TV, Crackle, Fubo TV, and Hulu
According to IMDb, the best zombie movie from South Korea is Train to Busan, the runaway smash hit that inspired Peninsula. In addition to its IMDb rating, the film currently holds a 94% Certified Fresh rating on Rotten Tomatoes and a 72/100 Metascore.
The film follows a father desperately trying to protect his young daughter on the titular overrun train as a zombie outbreak unfolds. The distinct characters, emotional performances, and breakneck action made it an instant hit with movie fans across the world and earned it very high marks on IMDb and Rotten Tomatoes, where it currently sits with an impressive 94% Certified Fresh rating.
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July 10, 2021 at 12:35AM
