With Netflix offering us a variety of films, series, and shows produced from around the world, it’s fascinating to encounter prolific stories that showcase a country’s traditions and cultural beliefs. As a huge horror fan, I absolutely enjoy watching supernatural narratives from other nations while learning of the world’s diverse customs and way of life.
Sure, you may have watched The Haunting of Bly Manor and Stranger Things, but there’s still a plethora of choices to explore! Here are my personal picks of foreign short horror series which you can catch on the streaming platform. Some of them may not be dubbed in English but hey! That’s part of the fun and immersing oneself into their world. So sit back, turn off the lights and enjoy!
Country: Egypt
Based on the best-selling Arabic horror book series by Ahmed Khaled Tawfik, the story set in the 1960s Cairo tells of hematologist Dr. Refaat Ismail (Samma Ibrahim), whose scientific beliefs are shaken when he encounters a series of supernatural events. He deals with what the world throws at him armed with deadpan humor and sarcasm.
Every episode’s title is based on a different legend referring to a book with a case-of-the-week format. While having an interesting love triangle subplot between Refaat, Huwaida Abdel Moniem (Aya Samaha), his cousin and arranged fiancée, and Maggie McKillop (Razane Jammal), his old flame while attending graduate school in the UK. And then there’s also the ghostly entity Shiraz obsessed with Refaat, whose mystery he solves in the end. Although the visuals are somewhat horror-generic, the unusual personality of the protagonist makes it a worthwhile watch.
Country: South Korea
If you’re up for some bite-sized horror snacks on urban legends and ghost stories, then Goedam is for you. The word Goedam means “urban ghost story” in Korean, and this anthology of eight short films lasting 5-15 minutes is featured in every episode. With stories about vengeful ghosts, interdimensional travel, black magic, and the classic taxi driver story, this series doesn’t disappoint. The series boasts of SEOLA, Lee Hyun-joo, Song Chae-yun, Han Ga-rim and Shim So-young.
Though it may be similar to some urban legends from neighboring Asian countries, some episodes are even worthy of having a feature film or series based on it. A word of caution though for the squeamish since you’ll see some blood, violence, and gore with unexpected twists.
Country: Mexico, Columbia
As with the American counterpart of the show, it is an anthology of real-life haunting stories with dramatic re-enactments. The five episodes narrated tales of haunted houses and objects, possession, ghosts, and even an encounter with the devil.
The show follows a format wherein each narrator accompanied by his or her family and friends, recounts their chilling experience while interspersed with a recreation of their encounter. The visuals are dark and scary (jump scares are there too!), plus the creepy VFX is on point.
Country: South Africa
The eight (8) episode series is centered on horror author Will Stone (Anthony Oseyemi) who returns to his home to investigate supernatural happenings as inspiration for his new book. Along the way, he is joined by social media star Kelly (Shamilla Miller) and ex-cop Joe (Rea Rangaka) who helps him overcome encounters with paranormal entities. Will is also revisiting the cursed death of his sister and uncovers the truth behind it.
It’s interesting to know about their local legends about witches, restless spirits, dark arts, and otherworldly creatures. It’s also impressive to see the sights of a country I seldom hear of. After all, they filmed Dead Places in 50 locations across South Africa, including Johannesburg, Thabazimbi, the Cradle of Humankind, and Cape Town.
Country: Philippines
This occult animated six-episode series is based on a Filipino comic series of the same name by Budjette Tan and Kajo Baldisimo. The story opens in modern-day Manila, wherein man-eating creatures called Aswangs came slaughtering a trainload of passengers, and Alexandra Trese, a supernatural detective takes on the case only to unravel a bigger conspiracy in the underworld. As a babaylan (female shaman) – mandirigma (warrior), she battles and makes allies from an array of Philippine folkloric creatures such as tikbalangs (shape-shifting man-horses), tiyanak (vampiric creatures in the form of a baby), and ground-dwelling dwarves to mention a few.
The show is dubbed in English which featured a stellar cast of Filipino-Americans such as Dante Basco (Hook), Lou Diamond Phillips, Nicole Scherzinger and Shay Mitchell voicing the titular Trese. It’s also dubbed in Japanese and Tagalog with Liza Soberano as Alexandra. For a country rich in supernatural stories and beings, Trese gives a glimpse of an interesting culture that up to this day still has reverence for them.
ladyveilchen writes 