South Korean cinema is currently enjoying a zombie movie boom. According to IMDb, these are the country's 10 best undead features.
One of the biggest theatrical releases of 2020 belongs to Sang-ho Yeon's zombie film Peninsula, the much-anticipated follow up to the superb 2016 outing Train to Busan. Released in South Korea on July 15, the film has already accumulated more than $30 million at the box-office.
RELATED: 10 Highest-Rated Zombie Movies Of The 2000s, According To IMDB
The standalone sequel continues four years after the events of the first film, as a former soldier named Jung Seok (Dong-Won Gang) is tasked with capturing a truckload of money from the Korean Peninsula. Once there, he's overrun by a rabid horde of flesh-starved ghouls. With the film continuing to do record-breaking business for a horror film, here are the10 best zombie films from South Korea, according to IMDB.
With an honorable mention given to the equally-rated American Zombie, this list kicks off the 2010 horror-comedy The Neighbor Zombie, a four-part anthology revolving around a violently infectious outbreak.
In 2010, a global pandemic ravages the globe, including the capital of Seoul, South Korea. When the government declares Martial Law in order to quarantine its citizens and trace the source of the outbreak, several heroic civilians set out to help hide and feed the inflicted while searching for a vaccine.
In yet another quartet of terrifying vignettes, Horror Stories arguably saves the most frightening tale for the final entry. Following a home invasion tale, an escaped convict story, and a cautionary parable about plastic surgery, the film ends with a mortifying zombie onslaught.
RELATED: 5 Great Zombie Movie Endings (& 5 That Were Disappointing)
Directed by Kok and Sun Kim, Ambulance on the Death Zone features a little girl who morphs into a mouth-foaming zombie after succumbing to an unknown infection. The little girl's mother and the paramedic she calls confront the little monster with harrowing results.
A viral zombie pandemic is given a satirical bent in one chapter of Doomsday Book, a three-part horror omnibus from directors Kim-Jee Woon and Pil-sung Yim.
In Yim's tale A Brave New World, a nerdy scientist throws a contaminated apple in the garbage disposal, which in turn makes its way into the feeding trough for local cows. The beef becomes contaminated and eaten by a man at a barbecue, setting off an infectious chain of violent zombification. It's worth noting that popular Korean filmmakers such as Bong Joon-Hohave cameos in the film.
Despite the smashing success it continues to enjoy around the globe, Peninsula is rated far lower than its breakout predecessor, Train to Busan. Both films are directed by Sang-ho Yeon, but this sequel failed to live up to the standards set by the first film.In addition to its IMDB-rating, the film currently holds a middling 50% rating on Rotten Tomatoes.
Jung Seok (Dong-Won Gang) is an ex-soldier who accepts a mission to lead his squadron into the wastelands of the South Korean Peninsula to obtain a truck full of cash. When they arrive, the squad is met by a ravenous throng of undead ghouls with an acquired taste for human flesh.
Directed by Train to Busan's Sang-ho Yeon and released the same year, Seoul Station is an animated feature-length zombie outing that serves as a prequel to the live-action horror hit.
RELATED: The 10 Most Overused Tropes & Cliches In Zombie Fiction, Ranked
Set one day prior to the events depicted in Train to Busan, Seoul Station imagines downtown Seoul being overrun by legions of voracious zombies. Much of the plot revolves around Suk-Gyu (Ryu Seung-Ryong), a father desperately searching for his missing daughter Hye-Sun (Shim Eun-Kyung) prior to the zombie pandemic. When he finds her and learns she's become a prostitute, he tries to reunite with her as the undead incursion begins.
Released in South Korea on June 24, 2020, Il Cho's action-packed zombie outing #Alive is already turning heads and winning hearts. So far, the movie has amassed north of $13 million at the box-office. Netflix is set to release the film worldwide on its platform on September 8, 2020.
The story finds a densely populated Korean under siege from a vicious zombie incursion borne from an unknown virus. The fate of the city is left in the hands of Oh Joon-Wo (Ah-In Yoo), a secluded gamer who must remain hunkered down in his flat and fend off droves of home-invading zombies.
In Sung-Hoon Kim's unique period-set zombie flick Rampant, the Qing Dynasty finds itself under a ruthless attack from an army of blood-parched ghouls.
The story revolves around Lee Chung (Hun Bin), the Prince of Joseon who is kidnapped by the powerful Qing family with plans to appoint him the new Crown Prince. As Lee Chung spars with Kim Ja-Joon, the Joseon Minister of War, a relentless attack of gore-sodden "night demons" threatens to annihilate the entire region.
One of the funnier zom-coms to come out of South Korea isThe Odd Family: Zombie for Sale, directed by Lee Min-Jae. The film was released in South Korea in February of 2019 but did not hit the U.S. until July 1, 2020.
RELATED: 10 Best Zombie Comedies (According To Rotten Tomatoes)
The Odd Familyrevolves around the Park family, the lives of which are upended when the elderly patriarch suffers a sudden zombie bite. When the family learns the zombie was created due to an illegal experiment conducted by a corrupt pharmaceutical company, the Park family attempts to use the experiments for their own financial gain.
While Hong-jin Na's masterful horror/thriller The Wailing is much more than a one-track zombie effort, there's no denying the terror conjured by the zombified, demonically-possessed ghouls in the film.
More in the vein of the dark cop-thrillerSe7enthan a zombie romp by George A. Romero, The Wailing tracks a series of supernatural occurrences that plague a small fishing town upon the arrival of a mysterious stranger. A viral illness begins to spread throughout the hamlet, thought to be a result of an evil spirit in the region. It's up to local police officer Jong-g00 (Do-wan Kwak) to solve the mystery while protecting his family.
According to IMDb, the highest-rated South Korean zombie film ever made belongs to Train to Busan, the runaway smash hit that inspiredPeninsula. In addition to its IMDb rating, the film currently holds a 94% Certified Fresh rating on Rotten Tomatoes and a 72/100 Metascore.
The film follows a father who, against his better judgment, allows his disgruntled daughter to ride the train to Busan all by herself. As soon as they separate, the subway is overrun by salivating zombie hordes who rip and chew through anyone who gets in their way. As the zombies close in, Seok-woo must find and rescue his daughter Soo-An (Su-An Kim) before it's too late.
NEXT: 5 Zombie Movies That Are Way Underrated (& 5 That Are Overrated)
Next Hamilton: Which Character Is Your Soulmate, Based On Your Zodiac?
See the original post:
10 Best South Korean Zombie Movies, Ranked According To IMDB - Screen Rant
- Dubstep. Dj-Daniel: Infection Zombie - Video [Last Updated On: April 29th, 2015] [Originally Added On: April 29th, 2015]
- Here's Everything That Happens In The Latest Leaked Episode of Game Of Thrones, Which Is Bananas - Deadspin [Last Updated On: August 17th, 2017] [Originally Added On: August 17th, 2017]
- Abuse of 'Zombie Drug' Has Skyrocketed in Shanxi, Says Report - Sixth Tone [Last Updated On: August 17th, 2017] [Originally Added On: August 17th, 2017]
- Trout Republic The zombie apocalypse is here - Monte Vista Journal [Last Updated On: August 17th, 2017] [Originally Added On: August 17th, 2017]
- Is GAME OF THRONES Heading for a Zombie Cleganebowl? - Nerdist [Last Updated On: August 17th, 2017] [Originally Added On: August 17th, 2017]
- Community hopes to 'Save the Zombie Food' - Victoria Advocate [Last Updated On: August 19th, 2017] [Originally Added On: August 19th, 2017]
- Top 10 Real Life Zombies - Gazette Review [Last Updated On: August 19th, 2017] [Originally Added On: August 19th, 2017]
- The latest dating trend is called zombie-ing and it's pretty common - Today.com [Last Updated On: August 19th, 2017] [Originally Added On: August 19th, 2017]
- Overwatch Player Creates Zombie Mode - Kotaku - Kotaku [Last Updated On: August 19th, 2017] [Originally Added On: August 19th, 2017]
- Rob Zombie to host '13 Nights of Halloween' on HDNET MOVIES - EW.com [Last Updated On: August 19th, 2017] [Originally Added On: August 19th, 2017]
- "The Art of Response: Zombie Preparedness" event coming to Abilene in October - Big Country Homepage [Last Updated On: August 19th, 2017] [Originally Added On: August 19th, 2017]
- China's Debt Swaps Surpass $100 Billion - Bloomberg [Last Updated On: August 20th, 2017] [Originally Added On: August 20th, 2017]
- Community Download: Are You Tired Of Zombie VR Games? - UploadVR [Last Updated On: August 20th, 2017] [Originally Added On: August 20th, 2017]
- HESCO Sponsor Zombie Invitational Shooting Competition (Multi-Video) - 107.180.56.147 (press release) (registration) (blog) [Last Updated On: August 22nd, 2017] [Originally Added On: August 22nd, 2017]
- Dead Snow 3 will feature 'Zombie-Hitler,' says director - EW.com [Last Updated On: August 22nd, 2017] [Originally Added On: August 22nd, 2017]
- Game of Thrones: Why Everyone on the Set Hated that Zombie Polar Bear - Vanity Fair [Last Updated On: August 22nd, 2017] [Originally Added On: August 22nd, 2017]
- 'State of Decay 2' forces you to pick who becomes zombie food - Engadget [Last Updated On: August 22nd, 2017] [Originally Added On: August 22nd, 2017]
- The Zombie Polar Bear on Game of Thrones Was Just a Dude in a Green Suit - Esquire.com [Last Updated On: August 22nd, 2017] [Originally Added On: August 22nd, 2017]
- Zombie Hitler reanimates in Dead Snow 3 - SYFY WIRE (blog) [Last Updated On: August 22nd, 2017] [Originally Added On: August 22nd, 2017]
- That Zombie Polar Bear on 'Game of Thrones' Was Four Seasons in the Making - Thrillist [Last Updated On: August 22nd, 2017] [Originally Added On: August 22nd, 2017]
- Louisville Zombie Walk Attack Funeral! - Louisville Eccentric Observer [Last Updated On: August 24th, 2017] [Originally Added On: August 24th, 2017]
- Starbucks' new sushi burrito sounds like how zombie outbreaks start ... - GolfDigest.com [Last Updated On: August 24th, 2017] [Originally Added On: August 24th, 2017]
- Heavy weekend rains likely when zombie storm Harvey comes to Texas - MyStatesman.com [Last Updated On: August 24th, 2017] [Originally Added On: August 24th, 2017]
- West Milford plans law to slay 'zombie' homes - NorthJersey.com [Last Updated On: August 24th, 2017] [Originally Added On: August 24th, 2017]
- 'Game of Thrones': Why the White Walkers and Wights Represent the Best and Worst Zombie Tropes - IndieWire [Last Updated On: August 24th, 2017] [Originally Added On: August 24th, 2017]
- Like A Movie Zombie, Tax Reform Refuses To Die - Investor's Business Daily [Last Updated On: August 25th, 2017] [Originally Added On: August 25th, 2017]
- Buy Your Tickets Now For 'Z is for...Zombie!' - Patch.com [Last Updated On: August 25th, 2017] [Originally Added On: August 25th, 2017]
- 19 Years Ago: Rob Zombie Debuts His Solo Album "Hellbilly Deluxe" - WAAF.com (blog) [Last Updated On: August 25th, 2017] [Originally Added On: August 25th, 2017]
- What can the Zombie Apocalypse teach us about ourselves? [Video] - OUPblog (blog) [Last Updated On: August 25th, 2017] [Originally Added On: August 25th, 2017]
- Zombie homes shame campaign spreads to Niagara Falls - Spectrum News [Last Updated On: August 26th, 2017] [Originally Added On: August 26th, 2017]
- Zombie run scheduled at Castle of Muskogee - Tulsa World [Last Updated On: August 26th, 2017] [Originally Added On: August 26th, 2017]
- City seeks help in identifying 'zombie properties' - The Recorder (subscription) [Last Updated On: August 28th, 2017] [Originally Added On: August 28th, 2017]
- Hudson Confidential: 'Zombie' utility poles outlawed in Cornwall-on-Hudson - Times Herald-Record [Last Updated On: August 28th, 2017] [Originally Added On: August 28th, 2017]
- Falls steps up its fight against 'zombie homes' - Niagara Gazette [Last Updated On: August 28th, 2017] [Originally Added On: August 28th, 2017]
- Video: President Trump's zombie claim of widespread voter fraud in the 2016 election - Washington Post [Last Updated On: August 28th, 2017] [Originally Added On: August 28th, 2017]
- Zombies, romance and revenge drive record 'Game of Thrones' ratings - Reuters [Last Updated On: August 28th, 2017] [Originally Added On: August 28th, 2017]
- Rob Zombie on Tobe Hooper: 'The Texas Chain Saw Massacre' Changed My Life - RollingStone.com [Last Updated On: August 28th, 2017] [Originally Added On: August 28th, 2017]
- 'Zombie' translation book authored by Ashland professor - Richland Source [Last Updated On: August 28th, 2017] [Originally Added On: August 28th, 2017]
- City set to file first court action against 'zombie property' - Rome Sentinel [Last Updated On: August 28th, 2017] [Originally Added On: August 28th, 2017]
- Brooklyn Decker Compares Herself to 'Zombie Taylor Swift' in 'Look What You Made Me Do' Music Video - Us Weekly [Last Updated On: August 29th, 2017] [Originally Added On: August 29th, 2017]
- Call of Duty: WWII's Zombies Is Changing its Tone and That's Exactly What it Needs - Twinfinite [Last Updated On: August 29th, 2017] [Originally Added On: August 29th, 2017]
- Zombie shooter Dead Alliance now available - Flickering Myth (blog) [Last Updated On: August 30th, 2017] [Originally Added On: August 30th, 2017]
- Call of Duty Black Ops III and Zombie Chronicles Officially Bundled Together - Twinfinite [Last Updated On: August 30th, 2017] [Originally Added On: August 30th, 2017]
- Here a few of Lil Uzi Vert's favorite things: Rob Zombie, Rugrats and more - Alternative Press [Last Updated On: August 30th, 2017] [Originally Added On: August 30th, 2017]
- Rob Zombie's Halloween 10th anniversary: How Tyler Mane ... - EW.com [Last Updated On: August 30th, 2017] [Originally Added On: August 30th, 2017]
- The Syllabus: Zombie Charlotte Law (updated) - Greensboro News & Record (blog) [Last Updated On: August 31st, 2017] [Originally Added On: August 31st, 2017]
- The Night King and Zombie Viserion are comingin Funko Pop! form - Winter Is Coming [Last Updated On: August 31st, 2017] [Originally Added On: August 31st, 2017]
- Death of Spain's Zombie Lenders Sends Bank Jobs to Decade Low - Bloomberg [Last Updated On: August 31st, 2017] [Originally Added On: August 31st, 2017]
- Rome on cutting edge for dealing with zombie properties - Utica Observer Dispatch [Last Updated On: August 31st, 2017] [Originally Added On: August 31st, 2017]
- The Mask Hides My Ugliness: Violence and Trauma in Rob Zombie's 'Halloween' - The Film Stage (blog) [Last Updated On: August 31st, 2017] [Originally Added On: August 31st, 2017]
- 'Zombie' drug Spice addict grabbed terrified girl, 5, outside Primark and gave her a 'bear hug' - Mirror.co.uk [Last Updated On: September 1st, 2017] [Originally Added On: September 1st, 2017]
- The Bentley You Need For The Zombie Apocalypse Is Finally For Sale - Jalopnik [Last Updated On: September 1st, 2017] [Originally Added On: September 1st, 2017]
- Cops warn residents to avoid mange-infected coyotes labeled 'zombie dogs' - New York Daily News [Last Updated On: September 1st, 2017] [Originally Added On: September 1st, 2017]
- Cops Warn of Infected 'Zombie' Coyotes Confused for Stray Dogs in ... - NBC Chicago [Last Updated On: September 1st, 2017] [Originally Added On: September 1st, 2017]
- Police warn of infected 'zombie' coyotes confused for stray dogs - KCRA Sacramento [Last Updated On: September 2nd, 2017] [Originally Added On: September 2nd, 2017]
- Survive An Augmented Zombie Reality In Walking Dead: Our World - Shacknews [Last Updated On: September 2nd, 2017] [Originally Added On: September 2nd, 2017]
- 'Zombie dogs' roaming near Chicago are infected coyotes, police ... - Fox News [Last Updated On: September 3rd, 2017] [Originally Added On: September 3rd, 2017]
- Railey: Confronting 'zombie mindsets' and a Charlottesville martyr - Winston-Salem Journal [Last Updated On: September 3rd, 2017] [Originally Added On: September 3rd, 2017]
- Trump Pardons Zombie Apocalypse - Indian Country Today Media Network [Last Updated On: September 3rd, 2017] [Originally Added On: September 3rd, 2017]
- Your daily 6: A third child for William and Kate; zombie dogs in Chicago - STLtoday.com [Last Updated On: September 5th, 2017] [Originally Added On: September 5th, 2017]
- Chicago's Newest Problem Is An Invasion Of ZOMBIE DOGS - The Daily Caller [Last Updated On: September 5th, 2017] [Originally Added On: September 5th, 2017]
- Daily Deal: Zombie Army Trilogy Is 80% Off On Steam - Gameranx (blog) [Last Updated On: September 5th, 2017] [Originally Added On: September 5th, 2017]
- 'Zombie' dogs are actually infected coyotes, police warn - Atlanta Journal Constitution [Last Updated On: September 5th, 2017] [Originally Added On: September 5th, 2017]
- 9th Circuit Revives Class Action Over 'Zombie' Smartphone Cookies - Courthouse News Service [Last Updated On: September 6th, 2017] [Originally Added On: September 6th, 2017]
- SecureView: Assemblyman James Skoufis Hosts Demonstration to Clean Up Zombie Property Blight - Markets Insider [Last Updated On: September 6th, 2017] [Originally Added On: September 6th, 2017]
- Zombie Walk to benefit local charity - Bowling Green Daily News [Last Updated On: September 6th, 2017] [Originally Added On: September 6th, 2017]
- Zombie Run will benefit Muskogee Animal Shelter - Muskogee Daily Phoenix [Last Updated On: September 6th, 2017] [Originally Added On: September 6th, 2017]
- New 'The Walking Dead' AR app tests your zombie battle plan - CNET - CNET [Last Updated On: September 6th, 2017] [Originally Added On: September 6th, 2017]
- Watch an extreme scene from TIFF zombie film Les Affams - EW.com [Last Updated On: September 6th, 2017] [Originally Added On: September 6th, 2017]
- ARZombi Is A Zombie Shooter Made Using ARKit - UploadVR [Last Updated On: September 6th, 2017] [Originally Added On: September 6th, 2017]
- Should You Forgive Your Zombie Relative? Ellen Page In 'The Cured' Watch TIFF Clip - Deadline [Last Updated On: September 6th, 2017] [Originally Added On: September 6th, 2017]
- 'Zombie dogs' are roaming the suburbs of Chicago - The Week Magazine [Last Updated On: September 6th, 2017] [Originally Added On: September 6th, 2017]
- 'Zombie' coyotes reportedly seen in suburbs, and residents warned to keep away - Chicago Tribune [Last Updated On: September 6th, 2017] [Originally Added On: September 6th, 2017]
- YWCA prepares for 2nd annual zombie run - KFYR-TV [Last Updated On: September 7th, 2017] [Originally Added On: September 7th, 2017]
- Langhorne Slim Releases "Zombie" off Forthcoming New Album Lost at Last Vol. 1 - Paste Magazine [Last Updated On: September 7th, 2017] [Originally Added On: September 7th, 2017]
- Sightings of 'zombie' dogs prompt warnings in Chicago - The San Diego Union-Tribune [Last Updated On: September 7th, 2017] [Originally Added On: September 7th, 2017]
- Zombie Chase Parkour POV - YouTube [Last Updated On: June 21st, 2018] [Originally Added On: June 21st, 2018]
- Zombie Official Minecraft Wiki [Last Updated On: July 3rd, 2018] [Originally Added On: July 3rd, 2018]
- Zombie Games - Free Online Zombie Games [Last Updated On: July 18th, 2018] [Originally Added On: July 18th, 2018]
- Amazon.com: Zombie: Tisa Farrow, Ian McCulloch, Al Cliver ... [Last Updated On: August 9th, 2018] [Originally Added On: August 9th, 2018]