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Director Pil Gam-sung says he was drawn to the emotional depth of the story, where a zombie daughter is accepted and loved as family. / Courtesy of NEW

Director Pil Gam-sung is riding high on the success of My Daughter is a Zombie, which has surpassed 2 million moviegoers just six days after its release on July 30 — the fastest box office climb of the year in Korea. The film is now being hailed as a potential blockbuster on par with Seoul Spring, the year’s biggest hit.

In an interview held late last month at a café in Seoul’s Samcheong-dong, Pil expressed cautious optimism: “Many people who saw the film in advance had kind words, but it still felt too early to predict a hit.” Still, he couldn’t hide a confident smile — and it seems his instinct (or “Pil,” as his name humorously implies) was spot on.

Based on a popular webtoon of the same name, My Daughter is a Zombie is a genre shift for Pil, who made his feature debut with the thriller Hostage (2021) and helmed the dark drama series A Day of Luck. But the unique blend of family love and zombie comedy struck a personal chord.

“I’d once prepared to debut with a comedy, so I’m not unfamiliar with the genre,” Pil explained. “What captivated me in the webtoon was the idea of not killing a zombie but embracing her as family. That really resonated. I think it’s because I have a teenage daughter myself — she’s in middle school, going through puberty, and has emotional ups and downs. Just like the father character in the film, I realized that acknowledging and accepting her as she is might be the most important thing.”

The film stars Jo Jung-suk as Jung-hwan, the devoted father of a daughter-turned-zombie. Pil had long admired Jo since watching him perform in the early 2000s musical Spring Awakening and had him in mind from the start. “There’s no one in Korea better at delivering sadness with humor,” he said. “He’s like a perfectly tuned instrument — no matter how you play it, the sound is good.”

Alongside Jo, the cast includes Lee Jung-eun, Yoon Kyung-ho, and Cho Yeo-jeong, while 16-year-old Choi Yu-ri wins hearts with her portrayal of the zombie daughter. Even the film’s feline actor, who plays the family cat “Aeyongi,” drew praise — especially one cat named Geumdong, who performed so naturally that it significantly reduced the need for CGI.

While adapting the seven-volume webtoon, Pil focused on preserving the story’s emotional core: the family bond. “Even if everything else was different, I wanted to keep the love between the father and daughter, and between the mother and son,” he said. “We didn’t want cheap laughs or forced tears. It was about capturing the actors’ natural performances.”

The original webtoon’s creator, according to Pil, was especially moved after seeing the final film — even the altered ending. “They were so happy with how it turned out. That gave me peace of mind.”

Pil concluded by crediting the film’s success to its roots: “If audiences are embracing My Daughter is a Zombie, it’s thanks to the power of the original work and the incredible harmony of performances from the cast — both human and animal.”