Fear is a universal language. Every country has its own distinct culture, but the world is united when it comes to horror. Sudden jumpscares, unsettling imagery, and blood-curdling gore are present in all foreign language horror, from the heart of South Korea to the depths of the Spanish movie scene.
A great horror does more than make you jump up in your seat. It leaves you feeling anxious the entire runtime; it makes you afraid of anything from your shadow to the sound of blowing wind; it lingers on your mind, scaring you long after the film is finished.
Unfortunately, in today’s landscape, horror has a reputation for inconsistency. A lack of ideas coupled with a reliance on cheap jumpscares has made the entire genre feel monotonous. However, half the time, this critique is reserved exclusively for Western cinema. There is a vast landscape of brilliant horror outside the English language. In this list, you will find five highlights to usher you into the terrifying world of foreign-language horror.
1. Audition (1999)
Directed by Takashi Miike, Audition is a disturbing masterpiece in Japanese horror. The film follows the lonely life of Shigeharu, a widower and single father. His son insists he finds a new partner to fill his empty life. What follows is a bizarre sequence wherein Shigeharu fakes an audition to find the right candidate for his next wife.
What starts as a comedy soon devolves into madness. Shigeharu finds his perfect match: Asami. She’s a reserved young woman whose résumé is filled with contacts who are either impossible to reach or declared missing. Despite the mystery of Asami, Shigeharu is enchanted. After pledging his love, Asami disappears. The rest of the film follows Shigeharu as he tracks her down, all the while uncovering her disturbing past.
Where Audition thrives most is in its sense of dread. From the moment Asami enters the screen, the viewer knows something is not right. In a torturous display of dramatic irony, the viewer sees disturbing glimpses of Asami’s private life while Shigeharu — blissfully ignorant — continues to pursue her. Although the film takes its time, the build-up is satisfyingly stressful. The viewer is constantly on their toes as they know that something dreadful is bound to happen.
2. [•REC] (2007)
![[REC] foreign language horror](https://www.trillmag.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/10/REC-Foreign-Language-Horror-1024x431.png)
Found footage films tend to be hit or miss. Even classics like Cloverfield and The Blair Witch Project fail to deliver a compelling story beyond their rustic aesthetics. This is where [•REC] excels. The Spanish horror explores the story of Ángela, a news reporter who follows a group of firefighters with her cameraman as they investigate an elderly woman trapped in her apartment.
Things quickly take a terrifying turn. The elderly woman, infected by some violent virus, pounces at the firefighters. Although they successfully fend her off, their circumstances only worsen as they discover the military has locked them inside. The rest of the film is equal parts mystery and horror, following the news reporter as she uncovers the source of the strange virus while those in her company become infected.
Where [•REC] shines most is in its pace. Unlike other horror films, which drag out the build-up for a half-baked payoff, [•REC] dives right into the chaos, hooking the viewer for the entire runtime. Clocking in at a brisk 78 minutes, the film leaves no room for filler, constantly bombarding the audience with plot twists and bursts of violent action.
3. The Wailing (2016)
The Wailing is a modern masterpiece in South Korean cinema. The film combines elements of classic horror with a murder mystery, following detective Jong-goo as he investigates a series of mysterious deaths and illnesses in a remote Korean town.
The film hooks the audience with the unraveling mystery. From demonic rituals to magical shamans and reanimated corpses, The Wailing takes a dozen twists and turns, growing more disturbing and fantastical with every scene. To spoil more would ruin the experience because the joy of uncovering the mystery is half the appeal.
Horror films tend to cast subpar actors, but The Wailing is a phenomenal exception. Every performance, down to the child actors, is Oscar-worthy. Despite how bizarre and otherworldly the story gets, the performances ground it in reality.
4. A Tale of Two Sisters (2003)
A landmark in South Korean cinema, A Tale of Two Sisters is essential for any horror fan. The plot revolves around Su-mi, a young girl suffering from psychosis who returns home from a lengthy stay at a mental institution. Her only company is her quiet father, her icy stepmother, and her twin sister.
At once, Su-mi suspects that her stepmother has been abusing her sister, kickstarting a series of disturbing events where fact and fiction blend into one. The film toys with concepts of hallucination and multiple personality disorder, tricking the viewer into thinking some events are real and some are purely psychological. What begins as a straightforward tale of family drama escalates into a terrifying spiral of hallucinations and lies, with the audience unable to differentiate nightmare from reality.
5. Ring (1998)
Perhaps the most iconic Japanese horror film, Ring is an undeniable classic in the genre. The story revolves around a mysterious videotape. Urban legends suggest that whoever watches the tape is cursed to die seven days later, but this only draws more attention to it.
As more characters watch the tape, determined to uncover its secrets, the audience is weighed down with an unrelenting sense of dread. This fear persists for the entire runtime. The audience is distracted from the mystery since the threat of inevitable death looms over everyone on screen.
What else is out there?
If you’re still craving more foreign-language horror to terrify you this Halloween, there are hundreds of incredible films worth a watch. The Devil’s Backbone (2001) is Guillermo del Toro’s gothic twist on the Spanish Civil War. From South Korea, Train to Busan (2016) is a modern masterpiece in zombie films. Or if brutality is what you’re after, Martyrs (2008) is perhaps the most disturbing film in French cinema history. Don’t let the language barrier put you off; in every country, there is a brilliant foreign-language horror flick waiting to terrify you.
