As a lifelong horror fan, I only recently became obsessed with Asian horror movies. I had watched a few Japanese horror films over the years, but never became an avid fan. Typically, Asian horror builds tension through slower-paced, psychologically intense narratives rather than the jump scares and gory scenes common in American horror movies. Additionally, these films often draw on folklore and spiritual beliefs that may be unfamiliar to many American horror fans, and the need to read subtitles can be a nonstarter for some viewers. English-dubbed versions are available for the movies listed below, but honestly, I don’t recommend watching them that way. For me, there’s too much of a disconnect between the actors’ performances and the dubbed dialogue to make it enjoyable. Besides, it’s really cool to experience these films in their original languages! However you decide to watch, choose one of the films on this list and take your first deep dive into the fascinating and frightening world of Asian horror.
1. Train to Busan
Released: 2016
Rating: Not Rated
Country: South Korea
Language: Korean with English subtitles
This epic zombie action-horror is set aboard a KTX high-speed train traveling from Seoul to Busan. The story follows Seok-woo, a workaholic divorced dad, who boards the train with his estranged daughter, Su-an, to bring her to her mother in Busan. As the train departs, a horrific zombie virus outbreak occurs, forcing the passengers to fight for their survival. Fans can also check out the standalone sequel from 2020, Peninsula, or the 2016 animated prequel, Seoul Station.
Watch the trailer here.
Train to Busan; image credit: Next Entertainment World
2. The Wailing
Released: 2016
Rating: Not Rated
Country: South Korea
Language: Korean with English subtitles
This critically acclaimed horror film mixes Korean folk horror with Western occult themes. Set in a rural South Korean village, the story follows Jong-goo, a policeman who investigates a series of brutal murders that occur after a mysterious Japanese man moves into the area. Local residents are falling ill and violently killing their families. When Jong-goo’s daughter Hyo-jin starts showing signs of the disease, he must solve the mystery before it’s too late.
Watch the trailer here.
The Wailing; image credit: 20th Century Fox
3. Gonjiam: Haunted Asylum
Released: 2018
Rating: Not Rated
Location: South Korea
Language: Korean with English subtitles
Gonjiam: Haunted Asylum is one of my all-time favorite found-footage horror movies, and it’s the film that made me an Asian horror addict! The story follows the members of the Horror Times web show as they live-stream a paranormal investigation inside Gonjiam Psychiatric Hospital. They initially plan to fake some scares to reach a million views, but soon, the malevolent spirits of Gonjiam begin to manifest and truly terrorize the crew.
Watch the trailer here.
Gonjiam: Haunted Asylum; image credit: Showbox
4. The Witch: Part 1 – The Subversion
Released: 2018
Rating: Not Rated
Country: South Korea
Language: Korean with English subtitles
This stylish action sci-fi horror follows a young girl named Ja-yoon, who escapes from a secret experimental facility during a massacre of all the children in the research program. She is taken in by an elderly couple and lives a seemingly normal life until her past secrets catch up with her.
Watch the trailer here.
The Witch: Part 1 – The Subversion; image credit: Warner Bros. Pictures
5. Ju-on: The Grudge
Released: 2002
Rating: R
Country: Japan
Language: Japanese with English subtitles
American audiences are probably familiar with the 2004 U.S. remake, The Grudge, starring Sarah Michelle Gellar. Takashi Shimizu directed both movies, but unlike the remake’s linear narrative, the original features nonlinear storytelling to create an unsettling atmosphere. The story centers on a cursed house in Tokyo, where a man, in a fit of jealous rage, killed his wife and son. The curse subsequently affects anyone who enters the house, ultimately leading to their demise.
Watch the trailer here.
Ju-on: The Grudge; image credit: Lionsgate
6. Ringu
Released: 1998
Rating: Not Rated
Country: Japan
Language: Japanese with English subtitles
This Japanese horror classic also has a successful American remake, The Ring (2002), starring Naomi Watts. Ringu is a slow-burning supernatural horror film about a reporter named Reiko Asakawa who investigates rumors of a cursed videotape that kills anyone who watches it seven days later. When her niece and three of her niece’s friends mysteriously die at the same time, Reiko becomes determined to uncover the origins of the tape and break the curse.
Watch the trailer here.
Ringu; image credit: Toho
7. Noroi: The Curse
Released: 2005
Rating: Not Rated
Country: Japan
Language: Japanese with English subtitles
Directed by Kōji Shiraishi, this excellent found-footage mockumentary follows Masafumi Kobayashi, a paranormal researcher and documentary filmmaker who explores supernatural events across Japan. The film is presented as his final documentary after Masafumi mysteriously disappears while investigating a demon named Kagutaba.
Watch the trailer here.
Noroi: The Curse; image credit: Xanadeux
8. Audition
Released: 1999
Rating: R
Country: Japan
Language: Japanese with English subtitles
A psychological thriller by Takashi Miike about a widower named Shigeharu Aoyama who wants to find a new wife. When his friend, a film producer, suggests arranging a fake audition to find a suitable woman, Shigeharu becomes obsessed with one of the applicants, Asami Yamazaki. However, he soon realizes that Asami is not who she pretends to be, and her violent, vengeful tendencies are unleashed in the movie’s shocking ending.
Watch the trailer here.
Audition; image credit: Omega Project
9. Incantation
Released: 2022
Rating: TV-MA
Country: Taiwan
Language: Mandarin Chinese with English subtitles
This nonlinear found-footage supernatural horror follows Li Ronan, a woman who broke a serious religious taboo while filming an online video. Six years later, when her daughter develops a mysterious illness and is haunted by a malevolent presence, Ronan must protect her from the curse she unleashed all those years ago.
Watch the trailer here.
Incantation; image credit: Netflix
10. The Medium
Released: 2021
Rating: Not Rated
Countries: Thailand and South Korea
Language: Thai (Isan dialect) with English subtitles
This mockumentary-style supernatural folk horror follows a documentary crew traveling to Thailand to interview a medium named Nim. The women in Nim’s family are chosen to serve as vessels for a local deity called Ba Yan. When Nim’s niece Mink, who is next in line to host Ba Yan, begins to exhibit strange behavior, questions arise about whether it is truly Ba Yan possessing her.
Watch the trailer here.
The Medium; image credit: GDH 559 (Thailand) and Showbox (South Korea)
See more:
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- The Highest-Grossing Horror Movie Franchises of All Time
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Featured image photo credit: Next Entertainment World
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