What to read, watch, and listen to if you lovedThe Wailing
Na Hong-jin · Film · 2016
If you loved The Wailing, start with The Outsider (Richard Price, 2020) — a series on the same thread. Below: 4 books, 4 series and 2 podcasts, each matched to The Wailing across media.
What hooked you in The Wailing was the way a quiet, insular community unravels under the weight of an inexplicable, encroaching supernatural evil.
Books on the same thread
Ring
Kōji Suzuki · Book · 2003
Explores: Technology and Society, Urban Legends, Contagion.
Like The Wailing, this story explores the dread of a spreading contagion and the terrifying realization that an urban legend possesses a tangible, destructive power over human lives.
Something Wicked This Way Comes
Ray Bradbury · Book · 1962
Shares a thread with The Wailing: Good vs Evil.
You will recognize the atmosphere of The Wailing in this tale of two boys confronting a malevolent force that tests their innocence and challenges their understanding of good.
The Haunting of Hill House
Shirley Jackson · Book · 1987
Shares a thread with The Wailing: Supernatural Horror.
This classic mirrors the descent into madness found in The Wailing, focusing on how a secluded, atmospheric setting acts as a catalyst for psychological collapse and supernatural influence.
Mysteries
Knut Hamsun · Book · 2001
Explores: Existentialism, Social alienation, Outsider.
If the arrival of a mysterious stranger in The Wailing unsettled you, this story captures that same tension of an outsider disrupting the fragile dynamics of a small town.
Series on the same thread
Stranger Things
Ross Duffer · Series · 2016
Shares a thread with The Wailing: Supernatural Horror.
This series echoes the central conflict of The Wailing by placing the disappearance of a child at the heart of a mystery involving dark, supernatural forces and conspiracy.
The Outsider
Richard Price · Series · 2020
Shares a thread with The Wailing: Good vs Evil.
This show mirrors the investigative intensity of The Wailing, tracking a cop forced to abandon logical reasoning when an investigation into a gruesome murder takes a supernatural turn.
Twin Peaks
Mark Frost · Series · 1990
Shares a thread with The Wailing: Good vs Evil.
Much like The Wailing, this mystery centers on a small town harboring dark secrets where an investigator is drawn into a surreal, existential struggle against encroaching evil.
Kingdom
Kim Eun-hee · Series · 2019
Explores: Political Intrigue, Plague, Royal Conspiracy.
This series captures the visceral plague-driven panic of The Wailing, blending historical tension with a terrifying, supernatural infection that threatens to consume an entire society from within.
Podcasts on the same thread
MALIKMATA
Podcast
Shares a thread with The Wailing: Supernatural Horror.
These stories lean into the folk horror roots of The Wailing, relying on cultural mythology to ground supernatural encounters in a way that feels intimate and genuinely haunting.
Small Town Murder
James Pietragallo, Jimmie Whisman · Podcast · 2026
Explores: provincial life, tragic irony, forensic breakdown.
If the small-town investigation in The Wailing kept you engaged, this podcast provides a grim look at how provincial life can hide deep tragedy and complex, dark secrets.
Keep exploring
Common questions
Is The Wailing a movie about a mysterious sickness?
Yes, The Wailing is a 2016 film directed by Na Hong-jin that centers on a mysterious sickness spreading through a small village after the arrival of a stranger. The story follows a policeman who must solve the mystery to save his daughter.
What is the primary motivation for the policeman in The Wailing?
In The Wailing, the policeman is drawn into the investigation of a mysterious sickness spreading through his village. His primary motivation is to solve the mystery in order to save his daughter from the consequences of the illness.
Who directed The Wailing?
The Wailing is a 2016 movie directed by Na Hong-jin. The film depicts a policeman attempting to save his daughter by solving a mystery related to a sickness that begins to spread shortly after a stranger arrives in a small village.
Does The Wailing involve a stranger arriving in a village?
Yes, the plot of The Wailing begins when a stranger arrives in a small village. This event is followed by a mysterious sickness spreading throughout the area, which forces a local policeman to investigate the situation to protect his daughter.