HOST 11 (2) pp. 221–242 Intellect Limited 2020 Horror Studies Volume 11 Number 2 www.intellectbooks.com 221 © 2020 Intellect Ltd Article. English language. https://doi.org/10.1386/host_00020_1 Received 7 February 2020; Accepted 12 June 2020 DAVID SCOTT DIFFRIENT Colorado State University Some ‘R’ points: Repression, repulsion, revelation and redemption in South Korean horror films ABSTRACT This article examines some of the formal properties, stylistic motifs and thematic preoccupations of classic and contemporary South Korean horror films. As a genre that has enormous box-office appeal and crossover potential for western audiences, horror might seem to be little more than a commercial platform for young film- makers to exploit popular tastes and cash in on derivative stories offering scant insight into the social conditions faced by modern-day Koreans. However, even the most cliché-ridden, shock-filled slasher films and ghost tales reveal the often- contradictory cultural attitudes of a populace that, over the past three generations, has weathered literally divisive transformations at the national and ideological levels. As such, the genre deserves scrutiny as a repository of previously pent- up, suddenly unleashed libidinal energies, consumerist desires and historical trau- mas, as well as a barometer of public opinion about such issues as class warfare, gender inequality and sexual identity. Specifically, I explore some of the most sali- ent features of Korean horror cinema, including filmmakers’ tendency to adopt narrative analepsis – typically rendered as flashbacks – in the course of plotting out scenarios that, though far-fetched, are rooted in unsettled (and unsettling) KEYWORDS female ghosts flashbacks history oppression repression South Korean horror film