Gonjiam: Haunted Asylum
A found footage horror film based on a real haunted asylum.
**Gonjiam: Haunted Asylum** (Korean: 곤지암) is a 2018 South Korean found footage supernatural horror film directed by Jung Bum-shik, who co-wrote it with Park Sang-min. The story is inspired by a real psychiatric hospital of the same name. The cast includes Wi Ha-joon, Park Ji-hyun, Oh Ah-yeon, Moon Ye-won, Park Sung-hoon, Yoo Je-yoon, and Lee Seung-wook, playing a horror web series crew that visits an abandoned asylum to livestream their exploration for attention and higher ratings.
Released on 28 March 2018, the film was both a critical and commercial hit. It earned approximately $19.5 million (around 21 billion KRW) against a $2.2 million budget, becoming the third highest-grossing horror film in South Korea, behind *A Tale of Two Sisters* (2003) and *Phone* (2002). It later screened at the 20th Udine Far East Film Festival. Critics praised it as one of the best in its genre, with some saying it "mastered" found footage horror.
**Plot**
Two boys livestream their exploration of the abandoned Gonjiam Psychiatric Hospital, where rumor says the director—who loved playing ping-pong—murdered all patients before vanishing. They try to open Room 402, the intensive care unit, which no one has ever unlocked. After hearing a ping-pong ball bounce, their stream cuts off, showing only a quick glimpse of a ghostly face.
News of their disappearance leads Ha-joon, owner of the YouTube channel "Horror Times," to investigate. He recruits six people—three women (Ah-yeon, Charlotte, Ji-hyun) and three men (Sung-hoon, Seung-wook, Je-yoon)—for a live-streamed exploration. The six enter the building while Ha-joon stays at a nearby base camp to manage the broadcast.
To make the stream more exciting, Ha-joon, Sung-hoon, and Seung-wook have set up fake scares for the explorers and viewers. Inside, the group makes a few staged "discoveries" to build tension. Outside, the camp's propane burners ignite on their own. Ha-joon’s equipment fails, briefly cutting his connection to the group.
Je-yoon and Ah-yeon try to open Room 402 while the others explore the common room, where they find closets with holes. When Ji-hyun puts her arm inside one, it gets pulled and scratched. Frightened, she and Charlotte leave the asylum.
Meanwhile, Ha-joon watches footage of all six participants together and feels uneasy, unsure who filmed it.
Quick Facts
- Director
- Jung Bum-shik
- Producer
- Kim Won-kuk
- Writer
- Jung Bum-shik / Park Sang-min
- Starring
- Wi Ha-joon / Park Ji-hyun / Oh Ah-yeon / Moon Ye-won / Park Sung-hoon / Yoo Je-yoon / Lee Seung-wook / Park Ji-a
- Cinematography
- Yoon Byung-ho
- Studio
- Hive Mediacorp
- Distributor
- Showbox
- Released
- 28 March 2018
- Runtime
- 91 minutes
- Country
- South Korea
- Language
- Korean
- Budget
- $2.2 million
Facts from the source article.
Lore & Background
The film follows a horror web series crew who livestream their exploration of the abandoned Gonjiam Psychiatric Hospital, where rumor states that the director murdered all patients before disappearing. The crew, led by Ha-joon (Wi Ha-joon), stages fake scares to boost viewership, but real paranormal events soon unfold. Characters are possessed, trapped, and killed, with the ghost of the director ultimately strangling Ha-joon. The livestream ends abruptly, and viewers mock it, unaware of the supernatural events.
Reader's Guide
Gonjiam: Haunted Asylum is regarded as one of the best of its genre, with some critics claiming it 'mastered' found footage horror. It was a critical and commercial success, becoming the third most-watched horror film in South Korea. The film was later screened at the 20th Udine Far East Film Festival and remade in Indonesia as 402 Haunted Korean Hospital (2026). Its significance lies in its effective use of found footage techniques and its basis on a real, purportedly haunted location. The film's production faced a lawsuit from the hospital's owner, who sought to block its release, but a Seoul court ruled in favor of the film. The building was demolished two months after the film's release.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is Gonjiam: Haunted Asylum?
It is a 2018 South Korean found-footage supernatural horror film directed by Jung Bum-shik. The story follows a small web-series crew who livestream their exploration of an abandoned psychiatric hospital to chase views and attention. The asylum is based on a real facility of the same name in Korea.
Who directed Gonjiam: Haunted Asylum and who is in the cast?
Jung Bum-shik directed the film and co-wrote the screenplay with Park Sang-min. The cast includes Wi Ha-joon, Park Ji-hyun, Oh Ah-yeon, Moon Ye-won, Park Sung-hoon, Yoo Je-yoon, and Lee Seung-wook as the members of the streaming crew.
What is the plot of Gonjiam: Haunted Asylum?
A group of aspiring content creators enter the derelict Gonjiam asylum to film a live broadcast, hoping to boost their channel's subscriber count. As they move deeper into the building, supernatural events escalate and the crew is gradually consumed by the asylum's malevolent presence. The entire narrative is presented through the crew's own camera footage.
How did Gonjiam: Haunted Asylum perform at the box office?
Released on 28 March 2018 on a modest budget of roughly $2.2 million, the film went on to gross approximately $19.5 million worldwide (around 21 billion KRW). It was widely regarded as both a critical and commercial hit for Korean horror.
Why is Gonjiam: Haunted Asylum considered significant in Korean cinema?
The film proved that a low-budget found-footage project could outperform far larger studio releases, becoming a cultural touchstone in Korean horror. Its premise of a web-series crew livestreaming in a genuinely haunted location resonated strongly with younger audiences and sparked widespread online discussion.
More in South Korean horror films 1-24
Spotted an error? Know more?
Reader corrections go straight into our review queue. Suggest an edit · How this site is sourced