7 Korean Zombie Dramas & Movies to watch for a good thrill

Though they have been around for some time now (2016 Train to Busan to be more precise), K-Dramas and movies about zombies have become highly anticipated and appreciated by the public.

And we can understand why! Stress, thrill and horror are the key words of the genre. No matter the plot, these masterpieces always find a way to keep us on the edge of our seats and make our hearts beat at 200 beats/minute.

Whether you are a newbie or a veteran, you’ll clearly get surprised. And honestly, that’s all we want from a zombie story. So let’s take a closer look together at some of the best zombie K-Dramas and Movies available out there.

1. Movie: Train to Busan (2016)

Let’s start where it all began. In 2016, genius director Yeon Sang Ho takes the world by surprise with this 118-minute adrenaline pumped-up zombie movie, starring stellar actors Gong Yoo, Jung Yoo Mi and Ma Dong Seok.

Throughout the movie, you are not given a single minute to breathe in the drama, screaming at each zombie appearance and holding onto your seat during runs. One piece of advice, don’t watch it before going to bed, you may not sleep a wink.

Plot: Seok Woo (Gong Yoo) is a fund manager who shares custody of his daughter with his ex-wife. But as he is on a train to Busan, passengers start turning into zombies one after the other. Taking refuge with some other survivors at the end of the train, Seok Woo tries to protect his daughter from the infected travelers.

For those of you who have already binged and re-binged Train to Busan 100 times already, don’t panic. In 2020, Yeon Sang Ho blessed us with the sequel entitled Peninsula, starring the excellent Kang Dong Won. Of course, it will never surpass the original, but it’s always better than nothing!

2. K-Drama: Kingdom 1&2

At the peak of the ‘zombie-mania’ in 2019, screenwriter Kim Eun Hee offered another display of the genre. Instead of the constant stress and tension, she opted for another type of thrill, based on a slow-paced rhythm and unexpected scares on screen. Not to mention the brilliant plot twists that punctuate the drama. A total success, popularized by Netflix and that spread to the entire world like a plague.

Plot: During the Joseon era, a mysterious plague starts spreading throughout the kingdom. While investigating it, Crown Prince Lee Chang (Ju Ji Hoon) meets Seo Bi (Bae Doo Na). She is the only survivor of a zombie attack that took place at a countryside clinic. Together, they try to put an end to this curse before it hits the palace.

After the phenomenal success of the first 6 episodes, Kim Eun Hee has continued to spoil us with more zombies for the past few years! After a second season released in 2020 and a prequel movie call Kingdom: Ashin of the North in 2021, I can’t wait to see what she has in mind and in store for us!

3. K-Drama: All of Us are Dead

If you haven’t heard of this amazing K-Drama in 2022, then you must have been living under a rock!

Transposing the zombie apocalypse within the closed walls of a high school, All of Us are Dead conveys a heavy atmosphere and a deep sense of helplessness. Indeed, adults are all infected and there seems to be no way out from this hellish place. Yet, the drama also manages to give valuable life lessons by humanizing zombies. Being infested doesn’t mean you completely lose yourself, a part of your conscious mind remains.

Playing on that one crucial element, the plot allows for characters (and viewers!) to really reflect on life, friendship and what growing up means in general. In the end, students team up and unite, instead of fighting against each other. A rather unexpected, but fresh behavior in Zombieland.

Plot: On a bright afternoon, Hyosan High School becomes the theater of a violent virus outbreak. One by one, students turn into flesh-eating zombies. As they escape the chaos and hide, a group of survivors desperately looks for an escape route.

4. K-Drama: Happiness

Clever mix between the human-like zombies from All of Us are Dead and the destructive ones from Kingdom, Happiness definitely has its place in the list!

Instead of focusing on the high-speed spread of the virus, the drama takes an interesting angle and sheds light on the consequences of such an apocalypse on people who confined in the same space. Stuck in the same building, the real dangers are not the zombies, but rather the survivors, who selfishly ration food, denounce and even murder each other.

Plot: Yoon Sae Beom (Han Hyo Joo) is a member of a special police squad. She is smart and determined. One day, she moves in to her new apartment with her detective friend Jung Yi Hyun (Park Hyung Shik), who has had a crush on her for years. The day they settle, a zombie virus spreads within the building.

5. Movie: #Alive

Movies and dramas often showcase the beginning of a zombie apocalypse, but usually tend to forget the after, that is when ordinary people are stuck at home for months. So, if you wish to know what it could feel like to be alone, in your house, with low rations of food and water and no more internet, then #Alive is definitely for you. At some point, it makes you wonder what situation is worse: Being a zombie or a survivor. What do you think?

Plot: Oh Joon Woo (Yoo Ah In) is a young man, who is left alone after a zombie outbreak. He’s lost his family and suffers from solitude. As he is on the verge of insanity, he meets Kim Yoo Bin (Park Shin Hye). She lives in the apartment building across from him.

6. K-Drama: Dark Hole

This K-Drama has probably gone under the radar of many, but I honestly don’t know why. OCN offers a unique and original type of apocalypse on the fringe between a supernatural monster and a virus. Held by two great actors, Kim Ok Bin and Lee Joon Hyuk, Dark Hole’s 12 episodes are enough to give you a good thrill. Exactly what we ask for!

Plot: Lee Hwa Sun (Kim Ok Bin) is a detective, whose husband has been murdered by a serial killer. To overcome her grief, she starts working in a small city called Muji. One day, a mysterious smoke spreads, turning into monsters anyone who inhales it. Accompanied by Yoo Tae Han (Lee Joon Hyuk), Hwa Sun tries to help and save people.

7. Movie: Rampant

Before Kingdom, zombies already wreaked havoc on Joseon territories in the 2018 movie Rampant. Turned into a skilled swordsman, Hyun Bin shines as a Prince who needs to protect his crown, title and life from these nocturnal monsters.

Plot: Lee Chung (Hyun Bin) is a Prince of Joseon. For 10 years, he was held hostage by the Qing Dynasty. Now returning to his kingdom, he has to face terrifying monsters that run rampant at night.