# Monstrous (괴이)
**Monstrous** (괴이) is a 2022 South Korean occult horror television series in which an occult expert and his archaeologist ex-wife investigate a cursed Buddha statue unearthed in a rural county, a discovery that triggers mass violent hysteria among the residents. The six-episode limited series was co-written by [Yeon Sang-ho](https://www.edgepedia.org/yeon-sang-ho) and Ryoo Yong-jae, directed by Jang Kun-jae, and released with all episodes at once on the Korean streaming platform TVING.[1](https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/k-pop/k-drama/article/3176570/k-drama-review-monstrous-occult-horror-train-busan-and)
| Key fact | Detail |
|---|---|
| Format | Six-episode limited series, all episodes launched at once on TVING in 2022[1](https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/k-pop/k-drama/article/3176570/k-drama-review-monstrous-occult-horror-train-busan-and) |
| Episode length | 34 to 40 minutes per episode[2](https://tubitv.com/series/0300016245/monstrous) |
| Creators | Co-written by Yeon Sang-ho and Ryoo Yong-jae (*My Holo Love*); directed by Jang Kun-jae (*A Midsummer's Fantasia*)[1](https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/k-pop/k-drama/article/3176570/k-drama-review-monstrous-occult-horror-train-busan-and) |
| Premise | A giant Buddha statue carrying a centuries-old curse appears in the rural county of Jinyang-gun and consumes the souls of villagers[2](https://tubitv.com/series/0300016245/monstrous) |
| Lead cast | Koo Kyo-hwan, Shin Hyeon-bin, Kwak Dong-yeon, Nam Da-reum, Kim Ji-yeong, and Park Ho-san[2](https://tubitv.com/series/0300016245/monstrous) |
| Genre labels | Thriller, horror, fantasy, and mystery[2](https://tubitv.com/series/0300016245/monstrous) |
| Audience rating | 5.9/10 on IMDb from 735 user ratings[3](https://www.imdb.com/title/tt19870894/ratings/) |
## Spoilers
### Premise
The story begins in the fictional South Korean county of Jinyang, where local authorities are alerted to the discovery of the head of a Buddha statue with its eyes blindfolded.[4](https://www.nme.com/reviews/tv-reviews/monstrous-review-ancient-curses-and-merciless-violence-make-for-a-lacklustre-watch-3219101) The statue is identified as a Gwibul, a cursed Buddha figure, and its centuries-old curse begins to consume the souls of the county's villagers.[2](https://tubitv.com/series/0300016245/monstrous) Jung Ki-hoon, an occult expert who formerly searched for strange supernatural phenomena as an archaeologist, investigates the case together with his archaeologist ex-wife as the town descends into violent hysteria.[1](https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/k-pop/k-drama/article/3176570/k-drama-review-monstrous-occult-horror-train-busan-and)
The episode structure follows a single escalating crisis. Residents gather at the county office to discuss the anomaly and chaos breaks out; survivors there turn aggressive; Ki-hun fights his way into Jinyang-gun to rescue his wife while the curse works against him; the county office burns; and in the finale the Gwibul enters Ki-hun's own mind and he descends into madness like the others.[2](https://tubitv.com/series/0300016245/monstrous)
## Production and creative context
Although the screenplay was co-written by drama writer Ryoo Yong-jae and the series was directed by the independent filmmaker Jang Kun-jae, the [South China Morning Post](https://www.edgepedia.org/south-china-morning-post)'s review places the show squarely in Yeon Sang-ho's characteristic territory of pulpy occult material, broken characters, and downtrodden humanism, the same sensibility behind his series *Hellbound* and *The Cursed*.[1](https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/k-pop/k-drama/article/3176570/k-drama-review-monstrous-occult-horror-train-busan-and) Yeon, the director of the 2016 apocalypse film *Train to Busan* and the 2021 Netflix dystopian series *Hellbound*, is credited as co-creator alongside Ryu Yong-jae.[5](https://www.koreatimes.co.kr/amp/entertainment/shows-dramas/20220515/interview-monstrous-creator-yeon-sang-ho-gives-his-thoughts-on-divided-reaction)
In a May 2022 interview with the *Korea Times*, Yeon addressed the polarized response to the series, saying that his work had never avoided split reviews, that he tracked the ratio of praise to criticism, and that he reviewed the factors viewers responded positively to and took them into account for his next work.[5](https://www.koreatimes.co.kr/amp/entertainment/shows-dramas/20220515/interview-monstrous-creator-yeon-sang-ho-gives-his-thoughts-on-divided-reaction)
## Release and availability
TVING launched the complete first season as a limited event series, releasing all six episodes at once.[1](https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/k-pop/k-drama/article/3176570/k-drama-review-monstrous-occult-horror-train-busan-and) The series carries a TV-MA rating in the United States, indicating content designed for adults and potentially unsuitable for viewers under 17, and is available with English subtitles on the free streaming service Tubi under CJ ENM's K-content catalog.[2](https://tubitv.com/series/0300016245/monstrous)
## Reception
Critical response was divided. The *South China Morning Post* awarded the series 2.5 out of 5 stars, describing it as bleak and bloody but arguing that it relied too heavily on high-concept thrills while lacking in world-building, story, and characters.[1](https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/k-pop/k-drama/article/3176570/k-drama-review-monstrous-occult-horror-train-busan-and) NME's review called the series a lacklustre watch, noting that the supporting cast, subplots, and mysteries began on a promising note but that the showrunners struggled to flesh out and wrap up the many narratives.[4](https://www.nme.com/reviews/tv-reviews/monstrous-review-ancient-curses-and-merciless-violence-make-for-a-lacklustre-watch-3219101) The writer [Warren Ellis](https://www.edgepedia.org/warren-ellis), reviewing the series on his site, judged it generally well paced, compared its roughly half-hour episode format to the original *Quatermass* television serials, and noted that it occasionally became too twisty and reversal-heavy for its own good.[6](https://warrenellis.ltd/tv/monstrous-the-buddha-in-the-pit/)
Audience ratings on IMDb sit lower than the episode-by-episode scores would suggest: the six episodes rate between 6.6 and 7.2 individually, while the series overall holds 5.9/10 from 735 votes.[3](https://www.imdb.com/title/tt19870894/ratings/)
## References
1. [Pierce Conran (5 May 2022). "K-drama review: Monstrous – occult horror from Train to Busan and Hellbound director is bleak, bloody, but too basic for its own good." South China Morning Post.](https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/k-pop/k-drama/article/3176570/k-drama-review-monstrous-occult-horror-train-busan-and)
2. [Monstrous, Tubi (CJ ENM Selects).](https://tubitv.com/series/0300016245/monstrous)
3. [Monstrous (2022) Ratings, IMDb.](https://www.imdb.com/title/tt19870894/ratings/)
4. [Carmen Chin (5 May 2022). "'Monstrous' review: ancient curses and merciless violence make for a lacklustre watch." NME.](https://www.nme.com/reviews/tv-reviews/monstrous-review-ancient-curses-and-merciless-violence-make-for-a-lacklustre-watch-3219101)
5. [Lee Gyu-lee (15 May 2022). "'Monstrous' creator Yeon Sang-ho gives his thoughts on divided reaction." The Korea Times.](https://www.koreatimes.co.kr/amp/entertainment/shows-dramas/20220515/interview-monstrous-creator-yeon-sang-ho-gives-his-thoughts-on-divided-reaction)
6. [Warren Ellis. "MONSTROUS: The Buddha In The Pit." warrenellis.ltd.](https://warrenellis.ltd/tv/monstrous-the-buddha-in-the-pit/)
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*Topic: Encyclopedia › Arts and culture › Screen and stage › Film and television › Series and fictional screen worlds › International serial drama and telenovelas › East Asian drama series › Korean contemporary drama › Fantasy, supernatural, and science fiction series › Premiered 2010 to 2022*
*Initially written Oct 3, 2026 · Reviewed: Oct 3, 2026; Oct 25, 2026 · Edited: Oct 3, 2026; Oct 25, 2026; Nov 1, 2026 · Last review: Oct 25, 2026*
*Copyright 2026 EdgeChat AI, a subsidiary of Biostate AI.*
License: Edgepedia Community License 1.0, https://www.edgepedia.org/edgepedia/license