Korean psychological thrillers on Netflix: Forgotten to Alive 7 best titles to keep you guessing all night (2024)

Craving a good mental workout? Look no further than these mind-bending Korean psychological thrillers on Netflix. From Si Wan Yim, Woo Hee Chun’s Unlocked to Yoo Ji Tae, Lee Jung Jae’s Svaha: The Sixth Finger, and more, these brain teasers will make you doubt everything you thought you understood. They come with intricate storylines, narrators you can't always trust, and surprising turns that will leave you stunned.

Korean psychological thrillers on Netflix: Forgotten to Alive 7 best titles to keep you guessing all night (1)

Best Korean psychological thrillers on Netflix

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Forgotten (2017)

Director: Hang Jun Jang

Year of release: 2017

Running Time: 1 hour 48 minutes

K Drama Genre: Drama, Thriller, Crime, Mystery

K Drama Star Cast: Kang Ha Neul, Yeon Je Hyung, Mu Yeol Kim

Writer: Hang jun Jang

Where to Watch / OTT Platform: Netflix

Also known as: Gi Eok ui bam

Known as one of the best Korean psychological thrillers to date, Jin Seok’s (Kang Ha Neul) life turns upside down when he and his family relocate to a new house. Jin Seok notices an unsettling mood in their strange circumstances alongside his father, mother, and older brother Yoo-seok (played by Kim Mu Yeol). The situation takes a tragic turn when Yoo Seok is abducted. Upon his return after 19 days, Yoo Seok has no recollection of the incident. However, Jin Seok begins to detect peculiarities in his family's behavior, leading him to the unsettling realisation that they are not his biological family but impostors pretending to be so.

Unlocked (2023)

Director: Tae Joon Kim

Running Time: 1 hour 57 min

K Drama Genre: Drama, Thriller, Adventure, Horror

K Drama Star Cast: Si Wan Yim, Woo Hee Chun, Kim Hee Won

Writer: Tae Joon Kim, Akira Shiga

Where to Watch / OTT Platform: Netflix

The official synopsis of the show reads, “A woman’s life is turned upside-down when a dangerous man gets a hold of her lost cell phone and uses it to track her every move.” The narrative revolves around a girl named Lee Na Mi who loses her phone and things turn eerie when Oh Jun-Yeong comes up with a sneaky plan. He uses a fake voice app to trick her into going to a repair shop, all to get her password. Under the guise of repairing her phone, Jun-Yeong covertly installs spyware, enabling him to observe all of Na-Mi's activities.

Also read:

Svaha: The Sixth Finger (2019)

K Drama Genre: Drama, Thriller, Crime, Horror, Mystery

Running Time: 2 hours 2 minutes

Director: Jae Hyun Jang

K Drama Star Cast: Yoo Ji tae, Lee Jung Jae, Suk Mun

Writer: Kang Full, Jae hyun Jang

Where to Watch / OTT Platform: Netflix

Also known as: Sabaha

The birth of Lee Geum Hwa and her twin sister marks the beginning of the story. Geum Hwa's leg is malformed as a result of the fetus of her sister absorbing nutrients from it while they were still inside their mother’s womb. Pastor Park, who has a reputation for busting cults, is simultaneously assigned to investigate Dongbanggyo, also known as Deer Mountain, a clandestine organization. Meanwhile, police launched an investigation on the finding of a girl's body buried under concrete. The official synopsis reads, “A minister who researches religious cults turns to his Buddhist monk friend for help investigating a new group with mysterious origins.”

Lucid Dream (2017)

Running Time: 1 hour 41 minutes

K Drama Genre: Drama, Thriller, Sci-Fi

Director: Joon Sung Kim

K Drama Star Cast: Sol Kyung Gu, Go Soo, Kang Hye Jeong

Writer: Joon Sung Kim

Where to Watch / OTT Platform: Netflix

Also known as: Loosideu deurim

The plot reads: “After searching for his abducted son for three years, a devastated father attempts to track down his missing child through lucid dreams.” After three years of nonstop searching for his abducted son, a heartbroken father uses his vivid dreams to try to find his lost son. The narrative revolves around Choi Dae Ho, an investigative journalist who seeks to locate his kid by using lucid dreams and therapy to uncover memories that have been buried.

The Call (2020)

Running Time: 1 hour 52 minutes

K Drama Genre: Drama, Thriller, Crime, Horror, Mystery

Director: Chung Hyun Lee

K Drama Star Cast: Park Shin Hye, Jeon Jong Seo, Kim Sung Ryung

Writer: Sergio Casci, Chung Hyun Lee

Where to Watch / OTT Platform: Netflix

Also known as: Kol

Drawn back to this place of painful memories, Kim Seo Yeon returns to visit her ailing, estranged mother, Eun Ae. The old, ramshackle house, a dark secret, whispering from the depths of a forgotten cordless phone. Distressed, the voice pierces through the years as it crackles to life and begs for rescue from the grasp of a tormentor.

The 8th Night(2021)

Director: Kim Tae hyung

Running Time: 1 hour 55 minutes

K Drama Genre: Drama, Thriller, Horror

K Drama Star Cast: Lee Sung min, Park Hae joon, Yoo jung Kim

Writer: Kim Tae hyung

Where to Watch / OTT Platform: Netflix

Also known as: Je8ileui bam

As per the official plot, “A man, who was once an exorcist, suffers until he faces a demon that is freed. The night exists between real and unreal, their struggle to stop the resurrection of the demon has begun!" The Korean drama, accessible on Netflix, centers on supernatural themes. Armed with prayer beads and an axe, a monk embarks on a quest spanning millennia.

#Alive (2020)

Running Time: 1 hour 38 minutes

K Drama Genre: Drama, Thriller, Horror

Director: Il Cho

K Drama Star Cast: (Information missing)

Writer: Il Cho, Matt Naylor

Where to Watch / OTT Platform: Netflix

Also known as: #Saraitda

In this zombie apocalypse movie, we follow the gripping story of a video game live streamer as he battles for survival in a world crumbling around him. Isolated in his Seoul apartment, the chaos ensues from the rapid spread of an unknown infection, plunging the entire city into disarray. Amidst this turmoil, one lone survivor must navigate the challenges of isolation to endure the relentless onslaught of the undead.

Korean psychological thrillers on Netflix: Forgotten to Alive 7 best titles to keep you guessing all night (2024)
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