'All of Us Are Dead' delights horror fans across the globe
Published: 03 Feb. 2022, 15:12
Updated: 03 Feb. 2022, 15:14
Zombie horror series "All of Us Are Dead" became Netflix Korea's third original series to top the streaming platform's charts and is receiving rave reviews around the world since launching on Jan. 28.
According to analytics company FlixPatrol, which ranks the most-watched content on numerous streaming platforms including Netflix, "All of Us Are Dead" ranked No. 1 on Netflix's Top TV Shows chart in 54 nations as of Wednesday. FlixPatrol currently compiles data from a total of 83 countries. The series has been the most-watched Netflix series worldwide since Jan. 29.
The day after its release, "All of Us Are Dead" ranked No. 1 as the most-watched content in 25 nations including Korea, Germany, France, Turkey, Brazil, Saudi Arabia — then in 46 countries on Feb. 1 and 54 on Wednesday. It started off at No. 3 in the United States and is currently the second-most-watched content, following American comedy thriller series "The Woman in the House Across the Street from the Girl in the Window" (2022).
On film database website IMDb as of Wednesday, the series is seeing an average rating of 7.7 stars out of 10, as well as a critic's rating of 79 percent and an average audience score of 82 percent on American film and television review website Rotten Tomatoes.
Following "Squid Game" (2021) and "Hellbound" (2021), "All of Us Are Dead" is the third Netflix Korea original series to top the platform's charts worldwide. It is also the second Netflix series to deal with Korean zombies after the hit period drama "Kingdom" (2019-). Nicknamed "K-zombies," Korean zombie shows have become a genre of their own.
"God, South Korea is good at this sort of thing," wrote Britain's The Guardian in a review article on Jan. 28. "This is the third Korean Netflix original in just a few months to blow me away [...] Anyone who has seen 'Train to Busan' will know that South Korea are world beaters when it comes to telling stories about the undead."
The series is being met with favorable reviews from foreign news outlets. "Like 'Squid Game' before it [...] 'All of Us Are Dead' makes the most out of its nightmarish central location to otherworldly, dizzying effect," wrote American entertainment news outlet Variety on Jan. 28.
"Fans have been in a frenzy ever since the trailer for the series premiered," wrote Britain's Daily Mail, which also cited online comments praising the series, such as "South Korea really does do zombies movies/shows the best."
"All of Us Are Dead" is set in a high school in the fictional city of Hyosan, which becomes ground zero of a zombie virus outbreak. While showing the students' struggle to survive using everyday items commonly seen in schools, it is receiving praise for portraying real-life social problems like school violence and bullying. The series overall alludes to the broader theme of violence. Pop culture critic Jeong Deok-hyun called it "a report on not only school, but also Korean society."
"Its dynamic portrayal of zombies and uniquely Korean situations make it a different kind of zombie show, which can satisfy fans of the genre and also presents various other stories apart from ones related to zombies," Jeong said.
YOU SEONG-UN, KIM JEONG-YEON [kjdculture@joongang.co.kr]
with the Korea JoongAng Daily
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