A lot of western horror tropes involve slasher killers or demonic possessions. While these sort of films can be unique and nuanced in their own right, they can also get redundant and fall into tropes, because they tend to draw inspiration from the same sources of fear. When finding a lack of ingenuity within western horror, you have to look into a different culture, in particularly Asia.
From a westerner’s perspective, there is something extremely raw and engaging about Asian horror films. Since their culture differs from ours, they draw from their own sources of fear and rely on different different tropes which can feel refreshing to a westerner. Movies like Ringu, The Host, and Shutter are all great horror films that are worth checking out.
If you become a fan of these Asian horror films, you are going to want to understand more about them from either a cinematography or cultural origin standpoint. Maybe you just want to get feel some fear while you are in Asia. Whichever it is, these are some Asian cities that are worth investing time in if you love Asian horror.
10 Seoul, South Korea
Remember that iconic scene in The Host where the giant monster first comes out of the river? Well, that river is the Han River which cuts through Seoul, South Korea. Despite how the river is portrayed in the film, it is not really a spooky area. It is actually full of beautiful parks, and artistic sculptures.
That being said it, one of the parks, the Yeouido Hangang Riverside Park, is the particular location where that aforementioned scene was filmed. Being there, you can really imagine an aquatic monster springing out from the river. It also helps that they installed a statue of the creature since the film became so popular.
9 Gwangju, South Korea
The found footage horror film Gonjiam: Haunted Asylum directed by Jung Bum-shik, features the Gonjiam Psychiatric Hospital. The plot of the film involves a crew exploring the hospital for their horror web series.
Interestingly, the hospital is a real location within South Korea and is known for supernatural occurrences. After a mysterious and abrupt closing in the 90’s, rumors of the hospital circulated around. Supposedly a sadistic psychiatrist experimented on his patients, but another popular rumor is that a mysterious rash caused by the spirits of deceased patients forced the place to close. Regardless of whether either is true, the place is creepy. While the place is gated and closed to the public, it is not difficult to do some not particularly legal trespassing upon the location, and many brave explorers have done so.
8 Izu Oshima, Japan
Izu Oshima is an island near Tokyo, Japan. It is mostly known for the active volcano, Mt. Mihara, which is the reason why Asian horror fans will want to check it out. For one, Mt. Mihara is the place where Godzilla was imprisoned in the film The Return of Godzilla. The volacano is also featured again in Godzilla vs. Biollante.
Additionally, Sadako Yamamura’s mother from Ringu took her own life by jumping in the volcano. This part of the movie is actually based on real events, as Mt. Mihara is unfortunately known as a popular place for people to commit suicide. Luckily, the area has installed effective precautions in order to prevent these things from happening. Despite Mt. Mihara having a dark past, it is still a culturally and scientifically rich area to learn about.
7 Tokyo, Japan
A place to check out in Tokyo is the Saeki House from Ju-On: The Grudge. This is the cursed house haunted by the Saeki family in the films. While there is no real supernatural lore involving the house, it is the house where most of the series was filmed.
It is somewhat difficult to find. Mainly because of how unassuming and indistinctive it is from the other houses in the area. That being said it is located in Torokazawa and many dedicated fans have been able to find it. Don’t go on the property, though, as it is a private residence.
6 Bangkok, Thailand
The Mae Nak Shrine is a location in Bangkok where Thailand’s most famous supernatural folktale takes place. The story goes that a woman named Nang Nak, or Mae Nak, died in labour while her husband was off at war. She became a ghost, and kept it a secret from her husband. When he later found out, he left her and she responded by terrifying the locals. She was eventually sealed inside a bottle, and the Mae Nak Shrine is supposedly where she was buried.
Many films were inspired by this story. In particular, the Thai film Nang Nak which reiterates the story. The Mae Nak Shrine is a popular supernatural attraction in Asia, but you should probably avoid it if you are expecting, as the place is known to be bad luck for pregnant women.
5 Hong Kong, China
Dumpling is a disturbing film about an actress who eats special dumplings which revitalize her youth. These dumplings, however, have a particularly gruesome ingredient in them.
The location of this horror movie was filmed at the Shek Kip Mei Estate, which has since been demolished. However, it was replaced with the Mei Ho House Youth Hostel. While there is no longer much filming significance remaining in the area, it is not everyday that you get to sleep in place where a horror movie filmed.
4 Ping Shan, Hong Kong
This location is mostly known for the Tat Tak School. This is what the film The Haunted School is based on. In the film, an all-girls school’s past is filled with strange and dark occurrences, and suspected of being haunted. The film is started with a group of boys being integrated with the school, and discovering some of these hauntings.
The real story behind the Tat Tak School is that is an abandoned school with a large graveyard around it. There have been incidents of suicide there, as well as people reporting sightings of ghosts wandering around.
3 Changi Beach, Singapore
While not having any affiliation with a movie, this spooky area is still worth looking into if you just like creepy stuff. The beach may seem like a nice place now, but the history behind it is pretty grim. During WWII, this was a Japanese execution sight where anti-Japanese prisoners were sent to die.
People have supposedly heard wailings coming from the beach, as well as ghosts with no heads walking around at night. Regardless, of whether or not any of it is true, the real history behind this area is truly terrifying.
2 Semarang, Indonesia
Lawang Sewu, meaning “Thousand Door,” is a famous location within Indonesia. The building was built by the Dutch East Indie Railway Company, but now serves as a tourist attraction within the country. The hauntings within the area are supposedly from a Dutchwoman who killed herself within the establishment.
The location inspired the Indonesian horror film Lawang Sewu: Dendam Kuntilanak. The plot involves a group of young adults entering the building after a night of partying. They are then terrorized by the Kuntilanak, which is a ghostly pregnant woman.
1 Har Par Villa, Singapore
This is another location not based on a film location, yet is still exquisitely worth checking out if you want to be creeped. The Har Par Villa is theme park full of intricate statues depicting famous scenes from Chinese mythology.
The terrifying part of this attraction is the 10 Courts of Hell, which is a section that leads you into a tunnel depicting what will happen to those that commit certain sins. There are depictions of life-like statues getting thrown in lava and getting their organs pulled out. At night, the statues supposedly come to life and apparently a guard once heard screaming coming from the tunnel.