On January 28, 2022, Netflix’s newest Korean zombie drama was released. Many were thrilled to experience what this Korean drama had in store for them, especially after the worldwide hit Squid Game. Netflix has had its successes with its Korean zombie dramas, with movies and shows such as Kingdom, Sweet Home, or a timeless classic, Train to Busan. Due to the great success of these movies and shows, many fans had high expectations for All of Us Are Dead. The primary characteristic that seemed to separate this show from the rest is that it revolves around a high school and its students. 

The show opens with a hectic setting, where the students and teachers of Hyosan High School succumb to a widespread plague that turns them into brutal and violent creatures. It begins with a cliche opening, where a lab experiment on a mouse goes wrong, ultimately resulting in the start of a deadly virus that turns people into zombies. This show also begins with different groups of students that seem to know what to do in situations such as this and the cowardly students who are willing to use their friends as bait in hopes of survival. Overall, despite being a fairly cliche zombie show, it managed to pull off the basics in this genre, such as proper introductions and hectic scenes. The show captures chaos better than other zombie shows due to its unique and dynamic camera angles.

This show also stands out in creating the relationships between the other characters. The characters within the show are all connected, and there are many flashbacks of their past interactions. The significant focus on the relationship between the characters is a nice deviation from the usual zombie shows that typically show strangers forced to interact with one another due to the sudden outbreak. The main characters within the show are mainly students, which creates some areas of relatability as we can understand how some of the characters feel when interacting with their peers.

As with any popular Korean show on Netflix, the acting does not disappoint. The cast accurately portrays high-school students with limited exaggeration of the characters’ personalities. When turned into a zombie, the makeup presents them as ruthless and miserable but isn’t exaggerated to remove any normal “living” characteristics.

While this show surpasses the usual zombie storyline, it does not completely deviate from the stereotypes. There are many parts of the show that are predictable and are uninteresting to watch. The show can even seem to drag out at times; however, the interactions between characters moves the plot forward. Despite the cons of the show, it should be on every zombie fan’s list due to the unique focus on character relationships.