Asian Horror
by oktyutyunik | created - 25 Mar 2015 | updated - 29 Jun 2016 | Public- Instant Watch Options
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1. Shutter (II) (2004)
Not Rated | 97 min | Horror, Mystery, Thriller
A young photographer and his girlfriend discover mysterious shadows in their photographs after a tragic accident. They soon learn that you can not escape your past.
Directors: Banjong Pisanthanakun, Parkpoom Wongpoom | Stars: Ananda Everingham, Natthaweeranuch Thongmee, Achita Sikamana, Unnop Chanpaibool
Votes: 49,139
Do not watch the remake.
2. A Tale of Two Sisters (2003)
R | 114 min | Drama, Horror, Mystery
After being institutionalized in a mental hospital, Su-mi reunites with her sister, Su-yeon, and they return to live at their country home. But strange events plague the house, leading to surprising revelations and a shocking conclusion.
Director: Jee-woon Kim | Stars: Lim Soo-jung, Yum Jung-ah, Kim Kap-su, Moon Geun-young
Votes: 68,255
Beautiful, haunting mystery.
3. Thirst (2009)
R | 134 min | Drama, Fantasy, Horror
Through a failed medical experiment, a priest is stricken with vampirism and is forced to abandon his ascetic ways.
Director: Park Chan-wook | Stars: Song Kang-ho, Kim Ok-bin, Choi Hee-jin, Seo Dong-soo
Votes: 51,393 | Gross: $0.30M
Original take on vampire myth.
4. Ringu (1998)
Not Rated | 96 min | Horror, Mystery
A reporter and her ex-husband investigate a cursed video tape that is rumored to kill the viewer seven days after watching it.
Director: Hideo Nakata | Stars: Nanako Matsushima, Miki Nakatani, Yûko Takeuchi, Hitomi Satô
Votes: 77,458
More slow-paced than the remake, but very good.
5. Audition (1999)
R | 115 min | Drama, Horror, Mystery
A widower takes an offer to screen girls at a special audition, arranged for him by a friend to find him a new wife. The one he fancies is not who she appears to be after all.
Director: Takashi Miike | Stars: Ryo Ishibashi, Eihi Shiina, Tetsu Sawaki, Jun Kunimura
Votes: 89,202
Best if you go into it without any expectations.
6. Oldboy (2003)
R | 120 min | Action, Drama, Mystery
After being kidnapped and imprisoned for fifteen years, Oh Dae-Su is released, only to find that he must track down his captor in five days.
Director: Park Chan-wook | Stars: Choi Min-sik, Yoo Ji-tae, Kang Hye-jeong, Kim Byeong-Ok
Votes: 635,503 | Gross: $0.71M
Brutal.
7. Epitaph (2007)
Not Rated | 98 min | Drama, Horror
A series of horrifying events plague a Korean hospital in the 1940s.
Directors: Jung Bum-shik, Sik Jung | Stars: Kim Bo-kyung, Lee Dong-kyu, Kim Eung-soo, Jin Goo
Votes: 1,207
Weird but stayed with me.
8. Whispering Corridors (1998)
R | 105 min | Drama, Horror, Mystery
In a Korean school, students are regularly beaten and mistreated by their teachers. However, the spirit of one pupil, who died ten years ago, periodically returns in the guise of a new girl, thus able to gain a revenge on the culprits.
Director: Ki-hyeong Park | Stars: Kim Gyu-ri, Yun Ji-hye, Park Jin-hee, Choi Kang-hee
Votes: 3,498
Ghost School series.
9. Wishing Stairs (2003)
R | 100 min | Horror, Drama
A staircase leading to the dormitory of a remote boarding school usually has 28 stairs, but every so often there appears to be 29. When someone steps on the mysterious extra stair, the horror begins.
Director: Jae-yeon Yun | Stars: Song Ji-Hyo, Park Han-byeol, Jo An, Park Ji-yeon
Votes: 3,308
10. Muoi: The Legend of a Portrait (2007)
Not Rated | 93 min | Drama, History, Horror
"Muoi" charts the path of a Korean writer who travels to Vietnam in search of stories for her second novel. There she learns about a mystery centered around a century-old vengeful spirit.
Director: Tae-kyeong Kim | Stars: Jo An, So-hee Hong, Hong-Anh, Yong-tae Kim
Votes: 1,100
Really enjoyed this one. Revenge.
11. The Eye (2002)
R | 99 min | Fantasy, Horror, Mystery
A blind girl gets a cornea transplant so that she will be able to see again. She gets more than she bargained for upon realizing she can also see ghosts.
Directors: Danny Pang, Oxide Chun Pang | Stars: Angelica Lee, Chutcha Rujinanon, Lawrence Chou, Jinda Duangtoy
Votes: 30,072 | Gross: $0.51M
Better than the remake.
12. Dream Home (2010)
Not Rated | 96 min | Horror
Cheng Li-sheung is a young, upwardly mobile professional finally ready to invest in her first home. But when the deal falls through, she is forced to keep her dream alive - even if it means keeping her would-be neighbors dead.
Director: Ho-Cheung Pang | Stars: Josie Ho, Ching Wong, Helen To, Man Jan San
Votes: 5,891
Brutal kills.
13. Three... Extremes (2004)
R | 125 min | Horror
An Asian cross-cultural trilogy of horror films from accomplished indie directors.
Directors: Fruit Chan, Park Chan-wook, Takashi Miike | Stars: Bai Ling, Lee Byung-hun, Kyoko Hasegawa, Pauline Lau
Votes: 20,862 | Gross: $0.08M
Dumplings. Horrifying and gorgeous.
14. Antarctic Journal (2005)
Not Rated | 115 min | Horror, Mystery, Thriller
Strange things begin happening to an expedition deep in the Antarctic.
Director: Pil-sung Yim | Stars: Song Kang-ho, Yoo Ji-tae, Kyeong-ik Kim, Park Hee-soon
Votes: 2,124
Adventure-horror. Love snowy, isolated settings for horror.
15. The Maid (2005)
Not Rated | 93 min | Drama, Horror, Mystery
"Every year, for thirty days during the lunar seventh month, the Chinese believe that the gates of hell are thrown open. Vengeful spirits or hungry ghosts wander among the living, seeking ... See full summary »
Director: Kelvin Tong | Stars: Alessandra De Rossi, Huifang Hong, Benny Soh, Zhenwei Guan
Votes: 1,313
Starts off light-hearted but the twist changes everything.
16. Cinderella (2006)
Not Rated | 94 min | Horror, Thriller
The daughter of a plastic surgeon experiences strange events that seem to be connected her childhood.
Director: Man-dae Bong | Stars: Ah-yung Ahn, Gyu-ryun Ahn, Yoo Da-in, Do Ji-Won
Votes: 1,600
Very enjoyable. Twist.
17. White: The Melody of the Curse (2011)
PG-13 | 106 min | Horror, Music, Mystery
Girl group "Pink Dolls" is always pushed into the background by other popular idols. When the girls release their new song "White", a remake from unknown origins they become instant sensations.
Directors: Gok Kim, Sun Kim | Stars: Hahm Eun-jung, Hwang Woo-seul-hye, Maydoni, Choi Ah-ra
Votes: 1,701
Pop industry. Enjoyable.
18. End Call (2008)
94 min | Horror
The Devil has a phone number, and if you call him on your mobile phone at midnight, he will grant your wish. In return however, he will control your life for the duration of the call.
Director: Kiyoshi Yamamoto | Stars: Yuria Haga, Asami Usuda, Tasuku Nagaoka, Rina Matsuki
Votes: 227
Not the best on the list but still decent idea.
19. Sick Nurses (2007)
Not Rated | 82 min | Crime, Horror
A group of sexy nurses who harvest organs are haunted by the vengeful spirit of one of their dead patients.
Directors: Piraphan Laoyont, Thodsapol Siriwiwat | Stars: Chon Wachananon, Wichan Jarujinda, Chidjan Rujiphun, Kanya Rattapetch
Votes: 2,007
Sexy nurses with a twist. Decent.
20. Hansel and Gretel (2007)
TV-14 | 117 min | Drama, Fantasy, Horror
After meeting a mysterious girl on an dark stretch of road, a young salesman is invited to a beautiful house with bizarre secrets and no way to escape.
Director: Pil-sung Yim | Stars: Cheon Jeong-myeong, Eun Won-jae, Shim Eun-kyung, Jin Ji-hee
Votes: 4,944
Gorgeous. Best at portrating fairy-tale on film, for adults.
21. One Missed Call (2003)
R | 112 min | Horror, Mystery
People mysteriously start receiving voicemail messages from their future selves, foretelling their deaths.
Director: Takashi Miike | Stars: Kô Shibasaki, Shin'ichi Tsutsumi, Kazue Fukiishi, Anna Nagata
Votes: 19,310
Series. No escape.
22. The Red Shoes (2005)
Not Rated | 103 min | Horror, Mystery, Thriller
A woman who finds a pair of pink high heels on a subway platform soon realizes that jealousy, greed, and death follow them wherever they go.
Director: Yong-gyun Kim | Stars: Kim Hye-su, Kim Seong-su, Yeon-ah Park, Lee Eol
Votes: 3,184
Did not like it at first but it grew on me.
23. Spiral (2000)
90 min | Drama, Fantasy, Horror
The inhabitants of a small Japanese town become increasingly obsessed with and tormented by spirals.
Director: Higuchinsky | Stars: Eriko Hatsune, Fhi Fan, Hinako Saeki, Shin Eun-kyung
Votes: 8,987
Weird. You will see spirals everywhere. The Manga is good.
24. Cello (2005)
Not Rated | 94 min | Horror, Mystery
A cellist is haunted by strange events after a car wreck
Director: Lee Woo-cheol | Stars: Sung Hyun-ah, Da-an Park, Jeong Ho-bin, Jin Woo
Votes: 2,773
envy. Horror.
25. The Doll Master (2004)
Not Rated | 90 min | Horror, Thriller
Five people are invited to a remote doll museum and one by one they are mysteriously killed. The survivors find out the truth: dolls have spirits, and they have come to settle scores.
Director: Yong-ki Jeong | Stars: Kim Yu-mi, Eun-kyeong Lim, Shim Hyung-tak, Ok Ji-young
Votes: 2,087
Doll horror.
26. Yoga (I) (2010)
74 min
Director: Homero Cirelli | Stars: Natalia Gorini, Florencia Lazarte, John Pallotta, Laila Páez
Light but fun horror.
27. Alone (I) (2007)
105 min | Drama, Horror, Thriller
Deceased Siamese twin returns to haunt surviving sister
Directors: Banjong Pisanthanakun, Parkpoom Wongpoom | Stars: Marsha Wattanapanich, Vittaya Wasukraipaisan, Rachanu Boonchuduang, Hatairat Egereff
Votes: 5,763
Great. Twin horror.
28. Pulse (2001)
R | 119 min | Horror, Mystery, Sci-Fi
Two groups of people discover evidence that suggests spirits may be trying to invade the human world through the Internet.
Director: Kiyoshi Kurosawa | Stars: Haruhiko Katô, Kumiko Asô, Koyuki, Kurume Arisaka
Votes: 25,576 | Gross: $0.05M
Black-haired ghost
29. I Saw the Devil (2010)
Not Rated | 144 min | Action, Crime, Thriller
A secret agent exacts revenge on a serial killer through a series of captures and releases.
Director: Jee-woon Kim | Stars: Lee Byung-hun, Choi Min-sik, Jeon Gook-hwan, Chun Ho-jin
Votes: 146,137 | Gross: $0.13M
Revenge. Brutal.
30. Ju-on: The Grudge (2002)
R | 92 min | Horror
A mysterious and vengeful spirit marks and pursues anybody who dares enter the house in which it resides.
Director: Takashi Shimizu | Stars: Megumi Okina, Misaki Itô, Misa Uehara, Yui Ichikawa
Votes: 48,045 | Gross: $0.33M
Better than the remake.
31. Ju-On: The Grudge 2 (2003)
R | 92 min | Drama, Fantasy, Horror
As their curse spreads on, the ghosts find their chance to live once again through the pregnancy of a cursed woman.
Director: Takashi Shimizu | Stars: Noriko Sakai, Chiharu Niiyama, Kei Horie, Yui Ichikawa
Votes: 10,877
I actually thought this was creepier than the first.
32. The Pot (2008)
Not Rated | 115 min | Drama, Horror
(Korean with English subtitles) Everything is picture-perfect for a family of three recently moved to Seoul from the countryside. But when religious ritual goes terribly wrong, their ... See full summary »
Director: Tae-gon Kim | Stars: Yang Eun-yong, Hae-yoen Gil, Kil Hae-yeon, Hyeong-gook Im
Votes: 131
Reminded me of Rosemary's Baby
33. Dark Water (2002)
PG-13 | 101 min | Drama, Horror, Mystery
A mother and her 6-year-old daughter move into a creepy apartment whose every surface is permeated by water.
Director: Hideo Nakata | Stars: Hitomi Kuroki, Rio Kanno, Mirei Oguchi, Asami Mizukawa
Votes: 34,924
A mother's love
34. Phone (2002)
R | 104 min | Horror, Mystery, Thriller
Investigative reporter Ji-won begins to receive a series of menacing calls. To escape the terrifying and relentless clanging of the telephone, she changes her number and moves out. But the threatening campaign of terror continues unabated.
Director: Byeong-ki Ahn | Stars: Ha Ji-Won, Kim Yu-mi, Woo-jae Choi, Ji-yeon Choi
Votes: 5,294
Thought I had it figured out but glad I stuck with it.
35. February 29 (2006)
90 min | Horror, Thriller
Ji-Yeon, a tollgate ticket girl, is frightened by a mysterious black car, which hands over a bloodstained ticket as a fee at midnight.
Director: Jong-hoon Jung | Stars: Lee An-Na, Eun-jin Baek, Son Jong Bum, Park Eun-hye
Votes: 869
36. The Host (2006)
R | 120 min | Drama, Horror, Sci-Fi
A monster emerges from Seoul's Han River and begins attacking people. One victim's loving family does what it can to rescue her from its clutches.
Director: Bong Joon Ho | Stars: Song Kang-ho, Byun Hee-Bong, Park Hae-il, Bae Doona
Votes: 132,675 | Gross: $2.20M
Monster horror. Comedic.
37. Noroi (2005)
Not Rated | 115 min | Horror, Mystery, Thriller
A documentary filmmaker explores seemingly unrelated paranormal incidents connected by the legend of an ancient demon called the "kagutaba."
Director: Kôji Shiraishi | Stars: Jin Muraki, Rio Kanno, Tomono Kuga, Marika Matsumoto
Votes: 15,311
Slow-paced. Best watched alone.
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