Netflix K-dramas are full of interesting plots, great characters, and even greater production quality. If you’re a horror fan, you’ll definitely love the very unique world of Korean horror K-dramas on Netflix.
Replete with scores of flesh-eating zombies and revenge-seeking ghosts, the K-drama sections of streaming platforms like Netflix have caught the fancy of lovers of the horror genre. So much so, that the massively popular 2020 apocalyptic horror drama Sweet Home was viewed by more than 22 million paid subscribers worldwide. Following this, Netflix officially renewed the series for its second and third seasons.
Meanwhile, weaving in the elements of romance and comedy to stand out from the rest are popular horror K-dramas like The Master’s Sun (2013).
Not to forget Hellbound (2021) which stars Yoo Ah-in. It even got an official invite to the 46th Toronto International Film Festival, becoming the first Korean TV series to make it into the coveted film festival.
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Scream to these horrifying K-dramas on Netflix
All of Us Are Dead
Created by: Lee JQ, Chun Sung-il and Kim Nam-su
Cast: Park Ji-hu, Yoon Chan-young, Cho Yi-hyun and Lomon
Year of release: 2022
Episodes: 12
Synopsis: The lives of all attending Hyosan High School are turned upside down after a student returns from the science lab with a strange infection. Soon, the teenagers find themselves trapped in a deadly outbreak where the infected are turning into zombies.
About the show: Based on the 2009 webcomic Now At Our School by Joo Dong-geun, this horror K-drama was watched more than 474.26 million hours in the first 30 days of its release on Netflix.
Watch here
Sell Your Haunted House
Created by: Park Jin-suk and Ha Soo-jin
Cast: Jang Na-ra, Jung Yong-hwa, Kang Hong-seok, Ahn Gil-kang
Year of release: 2021
Episodes: 16
Synopsis: The story follows Ji Ah (Jang), a woman who has inherited the ability to evoke supernatural beings from her mother. Putting her powers to good use, she becomes the owner of Daebak Realty, a real estate agency that specialises in selling haunted houses by freeing them of evil spirits.
Watch here
Hellbound
Created by: Yeon Sang-ho and Choi Gyu-seok
Cast: Yoo Ah-in, Kim Hyun-joo, Park Jeong-min, Won Jin-a
Year of release: 2021
Episodes: 6
Synopsis: When people suddenly start hearing predictions about their nearing end from a death angel, a group of unearthly beings begin slaughtering and dragging them to hell. Soon, this ghastly phenomenon gives rise to a new religion called Saejinrihwe, which has its own notions about righteousness.
Watch here
Sweet Home
Created by: Lee Eung-bok, Jang Yong-woo, Park So-jeong, Park So-hyeon, Kim Hyeong-min, Hong So-ri
Cast: Song Kang, Lee Jin-uk, Park Gyu-young
Year of release: 2020
Episodes: 10
Synopsis: When the socially awkward Cha Hyun-soo (Song) moves to a new apartment in the Green Home complex, strange incidents start occurring. As his neighbours start turning into monsters, Hyun-soo joins a group of survivors in his building, including medical student Eun-hyuk (Lee) and musician Ji-su (Park), to fight for their lives.
About the show: Sweet Home is adapted from the 2017 webcomic of the same name by Kim Carnby and Hwang Young-chan, which recorded over 2.1 billion net views on the Naver website.
Watch here
The Cursed
Created by: Kim Yong-wan and Yeon Sang-ho
Cast: Uhm Ji-won, Jung Ziso, Sung Dong-il, Jo Min-soo
Year of release: 2020
Episodes: 12
Synopsis: Journalist Im Jin-hee (Uhm) is hell-bent on exposing the evil CEO of an IT conglomerate, Jin Jong-hyun (Sung). One day, Jin-hee comes across an odd teenager Baek So-jin (Jung), who has the ability to cast deadly spells on people. The former then decides to take help from So-jin to bring down the CEO and reveal his demonic practices.
Watch here
Hotel Del Luna
Created by: Oh Choong-hwan, Hong Mi-ran and Hong Jung-eun
Cast: IU, Yeo Jin-goo, Shin Jung-keun, Bae Hae-sun
Year of release: 2019
Episodes: 16
Synopsis: Seoul’s unusual Hotel Del Luna is run by its mysterious CEO, Jang Man-wol (IU), a woman whose past mistake has trapped her there for eternity. When Koo Chan-sung (Yeo) arrives at Del Luna as a manager, he discovers the nature of the hotel’s clientele — ghosts on their way to the afterlife.
Watch here
The Guest
Created by: Kim Hong-sun, Kwon So-ra and Seo Jea-won
Cast: Kim Dong-wook, Kim Jae-uk, Jung Eun-chae, An Nae-sang
Year of release: 2018
Episodes: 16
Synopsis: Psychic Yoon Hwa-pyung (Kim Dong-wook), priest Choi Yoon (Kim Jae-uk) and detective Kang Kil-young (Jung) are bound together by their supernatural abilities and fate. When sinister crimes are committed by evil powers, the trio work together to unravel the truth.
Watch here
A Korean Odyssey
Created by: Park Hong-kyun, Hong Mi-ran, Hong Jung-eun and Kim Byeong-su
Cast: Son Oh-gong, Lee Seung-gi, Cha Seung-won, Oh Yeon-seo
Year of release: 2017
Episodes: 20
Synopsis: Mythical creature Son Oh-gong’s (Lee) only goal is to attain invincibility. When he comes across Jin Seon-mi (Oh), a woman with the ability to see otherworldly, he is enamoured by her and finds it difficult to focus on his mission. Will Oh-gong be able to fulfil his task at hand?
About the show: This fantasy K-drama with a dash of horror, is a reinterpretation of the 16th-century Chinese classic Journey to the West by Wu Cheng’en.
Watch here
Nightmare Teacher
Created by: Hyun Moon-sub and Jeong Yu-seok
Cast: Uhm Ki-joon, Kim So-hyun, Lee Min-hyuk, Seo Shin-ae
Year of release: 2016
Episodes: 12
Synopsis: The arrival of a mysterious new homeroom teacher Han Bong-gu (Uhm) at Yosan Private High School shakes things up at the otherwise quaint school. With both dreams and nightmares of students starting to come true, chaos ensues. As suspicion grows, class president Ye-Rim (Kim) tries to solve the mystery before it’s too late.
The Master’s Sun
Created by: Jin Hyuk, Hong Jung-eun and Hong Mi-ran
Cast: So Ji-sub, Kong Hyo-jin, Seo In-guk
Year of release: 2013
Episodes: 17
Synopsis: Tae Gong-shil (Kong), who is tormented by her ability to see ghosts, meets Joo Joong-won (So), a money-minded CEO of a conglomerate, who seems to have a calming effect on Gon-shil. Together, they try to deal with the terror and sadness brought about by the spirits.
About the show: This horror K-drama on Netflix is also popularly known as The Sun of My Master.
Watch here
(Hero and featured image: Netflix/Twitter)
This story first appeared on Lifestyle Asia Bangkok
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)
Answer: There are a plethora of horror K-dramas that you can binge on. Some of the most popular ones are 'Hellbound', 'The Guest', 'The Cursed', 'The Master's Sun', 'Kingdom', 'All of Us Are Dead' and 'Sweet Home'.
Answer: Some of the best South Korean horror shows available on Netflix are 'Sweet Home', 'Hellbound', 'The Guest', 'The Cursed' and 'All of Us Are Dead'.
Answer: Some of the latest Korean horror movies on Netflix are 'The 8th Night', 'Alive' and 'Kingdom: Ashin of the North', as of July 2023.
Answer: One of the main reasons that make South Korean horrors popular is their focus on well-knit plots and characters. They go beyond shallow jump-scares and take a more compelling approach. Some of the most popular Korean horror shows are 'Hellbound', 'The Cursed' and 'All of Us Are Dead'.
