Urban Myths is a 2022 Korean horror anthology made up of ten short urban legend stories, and it plays almost like a haunted playlist. I had the nagging feeling that I had seen it before, but the film’s half-familiar quality actually works in its favor. These are stories built around tunnels, apartment noise, cursed furniture, dental horror, mirrors, mannequins, job desperation, and escape rooms — the kind of fears that feel passed around rather than newly invented.
The film is uneven, but that comes with the format. Some segments are too quick and too obvious, while others have strong enough ideas to deserve more breathing room. “Tooth Worms” is memorably gross, “Necromancy” has a sad emotional core, “Ghost Marriage” turns job hunting into corporate occult horror, and “A Mannequin” makes good use of the uncanny. The visuals are often stronger than the writing, which makes sense given director Hong Won-ki’s music video background.
It did not scare me much, but I enjoyed its compact, modern ghost-story structure. A decent, slightly disposable, but still worthwhile Korean horror anthology.
Reviews
Urban Myths
Dario Tibay reviewed
Urban Myths
June 5, 2026Urban Myths is a 2022 Korean horror anthology made up of ten short urban legend stories, and it plays almost like a haunted playlist. I had the nagging feeling that I had seen it before, but the film’s half-familiar quality actually works in its favor. These are stories built around tunnels, apartment noise, cursed furniture, dental horror, mirrors, mannequins, job desperation, and escape rooms — the kind of fears that feel passed around rather than newly invented.
The film is uneven, but that comes with the format. Some segments are too quick and too obvious, while others have strong enough ideas to deserve more breathing room. “Tooth Worms” is memorably gross, “Necromancy” has a sad emotional core, “Ghost Marriage” turns job hunting into corporate occult horror, and “A Mannequin” makes good use of the uncanny. The visuals are often stronger than the writing, which makes sense given director Hong Won-ki’s music video background.
It did not scare me much, but I enjoyed its compact, modern ghost-story structure. A decent, slightly disposable, but still worthwhile Korean horror anthology.
