Korean Horror Movies – K-Horror
Korean Horror Movies
In recent year, Korean horror films have become all the rage among knowledgeable movie buffs. With their bizarre–and often gory–plotlines, Korean horror movies have mirrored the success of their counterparts in Japan. In fact, modern Japanese horror is referred to a J-Horror, while Korea offers wicked cinematic morsels known as K-Horror.
This article looks at the lean years of Korean cinema and tracse its steps all the way to the modern horror explosion. I’ll discuss some of the scariest Korean horror films, as well as some of the best-known Korean horror directors. By the time you’re done reading, you’ll hopefully have a much better idea of the current state of Korean horror cinema.
Korean Horror Cinema – The Lean Years
During its early years, the cinema of South Korea was plagued by a number of problems: civil war, national division, censorship, and restrictive film regulations. Following World War II, American films also began to have a significant presence in Korea, making it very difficult for local filmmakers to compete with the big-budget Hollywood production.
During this period, Korean movies tended to be low-budget affairs, usually falling into the categories of horror, melodrama or comedy. Despite their American competition, these films still proved popular with South Korean citizens.
That all changed in 1973, when the film industry was severely altered by the military government of the time. South Korean filmmakers were suddenly tasked with helping to revive the moral character of a nation, and films tended to either be adaptations of literary works or thinly-veiled pieces of government propaganda (or both). These films usually lost money at the box office, and studios were forced to churn out low-budget erotica in order to turn a profit.
These strict regulations would last for 20 years, and the ‘80s were a particular low point in Korean cinema. During this decade, and even into the ‘90s, the domestic market share for Korean films fell to under 20 percent. That means of all the money spent by moviegoers in Korea, less than 20 percent of it was being spent on homegrown films.
Things finally started to turn around in the ‘90s, and Korean cinema began reaping the benefits of a stable economy, reasonable government, and less restrictive film policy. Former Korean President Kim Dae-jung established the Korean Film Commission to help fund artistic films, and Samsung became one of the industries largest investors in the new millennium.
By the end of the ‘90s, Korean films were selling more tickets locally than American films such as The Matrix and Titanic. This led to increased budgets for Korean filmmakers and the willingness of studios to try more ambitious projects.
The Rise of Korean Horror Movies
In 1998, Korean horror films got a shot in the arm with the release of Whispering Corridors. Set in a Korean high school, the film concerns a ghastly series of murders which may be tied to the spirit world. While the movie was designed to frighten audiences, it also offered subtle criticism of the Korean educational system. Whispering Corridors was a success at the box office, and the melding of imperiled schoolgirls and malevolent spirits proved to be a popular combination. The movie would spawn two sequels and become the first Korean horror movie to leave a real impression on local moviegoers.
The following year saw Memento Mori released in Korean theaters. A sequel of sorts to Whispering Corridors, it involves a schoolgirl being tormented by an invisible assailant. Korean censors forced the filmmakers to remove some material relating to certain sexual taboos, but the movie was still met with a decent level of enthusiasm.
With the success of Whispering Corridors and Memento Mori, studios began to see Korean horror films as a viable investment. This led to increased budgets, which resulted in better production values and a stronger overall product for consumers. Only a few years later, Korean and international audiences would be gripped by the phenomenon known as K-Horror.
K-Horror
The term K-Horror simply means “Korean Horror,” much as the term J-Horror refers to Japanese horror films. While the J-Horror explosion was sparked by the film Ringu (remade in America as The Ring), K-Horror really took off with the 2003 debut of Kim Ji-Wun’s A Tale of Two Sisters in 2003. Considered a technical masterpiece, the film was a commercial and critical success, and it has even been remade for the U.S. market (as 2009‘s The Uninvited). Prior to A Tale of Two Sisters, other notable South Korean horror releases included Wishing Stairs (2003), Phone (2002), H (2002), Memories (2002), and The Uninvited (2003).
While some K-Horror films are noted for gory effects, many choose to focus instead on the suffering and misery of their characters. These films are also known for their use of long camera shots and periods of uncomfortable silence. Much like Japanese films, some of the scariest Korean horror movies may also feature the vengeful spirits known as Onryo.
A recent hit from the Korean horror genre was 2006’s The Host, directed by Bong Joon-ho. It concerns a rampaging monster which takes away a little girl, and her family is then forced into a desperate rescue attempt. While it contains many elements of a horror film, it also adds liberal amounts of drama and comedy. The Host broke numerous box office records in South Korea, and it became the country’s highest-grossing film of all time. The film was even shown on U.S. screens during a limited run.
Since the success of The Host, other notable South Korean horror films have included APT (2006), Evil Twin (2007), Muoi: The Legend of a Portrait (2007), Death Bell (2008), Loner (2008) and Voices (2008).
Korean Horror Movie Directors
In case you‘re wondering about the best Korean horror movie directors to follow, here are a few names you might want to become familiar with. As the Korean horror craze continues, these men remain on the cutting edge.
Ahn Byeong-ki - His films include Nightmare (2000), Phone (2002), Bunshinsaba (2004), and APT (2006).
Bong Joon-ho – His most famous work is The Host, the 2006 monster movie which dominated the South Korean box office in 2006. He has also directed Barking Dogs Never Bite (2000), Memories of Murder (2003) and Mother (2009).
Kim Ji-woon – While he is known for having started the K-Horror craze with A Tale of Two Sisters, Kim has also worked in a wide array of movie genres. Other works include The Quiet Family (1998), The Foul King (2000), A Bittersweet Life (2005), and The Good, the Bad, the Weird (2008).
Park Chan-wook – Having directed the highly successful Vengeance Trilogy (Sympathy for Mr. Vengeance (2002), Oldboy (2003) and Sympathy for Lady Vengeance (2005)), Park has become an internationally-known filmmaker. His films are often known for their technical proficiency and their brutality. Other works include JSA (2000), I’m a Cyborg, But That’s OK (2006) and Thirst (2009).
Kong Su-chang – A Korean horror director known for the films Tell Me Something and R-Point.
Kim Dong-bin – Has directed The Ring Virus and Redeye.
Park Ki-hyeong -The Korean horror director of Whispering Corridors and Acacia.
This entry was posted on Tuesday, May 19th, 2009 at 7:22 am and is filed under Horror Movies. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.
especially Muoi: The legend of a portrait (2007) is a horror film made by Korea in association with Viet Nam. Two lead actresses are Korean and others are Vietnamese. The actress who played Muoi (the ghost in the portrait) is Minh Thu – a famous beautiful Vietnamese actress.