Spring chills: Horror flicks a hit with young moviegoers in offseason

A still from ″Salmokji: Whispering Water” [SHOWBOX]

 
Fall isn’t the only season for chills: When they're not taking cute photos with flowers in full bloom, young people are indulging in electrifying moments in theaters, smartwatches beeping to warn of elevated heart rates with each nerve-wracking scene eerily taking over the domestic box office.
 
The horror film “Salmokji: Whispering Water,” with a storyline based on the legend of a ghost inhabiting water, is gaining momentum at the box office. The movie surpassed its break-even point of 800,000 admissions within a week after hitting theaters on April 8. It has drawn 1.46 million viewers as of Monday and sits atop the box office tally.
 

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Moviegoers are going beyond the cinema for a full horror experience. Salmokji, a real-life reservoir in South Chungcheong’s Yesan County, has seen such a large number of visitors that authorities have had to impose nighttime access restrictions. 
 
Attention has now shifted to whether “Salmokji: Whispering Water” could outperform another Korean horror film, “A Tale of Two Sisters” (2003), which grossed 3.14 million admissions — the highest for a local horror flick.
 
Earlier this year, the omnibus horror film “App the horror” broke even after surpassing 100,000 viewers despite being screened only at CGV theaters. Another horror film exploring a pseudoreligious cult, “Samakdo,” released on March 11, drew close to 100,000 viewers. The film introduced a new strain of occult horror.
 
Hollywood horror films are also filling seats. Along with “Scream 7,” which opened on April 1, “Lee Cronin's The Mummy” is set to be released on Wednesday. The latest “Mummy” installment was produced by Blumhouse Productions, which specializes in horror films. 
 

A still from ″Scream 7″ [LOTTE ENTERAINMENT]

 
The film follows a girl who was kidnapped in Egypt as a child and returns to her family eight years later after being discovered inside an ancient sarcophagus as a grotesque mummy. Evoking “The Exorcist” (1973), the upcoming “Mummy” reinterprets the curse of an ancient mummy through the story of a girl possessed by an evil spirit.
 
Another highly anticipated Hollywood horror film, “Backrooms,” is also set for a theater release in June. The movie unfolds with an unusual premise that a hidden, unknown world exists behind the facade of the city.
 
Netflix will release the Korean horror series “If Wishes Could Kill,” with high schoolers as the main protagonists, on Friday.
 
The slew of horror films opening in the spring shows a shift in audience perception. Regardless of the season, viewers have now become increasingly willing to embrace horror with fresh concepts or strong craftsmanship.
 
“Viewers now consume horror content year-round through streaming platforms,” a Netflix spokesperson said. “The notion that horror films should be watched in a specific season is disappearing.”
 

A still from ″App the horror″ [300COMPANY]

 
Practical calculations by studios also play a role in year-round releases. Their recent strategy targets a dedicated fan base during the offseason as high-budget, large-scale tentpole movies flood the prime summer period.
 
“The success of films like ‘Gonjiam: Haunted Asylum’ (2018), which drew 2.68 million viewers, and ‘Exhuma’ (2024), which attracted 11.91 million, both released in spring, has helped the industry defy horror’s seasonal norms,” said Hwang Jae-hyeon, the head of strategy support at CGV. “Another practical issue is securing enough screens as priority is given to major blockbusters in summer.”
 
Releasing films during the spring school semester also allows studios to benefit from word-of-mouth among teenagers and moviegoers in their 20s — key targets of horror films.
 
“Opening during the semester rather than vacation periods is more advantageous for making the film go viral,” said Jo su-bin, head of publicity at Showbox, the distributor of “Salmokji: Whispering Water.”
 
“Middle schoolers and high schoolers, in particular, tend to bond over watching films together and actively spread content through social media challenges.”
 

People partake in an immersive horror experience inspired by film ″The Conjuring″ (2013-) series in Mapo District, western Seoul, in July 2025. [YONHAP]

 
In fact, teenagers and 20-somethings accounted for 52 percent of the total viewership of the “Salmokji: Whispering Water,” according to CGV. Despite a rating of “15 and up,” those in their teens made up 13 percent of viewers. Viewers in groups of three or more made up 13.8 percent.
 
More than half of the audience for “App the horror” also fell within the same demographic group — people in their teens and 20s.
 
Post-screening responses to the horror films also spread widely across social media and online forums.
 
“My heart rate shot up so high, and my smartwatch sent me a warning alert,” said a person who recently watched “Salmokji: Whispering Water.” Another person who watched “App the horror” shared their fear of experiencing what happened in the film.
 
From the planning stage, these films have targeted younger audiences by incorporating modern technology into their narratives.
 

A poster for ″Gonjiam: Haunted Asylum (2018)″ [JOONGANG ILBO]

 
While “Gonjiam: Haunted Asylum” used action cameras to heighten the terror of an abandoned psychiatric hospital, “Salmokji: Whispering Water” intended to amplify fear with equipment commonly used by YouTubers who specialize in paranormal experiences, such as motion detectors and ghost boxes, which use radio frequencies to attempt to detect spiritual movement. Smartphone devices are key in the narrative of “App the horror.”
 
Marketing strategies have become friendlier to younger audiences.
 
A technique that makes people jump, eerie sound engineering and onset ghost stories are repackaged into short-form content for publicity. To promote “Salmokji: Whispering Water,” Showbox organized a series of themed preview screenings, including events for couples, members of the Marine Corps and self-proclaimed scaredy cats.
 
“We’re turning the screenings into promotional content: a special preview for Marines known for ‘catching ghosts,’ a screening at lead actor Kim Hye-yoon’s alma mater or a ‘coward’ screening where the theater lights are kept on and earplugs are provided,” a publicity representative said.
 
“More horror films are made for a solid base of dedicated fans than in the past,” film critic Youn Sung-eun said. “The shared thrill of being startled and scared creates both excitement and intimacy, making these films a must-watch for couples and teenage audiences.”


This article was originally written in Korean and translated by a bilingual reporter with the help of generative AI tools. It was then edited by a native English-speaking editor. All AI-assisted translations are reviewed and refined by our newsroom.
BY JUNG HYUN-MOK [lee.soojung1@joongang.co.kr]