Ever since I devoured my first paranormal romance novel, I have been devoted to this misunderstood genre whether that be through television, film, or literature.
From the moment Casper turned into Devon Sawa (if you’re my age, you should totally get this), Buffy realized Angel was really a vampire, or Liz was saved by an alien named Max, I have been swept up by those swoon-worthy love stories steeped in the strange and supernatural.
Vampires, witches, aliens, ghosts, etc. The otherness of these romances creates wonderful tension and obstacles without all that unnecessary angst. A vampire who longs to be with his human love is another way to tell a star-crossed tale while a ghost who falls in love with a human creates a story with a huge hurdle to overcome.
The themes available to paranormal romances intrigue me because the barriers are so huge: immortality versus mortality, redemption, the meaning of humanity, and so much more.
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So as a devoted fan of paranormal romance and everything supernatural, I was thrilled to enter the world of K-Dramas where there seems an endless sea of fabulous and over the top romantic paranormal romances just ready to be binged.
Here are twelve of the best I’ve seen thus far! These are, of course, just the tip of the iceberg so be sure to share your own recommendations down below.
NOTE: Since this article first aired, Dramafever has since shut down. So, I’ve updated where to watch these dramas.
Paranormal Romance Watchlist: 12 Korean Dramas To Binge
(In No Particular Order)
#1: Master’s Sun
The Show: Master’s Sun is seriously so good and so romantic that I can’t imagine anyone not swooning by the series end. Years after an accident, Tae Gong Shil sees ghosts day and night. There doesn’t seem to be much hope in sight UNTIL she meets Joo Joong Won, a greedy CEO. Whenever she touches him, the ghosts disappear.
So, what is a girl to do but follow the handsome Joo Joong Won around? Humor, love, and mysteries all take shape in this amazing Gothic Romance. Watch it immediately but be prepared to totally fall hard for So-ji sub as the main lead!
Where To Watch: Buy on DVD or Stream on Viki.
#2: Scholar Who Walks the Night
Photo: Dramafever
The Show: Scarlet Heart Ryeo fans take note as our bad boy romantic lead also stars in this historical vampire romance. In order to support her family, Jo Yang Sun dresses as a man selling rare books.
One day, she crosses paths with a mysterious scholar who also just happens to be a vampire. But with the evil vampire Gwi in town, how will these two ever find a happy ending? With several epic romantic moments, I can’t imagine why paranormal romance aficionados wouldn’t stream this one asap…
Where To Watch: Buy on DVD or Stream on Viki or Tubi.
#3: My Love From Another Star
The Show: For those of us who love our paranormal romance with just a dash of alien, look no further than My Love From Another Star.
Epic, is the only way to describe this addictive romance about a beautiful movie star and the immortal alien she falls in love with.
Where To Watch: Buy on DVD or Stream on Viki.
#4: Blade Man (AKA Iron Man)
The Show: Blade Man is Edward Scissorhands meets Snow White and the Seven Dwarves meets Being Human. Seriously. The series follows Hong-Bin, a CEO with an anger problem. And, whenever he gets angry, the blades come out all over his body (hence the Being Human comparison).
Of course, this being a romance, he crosses paths with Se-Dong, a kind woman with problems of her own. And like all Beauty and the Beast tales, her presence calms him. While sometimes the show does drag a little with an extremely annoying ex that pops into the picture, overall, Blade Man is well worth most of your time.
Where To Watch: Buy on DVD or Stream on On Demand Korea.
#5: Black
The Show: Black is my recent addiction. In Black, a cold and ruthless grim reaper in a detective’s body falls for a human woman who can see the shadows of death whenever someone is about to die. Not to mention, she can also see how they die. Perhaps, with Black’s help, she can stop the deaths from actually happening. Too bad he wants to do the exact opposite. Or does he? Together, the two begin to unravel terrible conspiracies connected to sexual assault and corruption.
The plot weaves together marvelously and the romance unfolds slowly but beautifully. The last ten minutes are a little confusing and weak, but aside from that, Black comes close to perfection. Plus, extra points for the leading man. He can do action and romance up there with Alex O’Loughlin in Moonlight. And coming from me (Moonlight is my personal favorite show of all time), that’s quite the comparison…
Where To Watch: Buy on DVD or Stream on Netflix.
#6: Arang and the Magistrate
The Show: Arang is a historical horror romance about a murdered ghost who convinces Lee Joon-Gi (Scarlet Heart Ryeo fans rejoice once again) to get justice and find the murderer. She can’t move on until she finds out how she died. It’s a good thing she finally found someone who can see ghosts. But what happens when they fall in love?
Where To Watch: Buy on DVD or Stream on Viki or Tubi.
#7: Goblin: The Lonely and Great God
Photo: Dramafever
The Show: If you haven’t seen Goblin, rectify this immediately. Aside from an amazing story, the production quality has to be the best I’ve seen in a Korean Drama. Then there is the writing. Goblin is side-splittingly funny (particularly between the Grim Reaper and the Goblin – both stuck living together), romantic, and epic.
The story itself follows an immortal Goblin who can’t die until he finds his bride. But what happens when he finally finds her, falls in love, and no longer wants to die? There’s also a lovely side romance between the Grim Reaper and Sunny, a restaurant owner that may have a connection to his past.
Where To Watch: Buy on DVD.
#8: Legend of the Blue Sea
The Show: Sometimes, paranormal romances don’t have to be steeped in gothic horror. Instead, they can be a sweeping romance about a mermaid who falls in love with a human. Extra points for this also being part period drama with two stories unfolding simultaneously. One in the past and one in the present.
As our mermaid falls in love with a conman, can the two overcome the tragic fate of their past lives and finally get their happy ending? Legend of the Blue Sea entertains from start to finish and is by far the best and most romantic mermaid romance I’ve seen onscreen.
Where To Watch: Buy on DVD or Stream on Viki.
#9: Oh My Ghostess (aka Oh My Ghost)
The Show: Na Bong-sun is extremely shy, unnoticed as an assistant chef, and also just so happens to see ghosts. She has a crush on her handsome chef boss (who is also a jerk) but only gets noticed when she gets possessed by an outgoing ghost. This one is fun, but I wish it spent more time on Na Bong-Sun and less time on our ghost.
Where To Watch: Buy on DVD or Stream on Netflix or Viki.
#10: Blood
The Show: Blood is a vampire romance set in a hospital. The series starts slow, but stay with it! In Blood, Yoo Ri Ta, a young and prideful doctor, crosses paths with Park Ji Sang, a doctor who also happens to be a vampire. He uses his supernatural abilities to save lives, but his taste for blood is difficult to suppress. Enter in the evil (and super entertaining) Lee Jae-Wook and the battle between good and evil begins. This is a vampire series for those of us who love Moonlight and Forever Knight.
Where To Watch: Buy on DVD or Stream on Viki.
#11: Bride of the Water God (AKA Habaek)
The Show: I’ll be honest. Bride of the Water God is probably my least favorite paranormal romance series on this list because it drags. However, I still got sucked into the show. The same might just happen to you. But if you’re a newbie to Korean Dramas, I would probably start with a stronger one with better writing and more interesting characters and return to this one later.
That being said, there’s still a lot to appreciate about Bride of the Water God, especially considering that water gods are not a common paranormal romance choice. Indeed, I would love to see another series that delves more into the interesting mythology.
In this story, a very arrogant and obnoxious god comes to earth. He needs to find a stone in order to claim his throne. But things don’t go as planned and he must turn to a woman whose family has been cursed to serve him for centuries. After a while of his really narcissistic tantrums, the two fall in love! But other gods show up to create all sorts of mischief in the meantime.
Where To Watch: Buy on DVD.
#12: A Korean Odyssey (aka Hwayugi)
The Show: A Korean Odyssey is a new Korean Drama that recently finished airing on Viki. From the Hong Sisters (The Master’s Sun), the series has their signature style of romance and humor. Though it is super creepy. Indeed, it’s probably the creepiest show on the list so I am warning you. If you don’t like evil demon possessions, you might want to move on! But if you can get past the first six episodes, the fright factor tones down and transforms into this really cool dark fairy tale with an evil witch.
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Overall, despite the moments of nightmarish horror, the mythology of this demon falling in love with a human story is amazing. Enter a human child who can see demons, a demon who made a contract with her to always save her, and you have a recipe for success. The series is an incredible and romantic ride from start to finish. There’s even a dragon by the end of the show! I do think this one needs another season though as it sort of ends on a cliffhanger…
Where To Watch: Stream on Viki and Netflix.
Hopefully, these 12 Korean Paranormal Romances will be your perfect entrance into the wonderful world of K-Drama. What paranormal romance will you binge next? Do you have any recommendations of your own?
Top Photo: Blood (KBS)
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The Chinese Drama “The General and I” is really worth watching – very romantic and the couple so devoted to each other, also great story and margial art action. Loved it so so oh so much- very recommended – to watch on Dramafever.
Autumn,
DramaFever is no longer available. It really made me upset. They refunded my remaining subscription money. FYI
Yes, I was very upset when Dramafever closed down.
Vampire Prosecutor (the first season) was a really great supernatural drama, with a really interesting premise. It can get really dark though, and there wasn’t much romance (but some great romantic moments?). I couldn’t get into the second season though, it was too dark and scary!
Hwayugi (a korean odyssey) is literally life
Even tho its creepy and has some scary demon posessions in it, it is so hilarious! After the a person dies someone still lights up the mood so you can’t even be sad!（-＾〇＾-）watch the dram and istg you will not regeet and you will get blessed 😉
But you will still cry tho
CRY OF HAPINESS
Hwayugi (a korean odyssey) is my favorite kdrama only surpassed by Goblin. By the way it also includes a formidable dragon. After watching I read) the 500 year old book Journey to the West as this is like a sequel to it and with that background the story became so much better. Lee Seung-gi portrayed a perfect Monkey King!
The hero who protects her is already very experienced at killing demons and protecting the weak despite his arrogance. However he is not a demon himself. He is the enlightened Buddhist Wugong, the Great Sage Equal to Heaven, and the Monkey King (born in the heart of a volcano) in human form. All of the characters and the special articles like the bracelet, the fan and the fighting rod come from the book.
Im watching the korean odyssy now,its so dope and i saw goblin last month it was s dope,o loved every bit of it…..
Bring it on Ghost was a good k-drama as well. The romance and scare factors matched up pretty good. I watch all of these on Viki on my firesticks
Also if interested, try Lovely Horribly. This was a great romance drama I just finished
Watch about time!!!! Its a fantasy romance drama played by lee sung kyung. I guarantee you will like it!!!!
Watch about time!!!! Its a fantasy romance drama played by lee sung kyung. I guarantee you will like it!!!
Oh yes I finished it and surprisingly it didn’t had a sad ending it was actually kindof a happy end so its ok and I also watched Korean Odyssey it was a very good show but i still haven’t watched the last 2 episodes bcz I know it has a sad ending and Im not planning of watching those episodes ever lol but still i dont regret watching the whole show it had some good characters and a great storyline pity it had to end like it did.
Goblin is literally my life and I’ve been watching My love from the star from a while but I’ve heard it has a sad ending so Idk if i should watch it anymore, tho I’ve been looking for shows like Goblin, it seems through so many reviews that Korean odyssey is the show to go but again people are saying it has a sad ending, im so confused if i should watch the later shows or not
I too have been struggling to find my footing after watching Goblin. Nothing else seems to work for me. The odd thing is that I would not put Goblin as my number 1. But has definitely raised the bar in overall quality and well basically everything making others seem less than.
I am also currently watching My Love From the Star. It didn’t grab me in the beginning, but I’m about 7 episodes in now and starting to feel it a bit. However, it hasn’t kept me up at night unable to stop moving on to the next episode like so many others have. Of course now you have me scared about the ending. I will still see it through. Did you end up finishing it?
Oh yes I finished it and surprisingly it didn’t had a sad ending it was actually kindof a happy end so its ok and I also watched Korean Odyssey it was a very good show but i still haven’t watched the last 2 episodes bcz I know it has a sad ending and Im not planning of watching those episodes ever lol but still i dont regret watching the whole show it had some good characters and a great storyline pity it had to end like it did
All of my faves are there so I am really lookking forward that this would help me in binge watching paranormal k-dramas lol. I want to add “Hotel De Luna” on the list though, it’s really cool.