Intrigued by Netflix K-drama 'Aema'? 13 best 1980s Korean erotic films ranked

A scene from "The Hut" / Korea Times file

The new Netflix K-drama series "Aema" takes us back to 1980s Korea, when the film industry, egged on by a government keen for cultural distractions, was gearing up to make "Madame Aema," Korea's first erotic film.

The film ushered in a decade of erotic content, paving the way for classics that are memorable for themes and ideas that go beyond mere titillation.

Below, we rank the 13 best erotic films from 1980s Korean cinema. Alas, "Madame Aema" did not make the cut.

A scene from "The Parrot Cries with Its Body" / Korea Times file

13. 'The Parrot Cries with Its Body' (1981)

Known for his 1960s youth films, Jeong Jin-woo was among the first filmmakers to embrace the erotic trend.

One of his contributions was "The Parrot Cries with Its Body," a film in which two siblings engage in a tawdry tryst in a countryside hut after learning that they are not related.

Curiously, the film boasts that it was filmed on a Todd-AO 70mm film camera in its opening credits, likely a marketing gimmick as the technology never made it to Korea.

12. 'Mulberry 2' (1988)

Though a far cry from its hit predecessor, "Mulberry 2" tends to be unfairly dismissed as a cash-in sequel.

Yes, the film features bawdy humor, generally surrounding village men peeking at a fair village maiden, but with director Lee Doo-yong still behind the camera, the film retains a high degree of technical polish.

It also slyly uses its Japanese colonial era setting to make a commentary about people who idly stand by during periods of oppression, which results in this sex comedy having a thought-provoking and visually arresting conclusion.

11. 'Er Woo-dong' (1985)

"Er Woo-dong" chronicles the life of one of the famous courtesans of the 1392-1910 Joseon Dynasty, a time when stringent social roles afforded women no freedom.

Born to a noble family, Woo-dong shocks the patriarchy with her promiscuity and is soon hounded by a castrated assassin.

Director Lee Jang-ho used soft-core cinema to explore trenchant social themes a year earlier in "Between the Knees," but here his lens is more lascivious.

Its stately period setting and bawdy instincts are sometimes at odds, but the film remains a crowd-pleaser.

10. 'Sa Bang-ji' (1988)

Featuring an early starring role for Lee Hye-young, recently appeared in "The Old Woman with the Knife," "Sa Bang-ji" is the tale of an intersex person who lived during the Joseon Dynasty.

Memorably brought to life by Lee, Bang-ji endures a difficult but surprising life, which includes sleeping with upper-class widows who are banned from starting new relationships.

Though not appropriate by today's standards, "Sa Bang-ji" is a vivid and eye-opening example of LGBTQ cinema in 1980s Korea.

A scene from "The Mist Wispers Like a Woman" (1982) / Korea Times file

9. 'The Mist Whispers Like a Woman' (1982)

The only director on this list still active today, Chung Ji-young — also known as Jeong Ji-yeong — debuted with "The Mist Whispers Like a Woman," an erotic thriller that confidently stages a familiar story.

The film is an unofficial adaptation of writing team Boileau-Narcejac's novel "She Who Was No More," which was also adapted into the classic French noir "Les Diaboliques" — which Chung claims to have never seen — itself previously unofficially adapted as the Korean noir classic "The Devil's Stairway."

The story follows a man who kills his wife while having an affair, only to believe that she has come back to haunt him.

8. 'Mulberry' (1986)

Though it did not generate as many sequels as "Madame Aema," the definitive 1980s erotic classic is undoubtedly Lee Doo-yong's hugely entertaining folk erotic film "Mulberry."

The story concerns a promiscuous young woman who sleeps with men in her village whenever her husband is away. The other women unite to expel her, focusing their hate on a woman pursuing her desires rather than their good-for-nothing husbands.

The film stars Lee Mi-sook, who continues to cast her light on the industry, including in the forthcoming "Tempest."

7. 'Does Cuckoo Cry at Night' (1981)

Jeong Ji-woo's best stab at the erotic genre, "Does Cuckoo Cry at Night" follows a girl who comes to stay with a laborer and his mother in a forest clearing.

It is decided that she will wed the man when she comes of age, but her beauty does not go unnoticed, and soon another man takes a fancy to her.

Focusing on the erosion of innocence and encroaching industrialisation, Jeong enriches a simple erotic tale with ample symbolism.

A scene from "The Surrogate Womb" / Korea Times file

6. 'The Surrogate Womb' (1987)

Even renowned filmmaker Im Kwon-taek could not avoid making an erotic film in the 1980s. Among his contributions is "The Surrogate Womb," also known as "The Surrogate Woman," one of his most celebrated films.

In this Joseon-era tale, late actress Kang Soo-yeon appears as a low-born teenager who is enlisted to be the "surrogate womb" for a wealthier couple. However, her duty turns into an attraction, complicating the arrangement.

Possessing Im's signature blend of rich aesthetics and deep culture, "The Surrogate Womb" is an arthouse film with an erotic sheen. It even earned Kang the best actress award at the Venice International Film Festival in 1987.

5. 'Between the Knees' (1984)

Lee Jang-ho took a knife to modern society with "Between the Knees," the tale of a young woman scarred by her family's past, which colors her interactions with men who are all after the same thing.

Featuring aggressive sexuality and an ever-present male gaze, this is one of the most well-crafted erotic films of the 1980s, part of its allure arising from the paradoxical clash between its eroticism and conservative world-view.

4. 'Village in the Mist' (1983)

Im appears on the list again with the psychosexual nightmare "Village in the Mist."

In it, a new teacher and a drifter arrive in an isolated village where they have to contend with the bizarre behavior of residents who seem to share an unusual bond.

Exploring social and moral hypocrisy through salacious and confrontational imagery, this is another work featuring an approach to sex and violence that might not be tolerated today.

A scene from "Spinning the Tales of Cruelty Towards Women" / Korea Times file

3. 'Spinning the Tales of Cruelty Towards Women' (1984)

Before "Mulberry," Lee Doo-yong explored hypocrisy in society through an erotic period tale in "Spinning the Tales of Cruelty Towards Women."

Won Mi-kyung plays a widow who endures a variety of hardships in this hard-hitting tale that is both grim and gripping.

Though many of these films lament the role of women in society, even while taking advantage of them for sexual thrills, none offer such a brutal social rebuke as this one.

2. 'Woman of Fire '82' (1982)

Kim Ki-young's second remake of his 1960 classic "The Housemaid," "Woman of Fire '82" repositions his original tale, of a professor embarking on an ill-advised relationship with a young woman brought in to help the family, for a new decade under military rule.

Though Kim's budgets had shrunk, his energy and imagination were as strong as ever, helping him craft one of the most bizarre and unique films of the decade.

1. 'The Hut' (1981)

Lee Doo-yong makes it four with "The Hut," a glorious fusion of eroticism and folk horror.

The story follows a young shaman tasked by a family with getting rid of a demon who has claimed the lives of the family's potential male heirs.

Straddling multiple genres, including rape-revenge and body horror, "The Hut" was Lee's hypnotic entry point into the erotic genre.

Read the story at SCMP.