Salmokji: Whispering water" (tentative translation: Salmokji: Whispering water) is a new horror film from the Korean screen.
The work was released on April 8th and continuously led in revenue until April 28th, becoming the second longest-running film among films released in 2026 (to date), after the movie "The King's Warden", according to the Korean Film Council.
In addition, the movie "Salmokji: Whispering water" also quickly surpassed the 2 million viewership mark, becoming the first Korean horror film to reach this milestone since "Gonjiam: Haunted Asylum" in 2018.
Salmokji: Whispering water" tells the story of a film crew led by Su In (Kim Hye Yoon) and Ki Tae (Lee Jong Won), who film at the Salmokji reservoir (Yesan, South Chungcheong province, South Korea) to complete an unfinished scene after discovering a mysterious character appearing in the old film. However, when they arrive at the location, they gradually face an inexplicable force, leading to a series of gruesome and tense events.
Korean media commented that the underwater space is gloomy, combined with the sound and rhythm construction, helping the film create a characteristic atmosphere of horror films. Many viewers assess that the work brings a continuous suspense, instead of just relying on simple scary details.
After its release, the movie "Salmokji: Whispering water" quickly caused a fever when viewers shared videos recording fearful reactions in theaters, even posting images showing increased heart rate when watching the movie. In addition, the appeal of the work also attracted a large number of people to the filming location in Yesan, forcing local authorities to apply nighttime travel restrictions to ensure safety.
The media believes that the success of the film shows that the Korean horror film genre is gradually regaining its position after a period of silence. With a budget of about 3 billion won (2.04 million USD), the movie "Salmokji: Whispering water" still achieves high commercial efficiency thanks to its tight script and storytelling focused on the atmosphere. In addition, choosing actors based on acting ability also contributes to increasing the persuasiveness of the story.
With the success of the work, Kim Hye Yoon surpassed Park Ji Hoon and Byeon Woo Seok to rise to the top of the brand reputation chart for actors in April, with 4,522,177 points, an increase of 266.83% compared to the previous month. Currently, the actress is considering returning to the small screen with a project adapted from the novel "The Miracle of the Namiya grocery store".
Previously, Lee Chae Min, Moon Sang Min, Go Ah Sung, Yum Jung Ah, Park Se Wan, Ryu Seung Ryong, Kang You Seok, Jung Chae Yeon, Jang Dong Yoon and Park Hee Soon were invited to participate in the film, further increasing the audience's expectations.
