The popular zombie apocalypse Netflix show took the world by storm when it aired last January 2019 and gained massive viewership on its first week of streaming. The story follows an epidemic outburst when an unknown virus infected a whole village and turned people into flesh-eating monsters.
The sequel has just been released this month and fans all over the world are expecting a third installment. With its success, lots of Korean thriller films and television series have sprouted. We made a list of Korean films similar to Kingdom to satiate your horror cravings while waiting for the anticipated follow-up.
10 Train To Busan
An estranged daughter and father fled from their home after a widespread virus infected the whole city. Together with their newfound friends, they run for their lives and fight off zombies attacking them inside their train heading to Busan. It was said that Busan is the only safe place for people because of its military base protection and adequate food supply.
The film is a good mix of comedy, horror and drama. Don’t forget to bring tissues because this heartwarming story of sacrifice and forgiveness will certainly tug at your heartstrings.
9 The Flu
A single mother and her daughter tries to survive from an airborne virus causing people to exhibit signs of high fever eventually leading to death. With the help of a fireman they made friends with, they made it to the quarantine where the virus has already reached.
The mother, who works in the medical field, tries to save her daughter who was nearly infected by the deadly strain of H5N1 that attacked a small city in Seongnam. In the camp where they stayed, chaos broke out after people discovered some showed symptoms inside the barracks.
8 Rampant
Quite similar to Kingdom’s theme and plot, Rampant is a horror film set during the Joseon dynasty. It was believed that the zombie infection came from the Europeans. While on a quest destroying the ship of the foreigners, a soldier was bitten and returned to his village where he spread the virus.
Rampant has similar themes with Kingdom, especially on the political aspect. Perhaps the monarchial feud is the most interesting part in both shows. More than the flesh-eating ravagers, the story of betrayal and deception are the central ingredients.
7 Deranged
In a shocking turn of events, dead bodies have been found floating along Han River. Investigation led the authority to find out this incident is linked to a viral outbreak that causes humans to lose brain control. The virus, called mutant parasitic horsehair worm, would cause its host extreme hunger and thirst, thus the victims would drown themselves in water to get rid of the worms.
The protagonist is a biochemistry professor who tries his luck to find an antidote that can counteract the infection. Deranged is the first Korean medical thriller about an epidemic, followed by The Flu.
6 The Odd Family: Zombie On Sale
If you’re looking for lightweight and not-too-much political drama horror movie, you should check out The Odd Family: Zombie On Sale. The premise is easy to grasp: a pharmaceutical company mistakenly creates a zombie out of its illegal experiment. The chaos started when a strange man appeared in the village of where this ‘family’ lives.
Most zombie-filled films tackle survival of the fittest by outrunning or fighting off zombies, finding a cure or escaping a haunted town. This family takes advantage of the situation and tries to profit from it.
5 Seoul Station
If you’ve watched Train To Busan, you would know that Seoul Station is a prequel. Because after all the stress brought by Train To Busan to its audience, one still needs to satiate his knowledge about the history of the outbreak in Seoul.
Seoul Station follows the life of a young runaway woman who happens to be a sex worker. Her father searches for her and just when they were about to be reunited, a zombie attack broke out. The movie received good reviews and high praises for its thrilling action.
4 Zombie School
Educational institutions are never an exception when it comes to zombie outbursts. In a seemingly peaceful high school of Chil Sung School, no one would suspect a horrendous event would turn everything upside down.
Pigs were buried alive near the school due to foot-and-mouth disease. These poor creatures took revenge and came back to life as zombie pigs. They attacked the teachers first and turned them into full zombie mode. Their students, left with no choice, team up to fight the teachers off and spare themselves from turning into flesh-eating monsters.
3 Strange Dead Bodies
If you prefer older classic zombie movies, try watching Strange Dead Bodies, also known as Goeshi. This is the first Korean zombie movie that is heavily influenced by the classic The Living Dead at Machester Morgue. This film also paved the way for more classic zombie films in the later years.
The premise starts with a newly-installed radio transmitter that uses ultrasonic wavelengths to revive corpses around the local cemetery. As the awakened zombies climb up from their graves, they attack on rampage as they quench their thirst for flesh and blood.
2 The Neighbor Zombie
This is a six-part comedy-horror anthology that takes place in the aftermath of a zombie outbreak. If you’re already tired of watching gory zombie action and want something light to watch, The Neighbor Zombie offers just that.
The film shows how the people recover from the attacks, how they treated their loved ones after getting bitten and turned into zombies, and how to find the cure for the infection. It displays a more humanistic approach in their attempt to rebuild the city they once knew as peaceful and civilized as they call it home.
1 Doomsday Book
In the Doomsday Book movie, it tells three unique stories of human self-destruction, with the first part focusing on a zombie outbreak. Entitled A Brave New World, the first part shows the chain of reaction that happens between humans, animals and the aggregate process of recycling.
A man disposed a rotten apple that traveled down the water sewerage. This spoiled fruit became a recycled feed for cows. Another man accidentally ate a toxic beef during their barbecue session. Guess where the beef came from. And that is how the zombie outbreak started.