Haunted locations in cinemas such as mansions, castles, and even automobiles have spooked people out for years. But one of the most spooky is probably closed down or abandoned asylums. Such films as GRAVE ENCOUNTERS and SESSION 9 are just some of the more popular. In 2018, South Korea entered the fray. The horror film, GONJIAM: HAUNTED ASYLUM, based on what CNN calls one of the seven scariest places in the world, was released.

YouTuber and paranormal investigator Ha-Joon puts together a group of five Koreans and one American to participate in a ghost hunt. Their target is Gonjiam Psychiatric Hospital, an abandoned medical facility where reports state the final director murdered the remaining patients. Entering illegally the six investigators do a walk around while Ha-Joon sets up just outside his HQ. As they broadcast live, more and more strange things occur which may be more than television trickery.

Director Bum-shik Jung’s film was a huge box office success in South Korea, beating out the Hollywood film READY PLAYER ONE and earning over $10 million USD in four days. It had the largest opening of any Korean film in the month of March. Critically acclaimed, many have stated it is one of the better movies in the found footage subgenre. Dark Discussions takes a look at this interesting film.