2016 Film Was Just Ranked the 'Greatest Supernatural Thriller' of the Last 25 Years

While not all thrillers have supernatural elements, some of the best ones, especially from the last few years, focus on the paranormal. For instance, Collider recently ranked the "10 greatest supernatural thrillers" released after 2001.

The list, published on April 20, featured spooky thrillers like 2001's The Others, The Babadook from 2014, A Tale of Two Sisters from 2003, 2018's Hereditary, and 2008's Let the Right One In.

The Wailing from 2016 was named the best supernatural thriller since 2001. Collider reported that the film, directed by Na Hong-jin, deserved the list's top spot as its quiet sense of urgency and terror is palpable.

The Wailing holds a score of 99 percent on Rotten Tomatoes.

Na Hong-jin Revealed What Inspired Him to Make 'The Wailing'

In a behind-the-scenes interview, Hong-jin explained why he wrote The Wailing, which focuses on a police officer, Jong-goo (Kwak Do-won), looking into a community's violent, zombie-like transformation.

"I wanted to make a movie that reflects my feelings on the current climate of our society. That was the root of my motivation and what inspired the film," said Hong-jin in the interview.

In addition, the director said he purposefully didn't rush the film's action.

"I wanted to make a movie stylized to unfold slowly and allow the thrills to build on each other slowly, but surely," explained Hong-jin.

Hong-jin also shared that he wanted Do-won to star as Jong-goo after working together on his 2010 film, The Yellow Sea.

"While I was filming The Yellow Sea, I was impressed more by him than any other actor. Kwak is like a gun with perfectly zeroed sights. Whatever you aim it at, it hits the target with no exception," said the director.

In a separate behind-the-scenes interview, Do-won said it wasn't exactly easy to film action sequences as Jong-goo desperately tries to "save [his] daughter."

"It was a really tough role to play. Running around on a mountain, crossing through streams, and facing the cold weather on a cliff," recalled Do-won.

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This story was originally published April 22, 2026 at 3:35 PM.