Unbelievable stories from Vietnamese cinemas.

There was a period when Vietnamese horror films were ignored and met with disappointment at the box office. But that scenario hasn't happened in the last six months.

Has the director gotten tired of Vietnamese horror films yet? The answer is "no".

Have Vietnamese audiences grown tired of domestic horror films yet? The answer is similar to the one above.

In just the first half of 2026, a flurry of horror films from Vietnamese directors and producers were released. In some months, more than two films of this genre were released simultaneously.

Notably, the box office performance of Vietnamese horror films remains impressive. Among them, Do Quoc Trung's "Phi Phong" grossed over 200 billion VND, making it the highest-grossing horror film of all time in Vietnamese cinema.

Besides that, films like "The Five-Toed Pig ," "The Corpse Possessed 2," and most recently "The Ghost in the House "... also performed well at the box office.

There was a period (late 2024 to mid-2025) when observers believed that Vietnamese audiences were ignoring Vietnamese horror films. However, recent box office figures are proving otherwise.

According to experts, horror films are still thriving in Vietnamese theaters and have a loyal and stable fan base. The genre is flourishing because successful films have stopped selling generic fears and begun exploring fears deeply rooted in Vietnamese culture, while still ensuring aesthetic appeal and mass entertainment value.

The craze for Vietnamese horror films

As of the morning of June 12th, "Ma Xó" (The Ghost) - a horror film from Phan Bá Hỷ - continues to rake in money at the box office. According to Box Office Vietnam statistics, the film has recorded over 90 billion VND with high occupancy rates and ticket sales.

In recent days, Phan Bá Hỷ's debut project, featuring a cast including Lê Khánh, Tín Nguyễn, Hạnh Thúy, Sỹ Hậu, and others, has created a small sensation, amidst a Vietnamese cinema landscape dominated by foreign films.

"Ma Xó" has topped the box office charts for several days and is predicted to soon propel Phan Bá Hỷ into the 100 billion VND director club in the next few days.

Do Quoc Trung's horror film "Phi Phong" grossed over 200 billion VND .

Previously, three other Vietnamese horror films also achieved incredible box office revenues, including Phi Phong (Do Quoc Trung) - over 200 billion VND ; The Corpse Possessed 2 (Nguyen Thanh Nam) - 134 billion VND ; and The Five-Toed Pig (Luu Thanh Luan) - 124 billion VND .

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Explaining why this genre continues to thrive at the Vietnamese box office, Master Nguyen Trong Khoa, Head of the Digital Film Production Department at RMIT University, believes that horror remains one of the few genres capable of creating a sense of urgency to draw audiences to theaters.

"We don't want to watch a horror movie alone on our phones if word-of-mouth suggests it's scary, relatable to local culture, or contains controversial social issues. This genre needs to be experienced in a group in a dark space, where a scream can trigger a chain reaction of fear, with people unconsciously closing their eyes and huddling together. This is especially important in the context of theaters needing films that can turn online discussions and debates into box office revenue from the very first days of release, thereby creating a 'must-see' word-of-mouth effect," Master Nguyen Trong Khoa told Tri Thuc - Znews .

According to experts, from an academic perspective, Vietnamese horror films are succeeding because their stories are built upon folk beliefs, regional landscapes, family responsibilities, funeral rituals, greed, karma, shame, debt, pregnancy, inheritance, and social inequality.

The five-toed pig (by Lưu Thành Luân) is a box office success in the domestic market.

Therefore, the feeling of "boredom" in 2025 is real, but it's not a general weariness with horror films. Audiences are tired of superficially made films: repetitive ghosts, thin scripts, jump scares lacking emotional logic, and works that treat folklore as mere decoration rather than a world for the audience to immerse themselves in.

"Vietnamese horror films won't make a comeback because audiences will suddenly forget their initial aversion to the genre in 2025. The genre is thriving because successful films have stopped selling generic fear and started exploring fears deeply rooted in Vietnamese culture, while still ensuring aesthetic appeal and mass entertainment value. The most successful films don't say, 'Come see a ghost.' They say, 'Come see a fear you've heard about since childhood, now recreated as a community cinematic experience,'" he stated.

The formula for a hundred-billion-dollar horror movie.

Besides the multi-billion dollar horror projects listed at the beginning of this article, the number of projects pursuing this genre has remained very large over the past six months. Furthermore, from now until the end of the year, the list of horror films shows no sign of cooling down.

The continued pursuit of the horror genre by Vietnamese filmmakers is seen as a commercially sound choice. In the domestic film market, compared to other genres, horror films can be produced with low or medium budgets, do not necessarily require expensive large-scale scenes, and have the potential to develop into multi-part franchises.

This has been proven not only in Vietnam but worldwide. The film It (2017) grossed approximately $704 million , It: Chapter Two (2019) reached approximately $473 million , while The Nun (2018) brought in approximately $365 million .

According to experts, Vietnamese horror filmmakers should focus on the script and tone down the jump scares.

For filmmakers, horror is also a way to incorporate serious themes into a form of mass entertainment, such as class pressure, gender violence, debt, superstition, family trauma, or the price of greed. Examples include Get Out (2017) – a prime example of "social horror" – or Hereditary (2018) – a haunting story of family trauma passed down from generation to generation – or Midsommar (2019) – a psychological horror film that creates unease despite largely taking place in broad daylight during a Swedish summer festival.

According to Master's degree holder Nguyen Trong Khoa, the formula for a successful Vietnamese horror film typically includes five elements: familiar legends or folk beliefs; emotional family conflict or a clear moral issue; visually compelling and convincing regional settings; restrained and purposeful jump scares instead of overusing them; and finally, compelling media coverage to attract attention on TikTok, YouTube, in-store tours, and especially word-of-mouth "must-see" effect.

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The lesson for filmmakers isn't to "make fewer horror movies," but rather to "make fewer clichéd horror movies." A ghost story still needs clear character motivations, a logical narrative pace, effective sound design, a compelling atmosphere, and a reason strong enough to keep the audience interested after the initial scare.

Filmmakers need to be more selective about scripts, test them with audiences earlier, avoid rushing into crowded release periods, stop relying on scandals or famous actors as the main draw, and invest more in consistency in tone and logical, satisfying endings. Horror fans may accept modest budgets or less-than-perfect visuals, but they will find it hard to accept boredom, confusion, or unconvincing plot points that prevent them from setting aside their skepticism and immersing themselves in the story.

Master's degree holder Nguyen Trong Khoa added that although Phi Phong achieved revenue of over 200 billion VND , and most recently Ma Xo earned over 90 billion VND just a few days after its release, these are only isolated "hits".

To be on par with Thai horror films, the Vietnamese film industry needs to invest more heavily in programs developing screenwriting for the genre, researching folklore, providing in-depth training in sound and visual effects (VFX), building strategies for participation in international film festivals, promoting co-production projects in the region, improving subtitle quality, and developing strategies for selling film rights early on. Equally important are the discipline and long-term vision of the producers.

The long-term goal for Vietnamese horror films should be clear: to be culturally rich enough to be irreplaceable, but also emotionally universal and conceptually innovative enough to win over international audiences.

Source: https://znews.vn/chuyen-kho-tin-o-rap-viet-post1659053.html