Five drama recommendations… for well-made serial killer thrillers

by DB Staff

It’s no lie that dramaland loves to inject some life-threatening stakes by way of serial killers. Genre is no great matter, for a serial killer can now be inserted into any story. All jokes aside, dramaland does produce some really top-notch thrillers that are brimming with great writing, great acting, and great evil to overcome. Here are some of our favorite (well-made) dramas with that thriller-killer element.

Signal (2016)

 
Signal ranks high on my list of favorite K-dramas, and it’s my go-to recommendation for anyone looking for a mystery thriller to watch. The acting is terrific, the characters are well-rounded and compelling, and the plot hits my favorite sweet spot between being a bit of a procedural whodunit while also having an engaging overarching story that ties everything together. Said story follows Park Hae-young (Lee Je-hoon), a criminal profiler, and detective Cha Soo-hyung (Kim Hye-soo), who are both assigned to a newly established cold-case division.

But this isn’t your typical drama featuring cops on the hunt for serial killers because there’s an added element of magical realism thrown into the mix — which sounds like an absolute recipe for disaster on paper, I know. Except, Signal executes it perfectly by keeping the magic simple and restricting it to one single plot element: a walkie talkie that that allows Hae-young to communicate with Lee Jae-han (Jo Jin-woong), a detective living in the past and working the cases while the serial killers are still actively hunting their victims. Having the characters work the same cases simultaneously but in two different timelines is a stroke of genius. We aren’t just rooting for our characters to identify the killers, we’re hoping that our heroes will arrest the murderers in time to save lives and alter the future, something that becomes keenly important to our present-day characters who want to save Jae-han from a mysterious end.
–@daebakgrits

The Guest (2018)

 
This isn’t a conventional serial killer pick since the killer is technically incorporeal evil, but same diff. The Guest does the good, old-fashioned possession story well, and it’s probably my favorite horror drama to date. The basic premise is that a demon known as The Guest controls minion demons to possess people, causing the possessed to kill their families and then stab themselves.

While I went in for the horror, which didn’t disappoint, what made this drama memorable were the characters. The central trio of Kim Dong-wook, Kim Jae-wook, and Jung Eun-chae is delightful as the shaman, priest, and cop — respectively — working together to hunt down the evil that wreaked havoc on their lives. I already liked Kim Dong-wook and Kim Jae-wook, so I knew they’d be great individually, but I didn’t expect their terrific chemistry that had me half hoping they’d couple up by the end. I loved watching the uptight priest and the freewheeling shaman bicker and bond over the course of their mission, adding some levity to all the murder and mayhem.

There aren’t that many pure horror dramas, so my interest is always piqued when a drama like The Guest comes around. If you’re like me and enjoy creepy yet fun horror stories with good characters, an engaging plot, and possession-induced murder, buckle in for a good time. –@quirkycase

Nobody Knows (2020)

 
I feel a particular fondness towards Nobody Knows for a few different reasons. It gave me one of my favorite K-drama heroines ever in the tough, reserved, secretly warm-hearted detective Cha Young-jin (Kim Seo-hyung), it helped get me past a pretty big drama slump, and it’s an engaging, intriguing, and heartfelt story that has stuck with me since Episode 1.

The thrills center around Young-yin’s cat-and-mouse chase to catch her childhood best friend’s murderer, and the story also dives deep into said killer’s backstory, which is twisted and steeped in trauma of his own. At Young-jin’s side is an ever-growing team of supporters, including a high school teacher played by the marvelous Ryu Deok-hwan. But the most important and compelling relationship of the show is the familial bond between Young-jin and Eun-ho (Ahn Ji-ho), her teenage neighbor from downstairs. Yes, Nobody Knows is full of darkness, murder, and violence, but what made it memorable for me was the lingering message of hope in the midst of all that. It’s not just a warning of the terrible things that can happen when adults fail the young people in their lives, but also a reminder of the positive difference a person can make by stepping up to be the adult their younger self needed. –@mistyisles

Inspector Koo (2021)

 
From now on, when I say I want to watch a thriller that’s also fun, Inspector Koo is the gold standard. This show is weird, quirky, and unmatched in its love for literal theatrics. After all, why stick to just dark, thrilling, heartfelt, thoughtful, comedic, or dramatic, when you can be all of the above and more? The key, of course, is to fully commit and do all of those things well, and in that department (and many other departments) Inspector Koo delivered above and beyond my expectations. Basically, it’s a wild, and wildly entertaining, ride.

It’s hard to have an engaging serial killer show without, well, an engaging serial killer, and Kim Hye-joon’s “K” is brilliantly captivating, changing in an instant from charming to terrifying to vulnerable and back again. As she and the titular Inspector Koo Kyung-hee (Lee Young-ae) figuratively dance around each other, it gets harder for Kyung-hee to ignore their similarities… and less clear if she really wants to. In addition to these two, there’s also a full cast of colorful, memorable characters, all with secrets and doubts and agendas of their own. And if there were ever a K-drama that left me both completely satisfied with its send-off and hungry for a second season, it’s this one. –@mistyisles

Through the Darkness (2022)

 
I’ve already written odes upon odes to this drama in my weecaps, but no amount of praise could ever encompass the sheer amount of awe and respect I have for this show. It’s not often that a crime thriller chooses to forgo shock value for nuanced and respectful storytelling, which makes Through the Darkness stand out even more for its sensitive portrayals. This drama was utterly compelling because of how understated and contemplative it was; it took the time to linger on its multifaceted characters and their motivations. It never sensationalized the brutality of murder, instead choosing to pay tribute to the people that the media coverage often neglects — the victims and their bereaved families. A lot of care was clearly put into crafting this drama, from its gripping interrogation sequences to the palpable grief in the wake of crime, and the cast’s masterful acting and riveting chemistry only served to elevate the story even further.

Kim Nam-gil is absolutely phenomenal as the criminal profiler Ha-young, portraying his tenacity with a quiet fortitude that belies his deep empathy. His subtle microexpressions brought us through every shift in his emotional state, highlighting the toll that such a demanding profession takes on one’s psyche. Ha-young isn’t perfect by any means — he falters, he wavers, and he almost loses faith. But that’s what makes him so heartbreakingly human, and what makes us root for him all the more.

It may seem odd to call a serial killer thriller hopeful and comforting, but this show reminds us through its deftly-woven social commentary that no matter how bleak the world may seem, we can take that first step and make a difference, however small. Even when faced with the darkest depravity of crime, we can still walk onward with integrity and compassion. Thought-provoking, insightful, and profound, Through the Darkness is a drama that deeply touched my heart and will linger in my memory for years to come. –@solstices

 
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