Korea’s Highest-Grossing Monster Horror from Parasite Director Is Your Must-See on Hulu

Probably everyone has heard of Bong Joon-ho, from those who follow the Oscar races to those who have the Internet in general. But the director started his creative journey a long time ago.

Metacritic even included him in the list of 30 directors who never made bad movies. This happened back in 2018, a year before the stunning and, for many, unexpected success of Parasite.

Almost 20 years ago, the director's fourth full-length work set a record – at the time of its release, it became the highest-grossing South Korean film in history.

What is The Host About?

The Host, released in 2006, begins with genetic scientists in a closed lab developing new types of weapons. Due to improper disposal of formaldehyde, some of the substance ends up in the river through the pipeline.

The townspeople don’t know about the future catastrophe and walk along the riverbank. A peaceful landscape turns into a bloody massacre when a horrible monster emerges from the water and begins destroying everything around it and devouring people.

When a giant mutant takes the girl Hyun-seo into its sewer lair, her numerous relatives, led by her father, set out to rescue the teenager, despite the authorities who prevent them from doing so.

The Host is a Clever Mix of Different Genres

The director of Parasite and Memories of Murder mocks Western standards of monster movies in the very first minutes. The ironic horror exposes the corruption of authorities and shows the defenselessness of an ordinary man in the face of a global threat. The movie cleverly alternates between funny and scary scenes, so it can be difficult to adapt, but the combination of incompatible genres is the main charm of Korean cinema.

This creepy movie about an underwater monster contains not only horror solutions, but also a sci-fi component translated into environmental language: never pour formaldehyde down the drain, otherwise expect something terrible to be born in the river.

The Host is a Spectacular Action with Social Subtext

With a very modest budget, Bong Joon-ho created a full-fledged blockbuster with inventive action, detailed characters, and political subtext.

The monster in the movie may not be as big as the ones that usually destroy American cities, but he has helpers: irresponsible scientists who do not care about what is happening around them, and a bureaucracy that is incapable of solving even the smallest problem.

Where to Stream The Host?

The Host is available to watch on Hulu and Prime Video.