Halloween is almost knocking at the door and if you still don’t have a plan this year, we are here at your rescue! ‘Train to Busan’ is everyone’s favourite when it comes to really scary movies, isn’t it? But the problem is that it lasts for just a few hours. Nothing is better than binge-watching a whole season of a horror K-Drama staying all night if you are a fan of terrifying shows. The way intense soundtracks, the sudden appearance of a character from behind and the gruesome scenes freak us out, especially with zombies and vampires involved, there’s no way you should be left unknown to the following K-dramas ready to creep under your skin.
Here is a list of the top ten horror K-dramas involving Zombies and Vampires or some other monstrous creatures that you might not want to miss. Enjoy these with popcorn and drinks on Halloween night!
10. The Scholar Who Walks the Night (2015)
Screenwriter: Jang Hyun Joo
Director: Lee Sung Joon
Starring: Lee Joon Gi, Lee Yoo Bi, Shim Chang Min, Lee Soo Hyuk, Kim So Eun, Jang Hee Jin
Total Number of Episodes: 20
The series has been inspired by a webtoon by Jo Joo Hee and Han Seung Hee, titled the same, and has been set in Joseon Dynasty. Jo Yang-sun serves as the daughter of a nobleman who cross-dresses as a male bookseller in order to meet ends after her father gets accused of treason. She comes across a mysterious scholar named Kim Sung-yeol, who is in fact, a vampire, being haunted by the death of his beloved, Lee Myung-hee.
Surprisingly, he meets the present-day doppelgänger of his love, Choi Hye-ryung, who is the daughter of an aloof nobleman. Sung Yeol discovers about the existence of an evil vampire named Gwi who is the one directing the King to prevent the coronation of Crowned Prince Lee Yoon. You can check this series out on Netflix and Viki.
9. The Lost Tomb (2015)
Screenwriter: Bai Yi Cong
Director: Roger Lau
Starring: Li Yi Feng, Yang Yang, Liu Tian Zuo, Ken Chang, Wei Wei, Tiffany Tang
Total Number of Episodes: 10
The story takes us fifty years back when a band of Changsha grave robbers discovered the manuscripts of the sites of treasures of Warring States. However, they end up getting killed when they come across an undead. Coming back to the present, Wu Xie, the grandchild of the only survivor gets to know about his grandfather’s secret from his old notes, and taking aid from his uncle, Wu Sanshengz and some other professional tomb robbers, he sets out to look for the treasure.
However, little were they aware of the intriguing mysteries which came up, becoming a part of their adventure. The group needs to locate all the puzzle pieces at their positions and find the real coffin. ‘The Lost Tomb’ is available to watch on Viki and AsianCrush free of cost. Note- ‘The Lost Tomb’ is a Chinese drama and not a Korean one, but is equally thrilling and involves zombies!
8. Vampire Prosecutor (2011)
Screenwriter: Han Jung Hoon, Yang Jin Ah
Director: Kim Byung Soo
Starring: Yeon Jung Hoon, Lee Young Ah, Lee Won Jong, Kim Joo Young, Jang Hyun Sung, Park Jae Hoon
Total Number of Episodes: 12
Not just Western countries, even Korea doesn’t fail to produce a worth-watching Vampire series! The story is about prosecutor Min Tae Yeon who turns into a vampire owing to someone’s bite. However, he doesn’t give up on living as a righteous prosecutor and keeps surviving by intaking blood from dead people. He also makes use of his new special powers to prosecute persons higher in status, which, otherwise, would have been difficult through the law. However, when the evidence of a mysterious case points to the existence of a vampire, he realises that he is not the only one there.
He determines to find the person behind his present identity and what are their real motives. Each episode features a different case that the prosecutor needs to solve by the end of it. The show is completely worth sinking your teeth into and you can watch it on Prime Video along with the English subtitles.
7. Vampire Detective (2016)
Screenwriter: Yoo Young Sun
Director: Kim Ga Ram, Lee Seung Hoon
Starring: Lee Joon, Oh Jung Se, Lee Se Young, Lee Chung Ah, Jo Bok Rae, Kim Yoon Hye
Total Number of Episodes: 12
It is a spin-off of the Korean series ‘Vampire Prosecutor’ with new characters along with added lure and dynamic to this fictional world. The theme is pretty much the same. The protagonist here, is a private detective named Yoon San who, after a series of incidents, turns into a vampire. Instead of living a life of a full-time vampire, he chooses to maintain his secret identity and making use of his supernatural abilities to solve unusual cases for his clients along with working to discover the mystery that surrounds him.
You can go ahead and add ‘Vampire Detective’ to your watchlist if you are into such a genre and enjoy self-contained adventures episodes. The cast is amazing and so are the characters. It is available to watch online on Prime Video and iQiyi.
6. Zombie Detective (2020)
Director: Shim Jae Hyun
Screenwriter: Baek Eun Jin
Starring: Choi Jin Hyuk, Park Joo Hyun, Tae Hang Ho, Lee Joong Ok, Ahn Se Ha, Hwang Bo Ra
Total Number of Episodes: 24
After being buried in secrecy, away from the city, Moo Young surprisingly finds himself alive again, except for the fact that he has turned into a zombie, owing to the illegal dumping of medical waste. However, he realises that he has lost all his memories but ends up accepting his reality. He tries to fit in the human world and strange enough, develops a sense of smell, which helps him find a position for himself as a private investigator who deals with finding missing dead bodies.
On the other hand, Moo Young’s agency hires Sun Ji as a part-time assistant, who was previously a TV show writer covering issues regarding current affairs. While she helps the zombie detective find the traces of memories he has lost, she comes to know that Moo Young has something to do with one of her cases in the past. You can stream this show online on Netflix and Viki with a subscription. You are going to have a nice mix of every emotion if you proceed with the show.
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5. Dark Hole (2021)
Screenwriter: Jung Yi Do
Director: Kim Bong Joo
Starring: Kim Ok Bin, Lee Joon Hyuk, Park Keun Rok, Oh Yu Jin, Song Sang Eun, Lee Ye Bit
Total Number of Seasons: 12
The show centres on a regional police detective of Seoul named Lee Hwa Sun, who, after receiving a mysterious phone call from her husband’s killer, travels to a place called Mujishi, only to find that everyone living there has turned into a monster, because of inhaling a strange dark smoke. She comes across, Yoo Tae Han, a native of Mujishi, who is a former police officer and presently a wreck car driver with a carefree but rightful personality.
While Hwa Sun fights to survive, along with looking for her husband’s murderer, Tae Han gives his hand in saving the others who are in danger. As the name of the show suggests, ‘Dark Hole’ is dark, gruesome and scary. You can watch it on Viki with subtitles at your own risk if you are over-sensitive and fragile.
4. A Korean Odyssey (2017)
Screenwriter: Hong Jung Eun, Hong Mi Ran
Director: Park Hong Kyun, Kim Byung Soo, Kim Jung Hyun
Starring: Lee Seung Gi, Oh Yeon Se, Cha Seung Won, Lee Hong Ki, Jang Gwang, Lee El
Total Number of Episodes: 20
‘A Korean Odyssey’ is the Korean adaptation of the classic Chinese novel titled ‘Journey to the West’ with a modern-day interpretation and a romantic-fantasy twist. The show revolves around the conflict of Son Oh Gong and Ma Wang with each other as they wish to find a direction in the dark world that has become a home to evil.
Son Oh Gong had made a deal with Seon Mi, some 25 years ago which allows her to ask for his help whenever she would call him, while in return, she would have to let him free. When both of them crosses paths again, Oh Gong is forced to protect the girl he had met in the past. The show is extremely compelling, emotional, and well-written with a lot of stunning and cool scenes. You can check it out on Netflix and Apple TV.
3. Hotel Del Luna (2019)
Screenwriter: Hong Jung Eun, Hong Mi Ran
Director: Oh Choong Hwan
Starring: IU, Yeo Jin Goo, Shin Jung Keun, Bae Hae Seon, P.O, Jo Hyun Chul
Total Number of Episodes: 16
The show centres on a 1300 years old woman soul Jung Man Wol, a greedy, suspicious and heartless being, who has been running a hotel named ‘Hotel Del Luna’, for the needs of ghosts before they leave for the afterlife, for years after she was cursed by the deity to be trapped on Earth for eternity. However, Goo Chan Sung , a highly capable and successful assistant manager, somehow ends up getting involved with her and is forced by Man Wol to work for her at the hotel.
Although he seems startled at first, because of his new special powers to see ghosts, he accepts everything once he realises that the hotel is really about. He, further, helps Man Wol to let go of her resettlement and learn how to embrace good things. You can expect a lot of twists and newness in this mystery thriller, as the story progresses. Check it out on Netflix, We TV and Viki.
2. Sweet Home (2020)
Director: Lee Eung Bok
Starring: Song Kang, Lee Jin Wook, Lee Si Young, Lee Do Hyun, Kim Nam Hee, Go Min Si
Total Number of Episodes: 10
Song Kang really knows how to pick up a script! Inspired by a webtoon by Kim Kan Bi and Hwang Young-Chan, going by the same name, ‘Sweet Home’ is a horror, psychological thriller that went beyond its genre to explore the classification of being human and humane. After the death of his entire family in a car accident, a high school student named Cha Hyun-Su shifts to a new apartment. He is a loner and doesn’t like to leave his room. However, as soon as he moves, his peaceful life gets disturbed by mysterious incidents occurring in his apartment. He realises that all around the world, humans have started to transform into monsters.
In order to protect themselves, the residents of the apartment including Cha Hyun-Su and Pyeon Sang-Wook have to fight the monsters. Although the show doesn’t have a unique formula as far as the story is concerned, it goes against all expectations and predictions. The show is available to watch on Netflix with English subtitles.
1. Kingdom (2019-present)
Screenwriter: Kim Eun Hee
Director: Kim Sung Hoon
Starring: Joo Ji Hoon, Ryu Seung Ryong, Bae Doo Na, Kim Sung Gyu, Kim Chan Yi, Kim Sang Ho
Total Number of Seasons: 2
Inspired by the webcomic series by Kim Eun-hee and Yang Kyung-il titled, ‘The Kingdom of the Gods,’ the show has been set in a fictional medieval Joseon period where rumours begin to swirl about the king’s death. The crown prince Lee Chang along with his associates, discovers how an unnatural plague has been leading people to be resurrected after their death. Struggling between his investigation of a political conspiracy, plotted by queen Cho Clan and her father, Cho Hak Joo, the Chief State Councillor, and the chaos and gory that ensues, Lee Chang strives hard to stop the plague from spreading further.
The series is consistent, fast-paced as well as compelling, with gripping storytelling and a tense atmosphere. You can watch both the seasons and a special episode online on Netflix.
Read: Top 31 Best Crime K-Dramas To Watch
