South Korea's horror films have long been terrorizing the screens behind tidily closed doors, and now they scream internationally owing to their flavorful multidimensional genre approach. They marry folklore, contemporary fear, and cinematic flash from haunted asylums to shamanistic rituals; these films do not just frighten, they haunt. For Halloween 2025, no better nightmare exists than being alone in the dark with a vengeful spirit keeping one company, but also exploring socio-economic inequality, xenophobia, geopolitics, colonialism, and gender dynamics at the same time. 

As Spooktober reaches its final day, when the veil between the dead and the undead is thin, pray to the spirits before binging these seven Korean horror movies.

Spiced with a variety of perspectives and the multi-faceted nature of fear, whether atmospheric, psychological, or supernatural, these seven South Korean horror films have mastered the genre's thought-provoking secrets like no other.

Directed by Lee Chung-hyun, The Call features Korean film industry heavyweights, Park Shin-hye and Jeon Jong-seo, in a time-traveling, psychologically gri,m and gory drama. This mind-bending psychological horror ties two women together through an old telephone across various years. When life hangs in the balance on calling through time, the butterfly effect fosters fear in even the most ordinary choices.

A haunted artifact is a gateway to tragedy. It lures viewers in subtly, until the heart pounds out of the ribcage without even deploying any jumpscares. Released globally on Netflix on November 27, 2020, The Call is intense, insane, and Halloween-friendly. Call a friend to decipher its complex ending together, because it will keep every brain cell awake for a long time.

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Films like The Call demand full attention to its detail due to its twisted narrative; however, nothing beats atmospheric horror in a Halloween watchlist than serial killers and psychiatric hospitals.

Directed by Jung Bum-shik, this found-footage horror features Wi Ha-joon and Park Ji-hyun, alongside Oh Ah-yeon, Moon Ye-won, Park Sung-hoon, Yoo Je-yoon, Lee Seung-wook, and Park Ji-a. A team of web-streaming horror YouTubers ventures into an infamous psychiatric institution as the location for their web series, as the terrors of a ghost intensify.

When cameras start rolling, the supernatural permeates through corridors and white noise. Shot with cramped spaces and unflinching tension at one of South Korea's infamous haunted locations, the former Gonjiam Psychiatric Hospital in Gwangju, this critically and commercially successful film holds viewers captive in its atmospheric horror with no escape route, almost giving a true crime thriller vibe.

Directed and written by Park Hoon-jung, featuring Kim Da-mi, Jo Min-su, Choi Woo-shik, and Park Hee-soon, The Witch: Part 1 – The Subversion (2018), on the surface, is the tale of a young woman with superhuman abilities torn from coerced experiments. But as her secret past unravels, the film evolves into something more sinister than revenge.

The film is violent, stylish, and unsettling; the smooth shift from horror to action to psychological thriller makes it a great addition to 2025's Halloween watchlist. It explores the consequences of irresponsible transhumanist experimentation, along with its sequel, The Witch: Part 2. The Other One, released on June 15, 2022.

The Divine Fury (2019) comes from director Kim Joo-hwan, starring Park Seo-joon, Ahn Sung-ki, and Woo Do-hwan. This is no ordinary ghost story. Park Seo-joon's MMA fighter, who has lost all faith after losing his father, finds out about his stigmata and battles Korean demonic forces with an exorcist priest as his ally. 

The movie combines supernatural horror and blood-and-sweat drama, spiritual conflict colliding with physical in violent confrontations. It promises stunning visuals and an excellent color palette, along with emotional moments.

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Demon quelling never really gets boring, whether it is Park Seo-Joon taking the charge or Song Hye-kyo, as occult horror, the subject of countless crime documentaries, is always the most addictive curiosity for mortals. 

Dark Nuns (2025) is a spin-off to The Priests, directed by Kwon Hyeok-jae and starring Song Hye-kyo, Jeon Yeo-been, Lee Jin-wook, and Moon Woo-jin. In this recent occult thriller, two nuns break church rules to conduct an illicit ritual to cure a demon-possessed boy. In its gothic atmosphere and moral urgency, it brings religious fear directly into ecclesiastical silence.

Dark Nuns exposes the power of humanity amidst supernatural challenges, replete with dark secrets and an unnerving atmosphere. Expect a fierce fight between faith and science, as well as sassy nuns. 

This one is for the cinephiles who would like to excavate old gems in search of cultural richness and an ancient East Asian horror setup. The Public Cemetery Under the Moon (1967) is a classic that may be more difficult to stream than the newer film. But as an old Korean horror film, it provides atmospheric contrast, a reminder of history in Korean horror. 

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Directed by Cheol-hwi Kwon, The Public Cemetery Under the Moon is a kisaeng (Korean geisha) horror movie starring Geum-bong Do, Hae Hwang, Ae-ran Jeong, and more. Its stunning silhouettes, ancient myths, costumes, and slow-burning tension make it a great watch for Halloween.

Exhuma (2024) carries the trendiest pulse of Korean horror deeply rooted in the aesthetics of supernatural folklore, curses, shamanism, and cultural secrets, rituals, and politics. Directed by Jang Jae-hyun, it features Choi Min-sik, Kim Go-eun, Yoo Hae-jin, and Lee Do-hyun in this spine-chilling thriller.

Exhuma presents glossy visuals, ancient monsters, and existential dread, boasting a high rewatchablity factor. Grossing $93.9 million worldwide, it became the highest-grossing South Korean film of 2024 and the sixth highest-grossing South Korean film of all time.

More than jump scares, South Korean horror feeds on folklore, societal taboos, religious complexities, immersive world-building, and, at times, cultural superstitions that might not be exposed to the world entirely. The best ones spread psychological fear over mundane life: an eerie phone call in the darkness, a ritual that crosses sacred boundaries, or a ghost that has access to one's deep, personal fears. Its pace is cinematic, measured, and poetic; even when blood is spilling, the camera hangs on a tear, a whisper, or a silence that slashes through the tension like a sharp knife.

Whether the Halloween mood calls for haunted insane asylums, body-snatchers, or a storm of the spirit, these Korean horror movies will shine like jack-o'-lanterns in the dark, if the avid binger is brave enough.

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Which is your favorite Korean horror film? Comment below.