10 Essential Asian Horror Picks for Summerween
The horror genre is vast, and it’s rare to witness the same scenario unfold twice. Summer is in full swing, and as the season winds down, something else emerges. Halloween! With Halloween only a few months away, why not start the spooky festivities early while still soaking up the summer sun? EnVi presents ten Asian horror films and television shows to see this summer. These picks span every level of horror, with some blending elements of humor and romance into the genre, while others might leave you terrified for weeks, or even somewhere in between!
Jinn ki Shadi Unki Shadi (2025)
Leading the list is Pakistani drama Jinn Ki Shadi Unki Shadi, which blends humor, romance, and interweaves horror with fantasy. The 26 episodes depict a small family grieving the sudden loss of their patriarch. The family, which includes brothers Asad (Arslan Naseer) and Ali (Wahaj Ali), as well as Asad’s wife, Zara (Sidra Niazi), is now forced to carry out their father’s will and inherit the family estate. Living at the family’s newly discovered mansion may appear appealing on the surface, but as Asad and Zara initially move in, they quickly realize they aren’t alone. The estate is already home to another family, a clan of jinns, or supernatural unseen creatures, who will stop at nothing to expel the intruders from their residence. One such jinnzadi (a female jinn) named Kushi, played by actress Sehar Khan, is pressured to marry a fellow jinn against her wishes, however fate eventually leads her to fall for Ali!
Where to Watch: Youtube
If Wishes Could Kill (2026)
Looking for a young adult, horror mystery short-drama this summer? Look no farther than the South Korean drama If Wishes Could Kill! The fast-paced eight-episode series follows a group of five high school friends who become involved with a mysteriously downloadable app known as “Girigo.” At first, the app appears harmless when class clown Choi Hyeong-uk (Lee Hyo-Je) asks to receive a perfect score in school, and the app grants his wish without hesitation. The catch? After making the request, the individual has 24 hours before being brutally killed in a bizarre manner. After witnessing their friend’s death, Yoo Se Ah (Jeon So-young), Im Na-ri (Kang Mi-na), Kim Geon-woo (Baek Sun-ho), and Kang Ha-joon (Hyun Woo-seok) are forced to investigate the app’s origins, survive supernatural encounters, and prevent the app from leading them to their own demise. But is everyone acting with good motives? And what exactly is the entity haunting the group?
Where to Watch: Netflix
Bhool Bhulaiyaa (2007)
Lightening the mood while maintaining the core concept of horror and supernatural, Bhool Bhulaiyaa is another film that focuses on the horror comedy side that you should see next. The 2007 Hindi film dives into psychological horror when Siddharth (Shiney Ahuja) and his wife, Avni (Vidya Balan), return from the United States to their native small village to live in their ancestral palace. The villagers warn Siddharth that the home is haunted by the ghost of Manjulika, a Bengali classical dancer. It is not until Siddharth begins experiencing increasingly weird abnormalities that he is forced to confront what he had previously dismissed.
Where to Watch: Netflix
Incantation (2022)
The Taiwanese film Incantation, shot in a found footage mockumentary style, follows a mother, Li Ronan (Hsuan-yen Tsai), who breaks a religious taboo six years before the events depicted in the film begin, disturbing an entity present within a shrine. Fast forward to present day, the entity returns with vengeance, but instead of targeting Li, it pursues her young daughter. To save her daughter, Li must now lift the curse that has haunted her. When it first aired, it rapidly became the highest grossing Taiwanese horror film of all time, and it’s a must-see for anyone looking for a good thrill!
Where to Watch: Netflix
Re/Member (2022)
Re/Member is a Japanese film following a group of high school kids who relive the same day once they enter their school’s grounds. The day goes on normally until nightfall, when they return to school and discover a dark entity that kills them by the end of the night, dooming them to repeat the same fate every single day. The only way to stop the creature is to find the remains of a deceased student and reassemble the corpse before it can get to you. Re/Member draws an intriguing parallel between the idea of time travel and the unraveling of a mystery in the horror genre.
Where to Watch: Netflix
Impetigore (2019)
This Joko Anwar film was Indonesia’s official selection for the International Feature category at the 2021 Oscars. Impetigore follows Maya (Tara Basro), a down-on-her-luck young woman who works at a toll booth plaza with her friend Dini (Marissa Anita). Maya then learns she might inherit a house in her family’s village in Central Java. But before Maya and Dini even begin their journey, a villager attacks Maya in an attempt to ‘break the curse.’ Once they arrive at the village and start talking and walking around the village, it doesn’t take long for them to discover how very, very wrong things are there. Soon enough, they learn the curse is indeed real, tied directly to sins her parents committed years earlier, forcing Maya to uncover the complicated reality of her past and fighting for her life.
Where to Watch: Apple TV
Gonjiam: Haunted Asylum (2018)
For found-footage fans, this one’s for you. In South Korea, there are seven infamous super-haunted locations, and Gonjiam abandoned asylum is one of them. The movie follows a team of twenty-somethings who run Horror Times, a ghost hunting YouTube channel as they attempt the biggest stream of their lives. After the crew recruits three girls and two boys, they break into the haunted asylum and begin livestreaming it to the world. But things don’t go as planned for the jaded paranormal investigators, and they are quickly in over their heads as real occurrences begin to unfold. Watch alone or drag a friend along, you’re guaranteed a thrilling experience.
Where to Watch: Prime Video
Roh (2019)
If you like The Wailing, you’re gonna like this one. Emir Ezwan’s directorial debut, Roh takes place deep in the woods, touching on Malaysian folklore. When Along (Mhia Farhana) and her brother Angah (Harith Haziq) go to check on their animal trap, they stumble upon a lost girl, and decide to bring her to their mother, Mak (Farah Ahmad). They take her home, clean and clothe her, give her food and shelter, only for her to usher in a series of bad omens before killing herself. Realizing that the entire family’s lives are at stake, Mak fights tooth and nail to keep her children protected, but who can she really trust? This film feels like a fascinating hybrid of South-East Asian folklore and classic Greek tales of gods interfering in the lives of humans.
Where to Watch: Hoopla
Chime (2024)
The name Kiyoshi Kurosawa is synonymous with a certain style of Japanese horror, and undoubtedly one of the defining auteurs that have defined 90s and 2000s Japanese cinema. If you’re a Kurosawa fan, particularly of the supernatural serial killer thriller Cure and Pulse, in which the internet acts as a channel for ghosts to target the loneliness of its users, then Chime will feel like coming home. Running just 45 minutes, this film presents the daily life of Takuji Matsuoka (Mutsuo Yoshioka), a former chef who devotes himself to teaching cooking classes while waiting for a new career opportunity. Although it begins with a monotonous routine, everything changes drastically when one of his students (Seiichi Kohinata), claims to hear a disturbing sound that follows him relentlessly. This sound, a chime — barely perceptible to others — begins to erode the student’s sanity as it takes control and a latent violence emerges.
The Red Envelope (2025)
Had enough jump scares and want to watch something lighthearted instead? This hilarious Thai remake of the 2022 Taiwanese blockbuster Marry My Dead Body features a former thief turned police informant Menn (Billkin), who accidentally finds himself hitched to a gay ghost, Titi (PP Krit) the moment he picks up a conspicuous red envelope. If Menn rejects the spiritual union, he’s cursed with bad luck forever. Crucially, he’s also a homophobic straight man, and the only way to free Titi and break the arrangement is to solve a major drug case. More comedy than horror, The Red Envelope mixes supernatural slapstick with genuine heart that guarantees laughter and a good time!
Where to Watch: Netflix
Looking for something lighter to watch after binge-watching all of your favorite horror movies and TV shows? Check out EnVi’s favorite beauty-centered television series from around the world!
