Joe and Shawn are joined by Justin Kyle, co-host of the weekly horror film podcast Straight Chilling, for a decade-by-decade guide to Korean horror cinema. Starting from a lost 1924 silent film made under Japanese occupation and running through Na Hong-jin's divisive 2024 creature feature, Justin leads a structured tour of the films, directors, themes, and historical forces that shaped one of world cinema's most distinctive horror traditions.
Guest
Justin Kyle, Straight Chilling Podcast straightchilling.com Also writes for koreanfilm.org and Korea Times
Topics discussed
The 1924 silent horror film adaptation of the Tale of Two Sisters, made during Japanese occupation around the same time as Nosferatu and The Cabinet of Dr. Caligari, now a lost film
The Korean Film Archive's YouTube channel and Blu-ray releases for older films, and the ongoing problem of lost or damaged Korean films even from relatively recent decades
Why Korean horror rarely produces slashers, monster films, or vampire stories, and what it produces instead
The femme fatale and the vengeful female ghost as recurring figures in Korean horror, and the argument that these women have genuine narrative agency rather than existing simply as threats to be defeated
The 1960s as the first golden age of Korean horror, and the unusually high cinematographic quality of films from that era
How Park Chung-hee's nationalist cultural policies in the 70s inadvertently created a boom in shaman-themed cinema
The censorship era of the 70s and 80s, what it did to Korean filmmaking, and why the 80s produced so few horror films
The shamanism film tradition in Korean cinema and why claims that it is a new trend are wrong
Whispering Corridors (1998) as the beginning of the second golden age of Korean horror
Why the end of censorship in the mid-to-late 90s unlocked a new era of ambitious Korean filmmaking
The Quiet Family, A Tale of Two Sisters, The Host, and Thirst as the peak of 2000s Korean horror
The debate over whether Park Chan-wook or Bong Joon-ho is the better filmmaker
Train to Busan and the argument about whether it is a great zombie film, a mediocre horror film, or an accessible action film that Koreans don't even classify as horror
The Wailing as the conclusion of the second golden age
Seire (2021) as the best Korean horror film of the current decade, and the Korean folk traditions around birth and death it draws on
Exhuma and what happens when horror films prioritize accessibility over atmosphere
Na Hong-jin's Hope and why it's deeply divisive
The Netflix and K-pop effect on Korean cinema and the argument that chasing international accessibility has drained the daring out of mainstream Korean horror
A Halloween party on October 24, 2026 at Dyson Comics Cafe in Seoul with horror board games, movie trivia, and a Halloween magic show
Korean horror film timeline by decade
Korean Horror Film Timeline by Decade
Silent Era1924 — Untitled Tale of Two Sisters adaptation — director unknown — lost film
1960s
1960 — The Housemaid (하녀) — Kim Ki-young 1960 — Madam White Snake (백사부인) — Shin Sang-ok 1964 — The Evil Stairs / The Devil's Stairway (마의 계단) — Lee Man-hee 1965 — A Bloodthirsty Killer / Devilish Homicide (살인마) — Yi Yong-min 1967 — Public Cemetery Under the Moon (월하의 공동묘지) — Kwon Cheol-hwi 1967 — Yongary, Monster from the Deep (대괴수 용가리) — Kim Kee-duk 1969 — The Devil and the Beauty (악마와 미녀) — Yi Yong-min
1970s
1970 — Ghosts of Joseon (이조괴담) — Shin Sang-ok 1975 — The Man with Two Faces (공포의 이중인간) — Yi Yong-min 1977 — Io Island / Ieodo (이어도) — Kim Ki-young 1978 — A Woman Chasing a Killer Butterfly (살인나비를 쫓는 여자) — Kim Ki-young 1979 — The Divine Bough (신궁) — Im Kwon-taek
1980s
1981 — Suddenly in the Dark / Suddenly at Midnight (깊은 밤 갑자기) — Go Yeong-nam 1981 — The Hut (피막) — Lee Doo-yong 1981 — A Monstrous Corpse (괴시) — Kang Beom-gu 1982 — Dracula in a Coffin — director unconfirmed
1990s
1995 — 301, 302 (삼공일 삼공이) — Park Chul-su 1997 — The Hole — director unconfirmed 1998 — Whispering Corridors (여고괴담) — Park Ki-hyung 1998 — The Quiet Family (조용한 가족) — Kim Jee-woon 1999 — Memento Mori (여고괴담 두번째 이야기) — Kim Tae-yong and Min Kyu-dong 1999 — The Ring Virus (링) — Kim Dong-bin 1999 — Tell Me Something (텔 미 썸딩) — Chang Yoon-hyun 1990s — Deep Scratch — director unconfirmed
2000s
2001 — Sorum (소름) — Yoon Jong-chan 2003 — A Tale of Two Sisters (장화, 홍련) — Kim Jee-woon 2004 — R-Point (알 포인트) — Kong Su-chang 2006 — The Host (괴물) — Bong Joon-ho 2009 — Thirst (박쥐) — Park Chan-wook
2010s
2010 — I Saw the Devil (악마를 보았다) — Kim Jee-woon 2010 — Bedevilled (김복남 살인사건의 전말) — Jang Cheol-su 2012 — Horror Stories (무서운 이야기) — Min Kyu-dong, Jung Bum-shik, Hong Ji-young, Kim Gok and Kim Sun, Lim Dae-woong 2015 — The Silenced (경성학교: 사라진 소녀들) — Lee Hae-young 2016 — Train to Busan (부산행) — Yeon Sang-ho 2016 — The Wailing (곡성) — Na Hong-jin
2020s
2021 — Seire (세이레) — Park Kang 2022 — The Fifth Thoracic Vertebra — Park Se-young 2024 — Exhuma / Pamyo (파묘) — Jang Jae-hyun 2024 — Hopeu (호프) — Na Hong-jin
Resources mentioned
Straight Chilling Podcast: straightchilling.com Korean film database: koreanfilm.org Korean Film Archive YouTube: Korean Classic Film Korea Times film coverage: search Justin Kyle
Timestamps not available for this episode.
About the podcast
The Dark Side of Seoul explores Korea's hidden history, true crime, folklore, ghost stories, urban legends, disasters, political scandals, and the strange corners of Korean culture that rarely make it into guidebooks. Hosted by long-time Korea residents Joe McPherson and Shawn Morrissey, the show blends historical research, cultural analysis, and firsthand experience to examine the people, events, beliefs, and mysteries that have shaped the Korean peninsula.
Some episodes take deep dives into forgotten historical events, serial killers, political intrigue, and supernatural traditions. Others tackle current events and unusual news stories through our shorter "Fun Sized" episodes, connecting today's headlines to larger patterns in Korean society.
Whether we're discussing Joseon-era conspiracies, haunted mountains, cults, disasters, ghost encounters, or modern social issues, our goal is always the same: to explore the darker side of Korea with curiosity, skepticism, and historical context.
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