Who's In It: Song Kang-ho, Shin Ha-kyun, Kim Ok-bi
The Basics: Sang-hyun is a priest who volunteers to possibly sacrifice himself in a vaccine trial that would eliminate a deadly virus. But whoops! He almost dies and a blood transfusion turns him into a vampire instead. He tries the noble blood-sucking route for a while until Tae-ju comes along. And after she gets a taste for blood it's one long crazy hemoglobin orgy from Old Boy director Park Chan-wook. I'd be all, "Take THAT, Twilight!" but I don't think there's any danger of audience crossover or mass rebellion against the Sparkly Ones anytime soon.
What's the Deal: When Quentin Tarantino watches a Park Chan-wook movie, does he spend the whole viewing time trying and failing to properly kick himself in the face for not thinking of this insanity first? Not that it's a contest. But right now the Korean filmmaker is cranking out some really excellent freakouts that are right in the pocket for both splatter movie nerds and art film snoots. And this one manages to be horrific and smart, perverted, hilarious, sincerely spiritual and oddly mournful all at once.
If You Like This Sex-And-Blood Art-Comedy About The Horrors Of Religion, Domesticity And Skin-Eating Diseases, Then You Should Also Try: French director Claire Denis's Trouble Every Day, about some really attractive and metaphoric sex cannibals. And Old Boy, Park Chan-wook's earlier masterpiece of revenge, superviolence and live octopus eating. Not because it has anything to do with vampires (although there's a lot of blood in that one too), it's just essential weird-movie viewing.
And It Wouldn't Be Bizarre Asian Cinema Without: Ghosts. This time drowned. And kind of horny.