Zombie shows and movies like The Walking Dead aren’t rare in nature. As much as we love this AMC series that has captured our hearts, we all end up finishing all 11 seasons.
Thankfully, there are plenty of great zombie movies out there, and South Korea is one country that does them exceptionally well. I’ve been a bigger supporter of just South Korean film and TV in general, but if we’re talking zombie movies? Oh boy, do I have some great ones for you?
I shared my top four Korean zombie movies for fans of The Walking Dead to watch next.
Train To Busan
First, a South Korean zombie movie list cannot be complete without a mention and a placement for Train to Busan. If this were a ranking, this would be my number one, and it really always will be.
Directed by Yeon Sang-ho, Train to Busan is seen through the eyes of a passenger traveling on a high-speed train to Busan with his young daughter when a zombie apocalypse suddenly begins and threatens the lives of everyone on board. It’s up to him to not only stay alive but also keep his little girl safe.
There is so much I could say about this film. It’s been out for some time, so there are plenty of videos about the themes, the story, and so much more. But if I had compared it to any part of The Walking Dead, I would say it’s closest to the heartbreaking deaths. Some moments in this movie just hit hard, and by the end of it, you’ll be crying like a baby like I was.
Rampant
The next movie I have to give some props to is Rampant. Released in 2018 and directed by Kim Sung-hoon, the film is a period post-apocalyptic drama that follows an exiled prince and a minister of war fighting a political battle as a zombie plague spreads across their country.
There’s one zombie show that I always recommend to people who like The Walking Dead, and that’s Kingdom. If you happened to like Kingdom, then this movie is for you. It is just the right amount of political intrigue, action, and so much gore that you’ll be eating this up left and right.
It’s also an interesting way in which they address the zombies, since this is a period piece. Instead of calling them “zombies,” they are called “night-demons,” and I, for one, love that name.
The Wailing
The Wailing is one of those South Korean films that you really only watch once and never again, but it changes you.
Directed by Na Hong-jin and starring Kwak Do-won, The Wailing mainly begins when a strange creature suddenly stumbles into a remote village, and not long after, a violent illness begins to spread, turning villagers into mindless monsters that slaughter their loved ones. A police officer who lives in the town must figure out what is going on, especially when his own daughter begins to show signs of infection.
This movie is utterly insane, in like, the best way. The gore is paired with a beautifully done slow burn that builds tension, easing into more of a psychological thriller than just horror. That, and the fact that it’s paired with some great themes of morality and the price of it, makes it so good. For fans of The Walking Dead, this is the type of movie that harkens back to earlier days of the show.
#Alive
Let’s lean into something a little lighter than The Wailing, but that still has plenty of action and zombie goodness. #Alive is directed by Cho II-hyung and follows a streamer who has to somehow survive in his apartment when a zombie apocalypse breaks out all around him.
You’d think that from the premise itself, this movie wouldn’t be too interesting. Who cares about a single streamer just chilling in his bedroom as the world falls apart around him? But quite honestly, I think that’s when the best movies shine: when a director and a cast can utilize only a few good sets and still craft a story that is so much fun from beginning to end.
The story also has plenty of gore and some really cool-looking zombies. It has some surprisingly serious themes about loneliness and the price of survival that not a lot of other horror films tend to dig into. I think what also makes this fun is that social media itself is the joke, but it ends up becoming a major influence in the movie as it goes along. For those who like the single settings of The Walking Dead and more grounded stories, I think this is the one for you.
Just writing about all of these zombie movies make me want to rewatch them again and again. Any film you pick from this lineup will be worth the time and more.
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