Hallyuwood delivers teen horror brilliance in "All of us are dead"
Spoilers ahead.
American Hollywood has heavy competition as the rise of South Korean Cinema; particularly in horror, popularized as ‘K-horror’ or ‘Hallyuwood’ is dominating major platforms such as Netflix. Horror has always been a perfect medium to not only instill utter terror, but the genre has revamped its’ possibilities in our modern age.
The genre serves as a new medium to express concern over and address socio-economic, even political concerns, offering thought-provoking themes and questions about our constantly evolving world. Korean horror combines such motifs with character-centered undertones exploring grief, torment, and suffering. And the industry just happens to do so exceptionally well!
All Of Us Are Dead
Netflix’s latest Korean horror series All Of Us Are Dead(2022) showcases themes that align with a twisted version of the philosophical trolley problem on a domestic scale. Instead of a train, it’s an army of powerful mutating zombies, with teenage students battling zombies and fellow students alike for survival.
The local and national governments debate saving survivors while trying to understand the cause and nature of the deadly virus, prioritizing the safety of the nation over a small city of the undead and remaining survivors, leaving the children to fend for themselves!
Although the series pairs similarities to the Japanese manga Highschool of the Dead(2006-2013), with the constant looming threat of the undead in addition to the complexities of being a teenager, the show is based on the crafty webtoon Now At Our School by Joo Donggean. All Of Us Are Dead raises the bar when it comes to introducing body diversity, unique beauty features that go against the grain, humorous and authentic queer characters, and dynamic interpersonal(romantic and platonic) relationships amongst the survivors of Hyosun High School.
Overwhelmed by their governments’ willingness to abandon them amidst being captive to their new zombie invested landscape, survivors: Nam On-jo(Park Ji-hoo), Lee Cheong San(Yoon Chan Young) Lee Su-hyeok(Park Solomon), Yang Dae-Su(Lim Jae-hyuk), Jang Ha-ri(Ha Seung-Ri), Park Mi-jin(Lee Eun-saem), Choi Nam-ra(Cho Yi-Hyun), Seo Hyo-Ryung(Kim Bo-Yun) are tasked with coping in their trauma and grief for all the friends, family, and beloved students and teachers they lost in their peril.
However, it’s not the zombies that present as the true monsters, but the fellow humans who consistently fail these kids! In a new world of blood, guts, and gore, the Hyosun High survivors put their energy into remaining hopeful for their sanity but also in anger at their abandonment. There’s bittersweet relief once the remaining six find asylum in the next smaller city, with Nam-ra left to an unknown fate in the bombed and now abandoned Hyosun area.
More recent K-horror series and films have balanced the drama of its main characters with some snarly CGI and classical special effects; notably in films and series such as Train to Busan(2016) and Kingdom(2019-Present). All of Us Are Dead, colorfully combines the awkwardness and discomfort of teenhood accelerating the teens into adult-level decision-making.
With the humor of characters like Yang Dae-su and the boldness of Su-hyeok, the show delivers on distinct character developments that draw in audiences with love and laughter, or heart-pounding fear grips.
The series is now streaming on Netflix.
