The massive theatrical success of Yeon Sang-ho’s Train to Busan movies has opened the door for South Korea to establish itself as one of the leaders in delivering high-quality zombie releases. Soon after the original 2016 movie’s victorious run, horror fans were treated to a wide selection of zombie films and TV shows from South Korean creatives, who helped revitalize the genre. Netflix has been one of the main platforms instrumental in bringing these stories to a much wider audience, including a 13-episode masterpiece which debuted in 2019.
To set themselves apart from the Western versions, Korean zombie movies and shows are particularly fast-moving, featuring more feral and aggressively rapid monsters that utilize the actors’ physicality and movements, making it more horrifying to watch. On top of mastering the art of creating flesh-eating monsters, South Korean filmmakers have also flawlessly blended zombies into different genres, providing the audience with fresh new stories to enjoy. While Train to Busan proved Korean artists capable of keeping up with Hollywood’s high-profile horror productions, Netflix’s 2019 series Kingdom was the release that demonstrated Korea’s supremacy over the zombie genre.
This historical horror drama is based on a popular webtoon series The Kingdom of the Gods by creator and writer Kim Eun-hee. The two-season series is set during the Joseon period of Korean history, and begins with the Crown Prince investigating the mysterious illness that has befallen the King. His investigation leads him to the discovery of a nightmarish plague and a political conspiracy threatening to destroy the country. Following the release of its first season, it received widespread acclaim for its genre-bending storytelling and cinematic quality.
Kingdom’s Level Of Detail Means You Need To Watch The Whole Thing Twice
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Seven years after its release, Netflix’s Kingdom remains one of the best K-drama zombie shows in television history. It is the type of series that the audience needs to watch twice to better appreciate the cleverly intricate details that the creative team put into each episode. It wasn’t developed as a typical zombie story, as the show brings the audience to a world where people consumed by their political greed are far scarier than undead monsters. Beyond the terrifying zombie transformations and attacks is a high-stakes political thriller that depicts the consequences of corruption and class inequality.
Showrunner Kim Eun-hee drew inspiration from a real 19th-century historical document that recorded an unexplained plague. Using this piece of history, Kim reimagined it as a cautionary tale of systemic greed and neglect told through a zombie outbreak. Kingdom boasts a phenomenal ensemble cast of acclaimed actors led by Ju Ji-hoon, Bae Doona, Ryu Seung-ryong, and Kim Hye-jun, who delivered fantastic performances. While its beautiful cinematography and bone-chilling action sequences are enough reasons for a rewatch, the show’s multi-layered characters, complex mystery, and deep lore are what make a second viewing worth it.
Kingdom Remains One Of Netflix’s Hidden Horror Gems
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Netflix’s 35 billion-won gamble paid off when Kingdom garnered global recognition following season 2’s debut in 2020. It dominated the platform’s top ten charts around the world for weeks, establishing itself as one of Netflix’s crown jewels. On top of its streaming victory, the show was a critical darling with a near-perfect score on Rotten Tomatoes. Interestingly, the horror drama’s success actually paved the way for Netflix to invest in more big-budget South Korean originals, including Squid Game and Sweet Home.
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Even though it drew huge viewership numbers and was a critical hit, Kingdom wasn’t granted an official season 3 renewal because of scheduling conflicts and high production costs. The only sequel it received was the 2021 special Kingdom: Ashin of the North, which chronicles the origin story of Jun Ji-hyun’s Ashin, who would most likely have been the main antagonist for season 3. While the Kingdom franchise remains in limbo, Netflix is currently focusing on another zombie franchise in the form of the coming-of-age horror series All of Us Are Dead, which will return for season 2 sometime in 2027.
Based on the webtoon The Kingdom of the Gods, Kingdom is a 2019 South Korean historical drama-horror series created for Netflix. Lee Chang, the crown prince of a fictional interpretation of 16th-century Korea, is forced to stand in for his ailing father as a plague begins to ravage their homeland, all while fighting off would-be-usurpers to the throne.
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