Asian horror films
When it comes to horror movies, Asian cinema has long been a goldmine for horror fans. Our countries are rich in folklore and superstition, and when woven into plotlines, the films and characters feel more real.
From eerie folk tales to post-apocalyptic nightmares, we rounded up 15 best Asian horror films that you’ll want to dim the lights, grab your snacks and blanket, and prepare to be deliciously terrified.
Spoilers – and scares – may follow. Read on at your own risk.
Table of Contents
- Asian horror films
- 1. Ring (1998)
- 2. Ju-On (2000-2015)
- 3. Shutter (2004)
- 4. Siccin (2014-2026)
- 5. Munafik (2016)
- 6. The Wailing (2016)
- 7. Pengabdi Setan (2017)
- 8. Incantation (2022)
- 9. Death Whisperer (2023)
- 10. Salmokji: Whispering Water (2025)
- 11. Tetsuo: The Iron Man (1989)
- 12. Audition (1999)
- 13. Death Bell (2008)
- 14. Dukun (2018)
- 15. The Medium (2021)
1. Ring (1998)
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Horror fans can’t talk about Asian horror without bringing up a classic from Japan: Ring, or Ringu. Based on a 1991 novel of the same name, the Ring is one of the most iconic Asian horror films. It became so popular that it had an American adaptation in 2002 titled The Ring.
The film begins by revealing an urban legend where a videotape curses its viewers to die in seven days after receiving a phone call. Viewers then follow the protagonist, a journalist, who is investigating this urban legend to uncover an eerie secret.
2. Ju-On (2000-2015)
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The Ju-On film franchise is another iconic Japanese horror film series that was actually inspired by Ring (1998). The franchise started off in 1998 as short films by Takashi Shimizu, a student from the Film School of Tokyo. Generally, the films in this franchise revolve around a curse in a house in Tokyo and a very vengeful ghost.
In the first film, Ju-On: The Curse (2000), the curse is born from a man’s jealous rage after he suspects that his wife is having an affair, resulting in the murder of his wife, son, and pet cat. What follows this film are eight sequels, four American-produced films, a crossover with Sadako from Ring, and a television series. It’s simply too frighteningly iconic.
3. Shutter (2004)
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Entering the list is a Thai horror film, Shutter. The Thai horror film follows a photographer and his girlfriend who accidentally hit a woman with their car on their way home from a friend’s party. What follows is a series of strange shadows and vague faces appearing in photographs and a dark secret coming to light.
The concept of ghosts exclusively appearing in photographs certainly spooked us from taking pictures for a while. The film was a box-office success, and American and Indonesian remakes were released in 2008 and 2025, respectively.
4. Siccin (2014-2026)
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Siccîn, or Sijjin, is a Turkish horror film series with a whopping seven instalments. The title comes from an Arabic word in the Quran that refers to both the record of evil deeds and the place where the souls of the unrighteous lie.
The films follow different stories that take place in various regions of Turkey. But they share one similar element that becomes the root of the supernatural hauntings: black magic and curses. The clash of black magic, religious practices and the involvement of djinns mainly affected Muslim viewers since these matters hit close to home.
5. Munafik (2016)
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Here’s another horror film with Islamic elements and, most importantly, locally-made.
Munafik is directed by Syamsul Yusof, with the title a reference to the word ‘hypocrite’. The film follows Ustaz Adam, played by Syamsul Yusof himself, a religious medical practitioner grieving over his wife’s death. He stops helping others until he meets Maria, who suffers from depression and is possessed by an evil spirit.
The film received nine nominations at the 2016 Malaysian Film Festival and won five awards, including Best National Language Film. The film was so popular that it received a sequel in 2018 and an Indonesian remake in 2026.
6. The Wailing (2016)
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Entering the list is a South Korean horror film directed by Na Hong-jin: The Wailing.
The film follows a policeman who investigates a series of mysterious deaths in a remote village. The mysterious deaths are caused by an infection that drives the infected to become deranged and violently kill their families. As the policeman uncovers more in his investigation, he finds that there’s something more sinister hiding in the village.
The Wailing won multiple awards throughout 2016 and 2017, including Best Director at the 37th Blue Dragon Film Awards and Best Film at the 53rd Baeksang Arts Awards.
7. Pengabdi Setan (2017)
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Indonesia has some of the best and scariest supernatural horror films. Pengabdi Setan, or Satan’s Slaves, is one such example.
Directed by Joko Anwar, the 2017 box-office hit focuses on a married couple with four children, including the youngest, who is a deaf 6-year-old boy. After the death of their mother, the children are haunted by an entity that takes the form of their late mother.
After the film’s success, a sequel was released in 2022, Pengabdi Setan 2: Communion. This sequel follows the same family as the first film and ends on an ambiguous note, possibly hinting at another instalment.
8. Incantation (2022)
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Incantation is a Taiwanese found footage horror film that was a hit when it was released in 2022.
The film follows a mother who urges viewers to chant a blessing to help her ill 6-year-old daughter. Viewers are then shown found footage from 6 years prior, which reveals a malevolent entity haunting a village and the “blessing” to actually be a curse.
The film became Taiwan’s highest-grossing horror film as the ending surprises viewers with its twist. Rumours say that the incantations used in the film may or may not have been genuine incantations used to repel or beckon spirits. True or not, the rumour successfully made the film ten times scarier.
9. Death Whisperer (2023)
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Death Whisperer is a Thai horror film that became the first Thai film to be shot entirely for IMAX screening. It follows a family of eight in a farming village in 1972, where one of the daughters falls terribly ill and is later revealed to have been possessed by a malevolent spirit. The family works together to expel the evil spirit before more harm is done to the daughter.
Inspired by the Evil Dead series, the film is one of Thailand’s highest-grossing films and went on to have sequels in 2024 and 2025.
10. Salmokji: Whispering Water (2025)
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Salmokji: Whispering Water is a recently released horror film that made even horror fans scared of the water ghost again. The South Korean horror film follows a road-view filming crew sent to Salmokji Reservoir – a place that exists in real life – to reshoot a road-view image requested by the locals. When they get there, they experience multiple paranormal disturbances that gradually become deadly.
The film starring Kim Hye-yoon went on to become the highest-grossing Korean horror film and won Top 10 Films of the Year at the Korean Association of Film Critics Awards in 2026. Kim Hye-yoon also won a Best Actress Award at the Blue Dragon Ranking Awards in the same year.
11. Tetsuo: The Iron Man (1989)
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Japan once again delivered a unique horror film that instantly became a cult classic:Tetsuo: The Iron Man, a Japanese sci-fi horror film about a protagonist slowly turning into a metallic monster. Inevitably, the film has a lot of body horror and mature themes, so it can be a hard watch for some – but a spine-chilling, enjoyable one for horror movie fans.
12. Audition (1999)
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The Japanese horror film, Audition, falls more under the thriller genre, but it’ll still make your movie night a spooky one. The film follows a middle-aged man who stages a fake audition to find himself a girlfriend. Things take a terrifying turn when he discovers her dark past.
Here’s an important spoiler for those who are sensitive to animal deaths: the film contains a scene in which a four-legged animal is killed.
13. Death Bell (2008)
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If you’ve gone to boarding school, you’ve probably watched this Korean film at least once or have seen your roommates huddle up to watch it. Death Bell is a South Korean slasher film set at a Korean high school, where 20 students are forced to take part in a death game orchestrated by an unknown figure.
The film went on to have a standalone sequel, Death Bell 2: Bloody Camp.
14. Dukun (2018)
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Based on a real-life figure, Mona Fandey, this film was initially supposed to be released in 2007 but was postponed since it’s based on a high-profile murder case. In 2018, Dukun was finally greenlit for a nationwide release. While known Malay actress Umie Aida plays the character based on Mona Fandey, Malaysians familiar with the case would still get the creeps as the film unravels the story behind Mona Fandey and her murders.
15. The Medium (2021)
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A Thai-Korean horror film produced by Na Hong-jin, The Medium follows a documentary team who travels to a region in Thailand to interview a medium. The medium claims to be possessed by the spirit of a local deity. The pseudo-documentary film continues with the medium’s niece being possessed by multiple evil spirits and her mother finding ways to help her daughter.
Asian horror films that deliver the best supernatural scares
When it comes to horror films, Asian cinema delivers the best supernatural scares that’ll surely spook you out of your seat. While Western horror films have their own appeal, horror films from the region just hit different, with themes and supernatural forces that hit close to home.
With that said, you can count on the above Asian horror films to ensure a good scare, with many of them being box-office successes and others receiving positive reviews from horror junkies.
Cover image adapted from: IMDb