BRUSSELS (Yonhap) -- A grotesque South Korean thriller about getting revenge on a serial killer has earned the top prize at an international film festival here, the event's organizers said Tuesday.

"I Saw the Devil," directed by Kim Jee-woon, grabbed the Golden Raven at the 29th Brussels International Fantastic Film Festival. Organizers said the South Korean flick beat out 10 other movies in the competition.

The Brussels fest is considered among the world's most prestigious, along with the Sitges Film Festival in Spain and the Fantasporto Film Festival in Portugal.

The thriller is the third South Korean film to receive the honor after "Save the Green Planet!" by Jang Jun-hwan in 2004 and Kim Ki-duk's "The Isle" in 2001.

"I Saw the Devil" follows an intelligence agent seeking revenge on a serial killer who murdered his fiancee. The film almost didn't make it to the big screen, after receiving a restricted rating for its graphic violent content. Several cuts were made before it hit theaters.