Korean horror films have been around since the early years of Korean
cinema, however, it was not until the late 1990s that the genre began
to experience a renewal. Many of the Korean horror films tend to focus
on the suffering and the anguish of characters rather than focus on
the explicit "blood and guts" aspect of horror. Korean horror features
many of the same motifs, themes, and imagery as Japanese horror.Modern
South Korean horror films are typically distinguished by stylish
directing, themes of social commentary, and genre blending. The horror
and thriller genres are cited as gaining international attention to
South Korean Cinema.American Hollywood has adapted several Korean
horror films such as Oldboy, Into the Mirror (2003), and A Tale of Two
Sisters (2003). Train to Busan (2016) and The Wailing (2016) are
rumored to currently have remakes in talks for production.The
expression, "When a woman is full of resentment, she will bring frost
in May and June" may offer some explanation for the popularity of the
female ghost that is often featured in Korean horror films. Her deep
feeling of resentment is cold enough to freeze the hot air that occurs
during those months. The woman's vengeance is a thing to be feared,
thus becoming the object of horror. In the past women have been
oppressed and ignored for so long that the horrific rage and vengeance
we see in the films have been brought upon by the many years of
repression. Another belief is that when a female dies before she gets
to enjoy the pleasures of marriage and having children, she will not
be able to move on to the "other side". Instead she becomes trapped
between the two worlds and causes horrific phenomena. The hierarchical
domestic status a man's mother has and the often strained relationship
with her daughter-in-laws in Korea is also used as a means of creating
female villains in media. Films such as A Devilish Homicide (1965) and
The Hole (1997 film) cast a murderous or cruel mother-in-law against
the protagonist.
cinema, however, it was not until the late 1990s that the genre began
to experience a renewal. Many of the Korean horror films tend to focus
on the suffering and the anguish of characters rather than focus on
the explicit "blood and guts" aspect of horror. Korean horror features
many of the same motifs, themes, and imagery as Japanese horror.Modern
South Korean horror films are typically distinguished by stylish
directing, themes of social commentary, and genre blending. The horror
and thriller genres are cited as gaining international attention to
South Korean Cinema.American Hollywood has adapted several Korean
horror films such as Oldboy, Into the Mirror (2003), and A Tale of Two
Sisters (2003). Train to Busan (2016) and The Wailing (2016) are
rumored to currently have remakes in talks for production.The
expression, "When a woman is full of resentment, she will bring frost
in May and June" may offer some explanation for the popularity of the
female ghost that is often featured in Korean horror films. Her deep
feeling of resentment is cold enough to freeze the hot air that occurs
during those months. The woman's vengeance is a thing to be feared,
thus becoming the object of horror. In the past women have been
oppressed and ignored for so long that the horrific rage and vengeance
we see in the films have been brought upon by the many years of
repression. Another belief is that when a female dies before she gets
to enjoy the pleasures of marriage and having children, she will not
be able to move on to the "other side". Instead she becomes trapped
between the two worlds and causes horrific phenomena. The hierarchical
domestic status a man's mother has and the often strained relationship
with her daughter-in-laws in Korea is also used as a means of creating
female villains in media. Films such as A Devilish Homicide (1965) and
The Hole (1997 film) cast a murderous or cruel mother-in-law against
the protagonist.
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