Lee Do-hyun starred in one of the best horror movies of 2024, and I cannot wait to see which roles he will tackle next following his the horror movie Exhuma.
Between ing roles in Netflix originals and popular broadcast shows where he played the lead, Lee Do-hyun’s K-drama career has been very impressive. The 29-year-old actor broke big with Hotel de Luna in 2019, after which he was cast as the lead in 18 Again in 2020. In that same year, Lee Do-hyun played Eun-hyeok in Sweet Home, which remains one of the most popular Korean shows on the streaming service. After Sweet Home, Exhuma, and even The Glory to a certain extent, Lee Do-hyun is becoming a horror icon.
Lee Do-hyun Needs To Make Another Horror K-Drama After Exhuma
Lee Do-hyun Starred In The Supernatural Horror Exhuma
Having watched Lee Do-hyun in Exhuma, I would love to see him in another supernatural K-drama after Sweet Home. Exhuma tells the story of a family who seeks to find out what is wrong with their son, whose illness seems to be caused by a curse. Lee Do-hyun plays Bong-gil, a shaman apprentice to Hwa-rim (played by Kim Go-eun). Seeing Lee Do-hyun and Kim Go-eun in the same movie would have been enough to make Exhuma worth watching, but the film also delivered on every other aspect. Scary and intense, Exhuma is one of the best horror movies of the year.
Exhuma is available to rent on Apple TV.
With a 93% critic score on Rotten Tomatoes, Exhuma was also a box office hit. It is currently the highest-grossing South Korean movie of 2024 and the sixth-highest-grossing of all time, which isn’t surprising given how good it was. Director and screenwriter Jang Jae-hyun creates an atmosphere of tension that sets the tone for the entire movie. The cast of Exhuma, which also includes names such as Choi Min-sik and Yoo Hae-jin, is one of the best things about the film. Lee Do-hyun gives one of his most interesting performances, especially in the latter half of the movie.
I Love Sweet Home, But I Wanna See Lee Do-hyun In Other Horror Roles
Sweet Home Was More Of An Action Show Than An Horror One
While Lee Do-hyun has already been in a very popular supernatural K-drama, Sweet Home, I would love to see him in other horror-oriented roles. As Eun-hyeok, Lee Do-hyun was one of the leads in season 1 but missed most of seasons 2 and 3. The first season of Sweet Home was a more traditional survivor horror series, with the characters working together to survive the apocalypse. The Song Kang-led K-drama got darker and more inventive in season 2, introducing new characters and concepts not in the source material.
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As great as Sweet Home was, it was often more of an action series than a horror one. For example, in his triumphal season 3 return, Lee Eun-hyeok fought Cha Hyun-su in an intense battle full of visual effects. Hyun-su was a special infectee, whereas Eun-hyeok was a neohuman. The end of Sweet Home season 3 was also very action-packed and saw Eun-hyeok and Hyun-su teaming up against Sang-won’s army of special infectees. Although Sweet Home had some scary scenes, its fantastical aspect made it less frightening than a more traditional horror movie or TV show.
Lee Do-hyun’s Career Has Been Incredibly Diverse
From Romantic K-Dramas To Intense Thrillers
Lee Do-hyun’s performance in Exhuma, his first feature film, is a reminder of how diverse his career has been. Sweet Home was his first Netflix original show and launched his career to new heights, but it was not the last one. In 2022, Lee Do-hyun starred in The Glory, one of Netflix’s best original Korean shows. While The Glory was technically a revenge K-drama with no supernatural elements, it was arguably a horror show as well given how dark and twisted the story was. In addition to his darker roles, Lee Do-hyun has also shined in lighter K-dramas.
Lee Do-hyun's Notable Movies & TV Shows |
Character |
|---|---|
Hotel de Luna |
Go Cheong-myeong |
18 Again |
Hong Dae-young / Go Woo-young |
Sweet Home |
Lee Eun-hyeok |
Youth of May |
Hwang Hee-tae |
The Glory |
Joo Yeo-jeong |
The Good Bad Mother |
Choi Kang-ho |
Exhuma |
Yoon Bong-gil |
In 18 Again, based on 17 Again, he plays the younger version of the main character and is the heart and soul of the show. In Youth of May, Lee Do-hyun and Go Min-si reunited for a very different K-drama from Sweet Home. A period piece, Youth of May was about a love story that came to be during the Gwangju Uprising. In The Good Bad Mother, Lee Do-hyun plays one of his most challenging characters – Kang-ho, who suffers from a brain injury and has to start a new life.
When a renowned shaman (KIM Go-Eun) and her protégé (Lee Do-hyun) are hired by a wealthy, enigmatic family, they begin investigating the cause of a disturbing supernatural illness that affects only the first-born children of each generation. With the help of a knowledgeable mortician (YOO Hai-jin) and the country's most revered geomancer (CHOI Min-sik), they soon trace the affliction's origin to a long-hidden family grave located on sacred ground.
- Writers
- Jang Jae-hyun
- Studio(s)
- Showbox, Pinetown Productions, and MCMC
- Distributor(s)
- Showbox
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