Zombie-Themed Korean Shows and Movies To Give You Thrill
If you enjoy western shows like “The Walking Dead” or “Black Summer” and films like “World War Z” and “Dawn of the Dead”, then just keep on reading!
ABC Korea has compiled 7 series and movies that revolve in one theme: zombies. These creepy creatures might scare you when they appear on the screen but one thing is for sure: they keep us on the edge of our seats in a good way.
All of Us Are Dead
Image credit: Netflix
All of us Are Dead is a series that was released by Netlix only this year. Just like your typical zombie show, the drama revolves around an outbreak and the characters’ journey to survive the apocalypse.
But, what made it one-of-a-kind is the fact that the main protagonists are high school students who are actually trapped in their school! It is interesting to see how young minds work to fight off the zombies, and how their backstories contributed to each of their characteristics.
It stars Park Solomon as Lee Su-hyeok, Cho Yi Hun as Choi Nam-ra, Chan Young Yoon as Lee Cheong-san and Park Ji Hoo as Nam On-jo.
Kingdom: Ashin of the North
Image credit: Netflix
Kingdom: Ashin of the North is a prequel to the 2019 period zombie series with the same title. It stars Jun Ji Hyun as Ashin, the mysterious woman who appeared at the end of the show’s season 2.
In the 92-minute special episode, Ashin’s backstory, which revolves around tragedy and betrayal, was explained. It was also revealed that she was the first person who discovered the resurrection plant, the flower that is used in the drama to resurrect the dead.
Although it did not gain much traction as much as the series’ season 1 and 2, it gave loyal fans a better idea of how the outbreak started in the drama.
ALIVE
Image credit: Netflix
#ALIVE is a zombie film released in 2020 starring Yoo Ah In as Oh Jon-woo and Park Shin Hye as Kim Yoo bin as the main casts. The story revolves around their two characters that live on apartments opposite to each other, and their fight to survive the apocalypse.
Jon-woo is a streamer who finds it hard to survive due to lack of food, water and other essentials. He almost committed suicide too, after learning that his family is already dead.
Meanwhile, Yoo-bin is a mystery lady who is skilled in killing zombies using her axe and booby traps. She is the one who will help Jon-woo and give him new hope.
Sweet Home
Image credit: Netflix
Just like All of Us Are Dead and #ALIVE, Sweet Home is another zombie-themed Netflix series that centres on the characters trying to survive the apocalypse while being stuck in one place.
The show stars Song Kang as Hyun Soo, a student who has suicidal tendencies after his family died in a car accident. Amidst the outbreak, he develops a power when he gets infected – merging with the “beast” inside him.
It also includes Lee Jin Wook and Sang-wook, a mysterious “gangster” man who is freakishly strong, Lee Si Young as Yi-Kyung, a fire fighter who is an expert in martial arts and Lee Do Hyun as Eun-hyuk, a med student who assumes the leader role among the survivors.
Happiness
Image credit: tvN
This tvN drama is set in a time where the supposedly treatment for COVID-19 failed, creating another pandemic called “Rita Virus” or “mad person disease”. People who are infected will exhibit symptoms of insanity and blood lust, before completely turning into a zombie.
The main casts are Han Hyo Joo as Sae-bom, a member of a special operation unit of a police squad, and Park Hyung Sik as Yi-hyun, an intelligent and trustworthy detective who secretly has feelings for Sae-bom.
Jo Woo Jin plays the role of Tae-seok, a lieutenant working for the health service command, and who also is the key to the outbreak.
Train to Busan: Peninsula
Image credit: Next Entertainment World
Train to Busan is probably one of the most famous zombie-themed movies in South Korea, which is why this sequel is one of the awaited films by the time of its release.
It is set 4 years after the outbreak on the first film, and follows the story of a retired soldier played by Gang Dong-won. He receives the task of going to a Korean peninsula to retrieve a truck full of money.
In return, he will get half of the amount. However, the island is full of zombies and rogue militia, so the job will not be as easy as it sounds. Although the movie grossed over $40 million worldwide, it received mixed reviews from critics.
Zombie Detective
Image credit: KBS
If you’re familiar with the movie “Warm Bodies” where the zombie is actually nice and learns how to be a human, this drama slightly follows the same plot.
Starring Choi Jin Hyuk as Min-ho, he is a zombie who does not remember anything about his past life. In order to regain his memories, he decides to “train” himself as a human, learning how to walk and talk like a person.
He covers his scars using make-up, and pretends to be a private detective. Min-ho will eventually cross paths with a writer whom he will solve crimes with and as time goes by, they will try to learn the reason behind zombies.
How many of these zombie-themed shows and movies have you watched?
