Lunar New Year is a time of reunion, reflection, and honoring tradition… but in horror, those same ideas can turn ominous.

Last Lunar New Year, I found myself gravitating toward Asian horror films… stories rooted in folklore, family, curses, belief, and the idea that the past never truly stays buried. These films often explore generational trauma, ancestral ties, and fate in ways that feel especially fitting for a season centered on cycles, legacy, and renewal.

If you’re looking for something eerie and atmospheric to watch around Lunar New Year, this list leans into Asian horror that lingers—long after the credits roll.

Incantation (2022)

A modern curse film built around belief, ritual, and generational consequences. Incantation draws viewers directly into its mythology, making tradition and participation part of the horror itself.

Perfect for:
Those who enjoy immersive horror and folklore with a contemporary edge.

Skip if:
You’re uncomfortable with audience-participation horror or intense psychological tension.

Ghost House (2017)

A supernatural horror film rooted in Thai spirit-house traditions, where offerings meant to appease protective spirits instead invite something far more dangerous. Ghost House leans into cultural belief, ritual, and the consequences of disrespecting tradition.

Perfect for:
Viewers who enjoy folklore-based horror, cursed places, and stories centered on ritual and belief.

Skip if:
You’re looking for fast-paced horror or constant jump scares.

Ju-On: The Grudge (2002)

A landmark in Japanese horror, Ju-On presents a curse born from domestic trauma that infects everyone it touches. Fragmented, bleak, and relentlessly unsettling.

Perfect for:
Viewers who love curse-based horror and nonlinear storytelling.

Skip if:
You want resolution or a traditional narrative structure.

The Medium (2021)

Set within a family of spiritual mediums, this film blends mockumentary style with regional folklore and possession. What begins as cultural documentation slowly unravels into something chaotic and terrifying.

Perfect for:
Viewers interested in spiritual traditions, possession horror, and escalating dread.

Skip if:
You don’t enjoy found-footage or documentary-style horror.

Satan’s Slaves (2017)

A chilling Indonesian horror film rooted in family tragedy, religious dread, and generational curses. Satan’s Slaves builds fear slowly, relying on atmosphere, sound, and inevitability rather than cheap scares.

Perfect for:
Fans of folklore-driven horror, cursed families, and slow-building tension.

Skip if:
You need constant action or clear explanations.

Dark Water (2002)

A quiet, rain-soaked ghost story centered on motherhood, neglect, and isolation. Dark Water is more sad than scary but its atmosphere and emotional weight linger long after the film ends.

Perfect for:
Fans of melancholy, psychological horror with minimal jump scares.

Skip if:
You want overt scares or fast pacing.

Shutter (2004)

A supernatural horror film built around guilt, memory, and the weight of unresolved wrongdoing. Shutter balances strong scares with a creeping sense of inevitability.

Perfect for:
Viewers who enjoy ghost stories with emotional consequences and iconic imagery.

Skip if:
You prefer fast paced horror or need frequent jump scares to stay engaged.

Train to Busan (2016)

A high-intensity zombie film grounded in family, sacrifice, and humanity under pressure. Train to Busan blends relentless action with emotional storytelling, making it both thrilling and devastating.

Perfect for:
Viewers who want fast-paced horror with strong emotional stakes and unforgettable characters.

Skip if:
You’re looking for slow, atmospheric horror or dislike zombie films.

Grafted (2024)

A sleek, unsettling body-horror film that explores beauty, identity, and the desire to become someone else—no matter the cost. Grafted blends modern anxieties with grotesque transformation, making it both timely and deeply uncomfortable.

Perfect for:
Fans of body horror, identity-driven horror, and films that sit at the intersection of beauty, obsession, and self-destruction.

Skip if:
You’re squeamish about body horror or prefer subtle, suggestion-based scares.

Ringu (1998)

A defining film of Japanese horror built around an inescapable curse passed from person to person. Ringu is quiet, dread-filled, and deeply unsettling, turning everyday technology into something ominous while exploring how trauma and violence echo across generations.

Perfect for:
Viewers who love slow-burn horror, cursed-object stories, and atmosphere-driven fear.

Skip if:
You want constant action or modern pacing.

The Sadness (2021)

An extremely brutal outbreak horror film that pushes violence to shocking extremes. The Sadness strips humanity down to its ugliest impulses, resulting in nonstop chaos and cruelty.

⚠️ Content warning: This film is relentlessly violent and not subtle.

Perfect for:
Hardcore horror fans who want something intense, aggressive, and uncompromising.

Skip if:
You’re sensitive to graphic violence or prefer psychological horror over gore.

Audition (1999)

A slow, deceptively quiet film that gradually reveals something profoundly disturbing beneath the surface. Audition explores loneliness, desire, and control, culminating in horror that is intimate, cruel, and unforgettable.

⚠️ Warning: This film is deeply disgusting, emotionally brutal, and intentionally uncomfortable. You will feel gross afterward.

Perfect for:
Viewers who can handle extreme psychological horror and want something truly terrifying.

Skip if:
You don’t do well with graphic violence, body horror, or films designed to unsettle on every level.

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Final Thoughts

Asian horror has a way of making fear feel personal. So many of these films are rooted in family, belief, inheritance, and the idea that the past is never truly gone – ideas that feel especially fitting around Lunar New Year, a season centered on reflection, cycles, and renewal.

This list isn’t meant to be definitive, just a collection of Asian horror films I find especially haunting to watch around this time of year. Some are slow and atmospheric, others are brutal and relentless, but all of them linger in ways that feel meaningful rather than just shocking.

If you can think of any Asian horror films about folklore, family, curses, or fate that aren’t on this list but should be, let me know in the comments – I’m always looking for more to add.