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FRI.| 4-12-24 | ENTERTAINMENT
South Korean horror show is far from dead
MON. | 03-07-22 | ENTERTAINMENT
On Jan. 28, Netflix released a new original show: All of Us Are Dead. This show is about a zombie apocalypse that starts in a high school in Hyosan, South Korea. I wouldn’t say I’m well-versed in Korean television, but between this show and Squid Game, I prefer this.
The show centers around a group of high schoolers who were stuck in class when a zombie outbreak started. Throughout the show the main cast finds different ways to hide and survive the zombies. When someone is infected, they start to bleed from the nose; slowly they lose consciousness and come back as a zombie. This leads to multiple instances of confusion. Before the characters have completely figured out how to tell if someone is infected, the nosebleeds seem normal. They soon learn what they mean. There were also instances where a character had a nose bleed and they weren’t sure whether they had been infected, or if they just had a normal nose bleed. This led to some intense scenes where the main cast doubted each other.
Another part of the show that is interesting is the fact that all the main characters are high school students. Along with having to survive with zombies all around, they are dealing with their own high school drama. Some characters don’t get along and have to try to put that aside for the betterment of the group; some are unable to let go of their feelings. There is also a romance aspect to the show that reminded me that these characters are teens who have to deal with teen problems as well.
Image courtesy of imdb.com
One of my favorite aspects of the show was that it seemed like almost no character was safe. At any given moment, one of your favorite characters could fall victim to the ensuing apocalypse. This keeps the viewer on their toes the whole show. It can be gut wrenching to see a character turn, especially since even the side characters are easy to grow attached to.
The show is also set in an area that is not the norm for most zombie movies. A lot of zombie-related media takes place when the outbreak has already started and is mostly in desolate areas. This takes place at the very start and epicenter of the outbreak. Not to mention it almost completely takes place in a school. It’s rare to see an apocalypse show take place solely in a school setting. To me this is a fresh look at the worn-out zombie apocalypse formula.
All of Us Are Dead looks at many other layers of a growing apocalypse aside from the main cast trying to survive. There is a subplot involving a politician trying to find a way to not only survive but maintain political relevance. There is also a military who is taking control, sometimes implementing drastic measures to try and put a stop to this apocalypse. This makes it kind of confusing who the primary antagonist is at some points. Sometimes it's simply the zombies, sometimes it’s the bully who pursues the main group, and sometimes it’s the military who seems to somewhat disregard individual lives.
If you’re a fan of the zombie genre, I would heavily recommend this show. It can be a little gory, so if that is a concern I would avoid it. However, if that doesn’t faze you this is a must watch. With an interesting story, compelling characters, and a different atmosphere from the normal zombie movie, this movie has something to entice all horror fans. It definitely convinced me to watch more Korean television.
