What is it with Asians and horror movies? We’ve already seen the impact of the Japanese horror invasion, with the popularity of the original “Ringu” and “Ju-on” — and, of course, the inevitable remakes, “The Ring” and “The Grudge,” for lame-brained American audiences. But while the Japanese may be leading the way, Koreans are quickly making ground. Perhaps the biggest K-horror movie to date has been “A Tale of Two Sisters” (2003), which had a limited U.S. theatrical release and is currently available in the United States on DVD (which means, catch it now before the Olsen twins’ version).

To prepare for the next flood of K-horror flicks, here’s a look at two of Korea’s better-known horror films — “Phone” (2002) and “Memento Mori” (1999). Both are available domestically on DVD as part of Tartan Video’s Asia Extreme series.

DEAD RINGER

Imagine a highly contagious virus transmitted through cellular phones that turns people into disgusting, flesh-eating zombies. The entire population of Seoul would be infected within minutes! Text messages alone would eliminate South Korea’s youth, all slaves to the han-deu-pon. That would be a pretty cool movie. But that’s not “Phone.”

If you’ve seen any J-horror films — or any horror movie, for that matter — then you should know what to expect from “Phone.” There’s a harried-yet-resilient heroine, an eerie house, a freaky little kid, a slew of nightmares and a nebulous plot involving an angry ghost.

“Phone” is about the travails of Ji Won, an investigative journalist who begins receiving harassing phone calls after writing a scandalous exposé article (true to the film’s title, a phone rings in almost every sequence). Ji Won changes her number, but the calls persist until one day, her young niece picks up a call and starts freaking out. Ji Won’s Geraldo senses are piqued, and she starts to uncover the mystery of the cursed phone. Aha! The original owner of Ji Won’s phone number is … DEAD. Uh-oh. The rest of the convoluted story unfolds as we learn why the dead girl is messing with Ji Won and her extended family. Pretty, it ain’t.

Though “Phone” is undoubtedly stupid, it does have unintentional comedic value with some truly ridiculous scenes. It is predictable, it is corny, but it could be fun after a few beers with some friends. In the end, it’s way more silly than scary.

(Funny subtitle note: When a female character says the man of her dreams is “My Sassy Girl” star Cha Tae Hyun, the English translation reads: “Leonardo DiCaprio.” An upgrade, I’d say.)

REMEMBER THE DEAD

The high school alienation theme is by now a cliché in Korean film, but in “Memento Mori,” it’s really done to death. Rimshot! Seriously, though, this isn’t your typical horror movie — it’s more of a creepy, unsettling drama. Set at an all-girls high school, the story begins when Min Ah stumbles across an elaborate diary that is the shared journal of two of her outcast classmates. As Min Ah reads each diary page (inventively crafted together in typical Korean fashion), she unlocks the secrets of the relationship between strange beauty Hyo Shin and stone-faced athlete Shi Eun. They are the type of girls who skip class to muse about death in secret hideaways and on school rooftops. Through the diary and several flashbacks, we learn that Hyo Shin and Shi Eun are pursuing a forbidden love (most of the physical interaction between the two was cut by censors, but it was probably unnecessary in the first place). When Hyo Shin is found dead from an apparent suicide, Min Ah begins to feel a weird connection with Shi Eun, and the whole school is turned upside down … literally, pretty much.