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it could have been so much more.
⚠️ contains heavy, albeit vaguely worded, spoilers for both SFH and Mouse, and minor spoilers for The Bad Kids. ⚠️it seems that everywhere i turn there are more and more plotholes to grab my attention when i am attempting to process all of this like a normal human being. i am failing, miserably, but i will continue to try anyway
i came into this show looking for the Hannibal-esque content, i will admit—i have mutuals that have been recommending this show to me bc they know how whipped i am for Hannigram (despite not having watched anything from the series. am i really gay if i haven't watched Hannibal, tho, can someone answer that question for me), and i was excited to see some of that here. it,,,,,, it fell flat, in a way? i wanted to enjoy this far more than i did but it refused to let me do so and that sucks, tbh
part of the reason, i think, is that Lee Dong Wook is simply not scary. maybe it's bc i've watched 20 episodes of Mouse and therefore have known a glimpse of true terror (despite the fact that it started to go careening downhill in the last 3 to 4 episodes—y'all know that OZ storyline was not necessary to the plot, own it) or maybe it's bc his role as the multi-layered Grim Reaper has embedded itself into my eyelids, idk, but Lee Dong Wook waving knifes and doing what appeared to be an attempt at a creepy smile just did not cut it for me (pun not intended). what he is, tho, is hot, and gay, and slightly unstable, and obsessed with the writer in Room #303. (throat-touching. throat-touching is gay af, ik what i'm talking about bc necks are the most attractive part of a human body after the hands. if you don't agree then fight me bitch) could have possibly f*cked me over/induced a fear of dentists in general by the time all of this was said and done (if it had been executed properly *cough*) but do we give a f*ck? we do not give a f*ck. would we like to be f*cked, tho? no comment
i don't want to say that i'd let Lee Dong Wook pull out my teeth and tie me to a chair for 5 minutes of ASMR reading material,,,,, but that is exactly what i'm saying in a way
on that subject of f*ckery (the act, not the behavior): personal headcanon that Seo Moon Jo and Yoo Ki Hyuk have hate-f*cked at least once pre-canon (bc, yk. apparent Frankenstein kink and all that? idk, it's just the vibes the two of them give off sitting in the back of a detective's vehicle with a needle stuck in someone's neck while the homoeroticism has just started to make itself known here) and both of them could really have cared less about the sex itself. rip Ki Hyuk, for such a hot man you could have had some good sex once in a while if you had held off on the garotting of a public figure for a sec—truly gone too soon ?
but Im Si Wan, tho. i am going to be honest here and say that i knew him from his musical career with ZE:A but once again made the same mistake that i did with Junho and did not bother to check out his acting career. like with Junho, i am now attempting to rectify that bc i refuse to believe that this man filmed this almost immediately after being discharged from the military. i refuse. the casual disassembling of a man's morals contained in the pretty little tooth bracelet he carries around on his wrist that was given to him (with some kind of tenderness!!!) by his toxic ex-boyfriend is not something to be taken lightly and he,,,,,, he didn't. he put his entire soul into this sh*t, f*ck
the other inhabitants of Eden Gosiwon are not to be forgotten, however—Park Jong Hwan and Lee Jung Eun as the Byeon twins and Eom Bok Soon, respectively, stole the show almost as much as Siwan. (we need more women serial killers from the latter, pls and ty) Noh Jong Hyun as Kang Seok Yoon made me cry a bit bc he was soft and precious and made his entrance during the last three to four episodes and did not deserve what he received at the end of that
the OST was good as well! i can't say that it added anything to the show per say but it certainly didn't subtract from it—my personal favorites are Blow Off by Yoari and Strangers by The Rose.
but y'all. y'all. what the last 45 minutes of SFH did to me had me, to put it plainly, f*cking shook. who killed who? who was killing who from the moment this all began? whose voice were we hearing? once we entered the fourth floor,,,,,,, who was the "victim" in the end? is the psychopath dentist with a penchant for f*cking (or otherwise propositioning) his creations still alive or are we are all on a canon acid trip rn
when i sat on that for a few days, however, i realized what it reminded me of, and as it did the weaknesses of SFH became glaringly clear.
The Bad Kids employed a similar ending as SFH, except there was a sense of unease from the beginning with the former. the gaslighting was so subtle that you only realized it in the latter half of the show, and even then you were tempted to think that that's not really what they meant. i didn't really pick up anything that made me necessarily uncomfortable in SFH—even the "human meat" jokes felt typical and very trope-like—and the screenwriter's attempt to gaslight us in the final episode (again, pun not intended) worked for all of 24 hours. after that, it doesn't hold up too well. the mindf*ck in TBK is unparalleled bc of that, and serves as just one of the reasons i consider it to be a masterpiece.
SFH also, imo, could have done with some more backstory. from my research, Moon Jo was a character unique to the television series—he was billed as this serial killer with sinister motives, but we never really got to find out what those motives were. "we're making art. it's not just murder," he said, but where was the art? Mouse played into this aspect as well bc (iirc) Jung Ba Reum used to take pictures of his victim's bodies and had it up on his wall—there was a meticulousity to it that i can't get into at the moment, but it was tangible. he had something that he considered to be worth killing for, and all we got from Moon Jo was a barely utilized tooth collection and no proper explanation behind that sh*t, sksksksk
to make a long story short, it could have been more. and i hate saying that, bc ik how good of an actor LDW is, and ik how much effort Siwan put into this, but it wasn't enough. at its core, the plot was stretched too thin—as an adaptation of a webtoon that (i assume) had far more content, it did very little to convince me to read the source material.
do i regret watching this? no. will i watch it again? that's also a no.
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This drama shows the ugly side of humans, to be exact, not understanding what a man is truly going through. (Judging a book by its covers) so it shows the consequences of it.
Give it a try! It’s awesome!
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unnerving, unsettling and uncomfortable
TW: this show has animal death, attempted sexual assault, and lots of blood/goreI honestly didn’t know what to expect with this show as I hadn’t heard much about it, but it really did exceed my expectations.
Initially I was drawn to this because *Lee Dong Wook* but if I’m honest, Yim Si Wan really did steal the show. His performance was fantastic and he really nailed that slow descent into madness; he managed to convey the real and terrifying aspects of depression, anxiety, paranoia and doubt. That combined with the PTSD of the character’s time in the army was absolutely perfect in the most devastating way.
The supporting cast were extremely unnerving; I’ll be honest, Lee Joong Ok’s performance as Nam Bok (ie. The Pervert in 313) made it very difficult for me to watch. He just oozed creepiness, and I have to give credit to the actor for managing to pull that off. Lee Jung Eun as Mrs. Eom was also a very unsettling performance; sickly sweet but pushy with a very dark side. I admit that the twins (played by Park Jong Hwan) was maybe my least favourite; there’s something uncomfortable about having a mentally disabled character as a villain, especially when the character is abusing animals – it just feels a little stereotyped and unfair. I will say that the characters of the twins were interesting in their differences to one another.
Lee Dong Wook as Moon Jo was mesmerising and terrifying. This was such a different role for me to see him in and he nailed it. He was absolutely fantastic opposite Yim Si Wan; I’ve seen some people argue about Moon Jo’s feelings towards Jong Woo, and I can see most points. However, my interpretation of Lee’s performance was an all consuming obsession with Jong Woo. It was uncomfortable but absolutely fantastic.
Ahn Eun Jin as the young police officer was a great choice; she managed to imbue the feeling of being a rookie but with a good head on her shoulders.
Stangers From Hell is an uncomfortable, unnerving and unsettling watch, and I absolutely loved it.
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Horror that gets under your skin...
STRANGERS FROM HELL (Hell is Other People/ Tainuen Jiokida) based on a webtoon by the same name, was an excellent psychological horror drama, full of dark, gritty weirdness. It many ways it takes you down the rabbit hole, so to speak, delving into dark topics on the basis of human nature. Are we good? Are we evil? Perhaps there's only a fine line in between. Strangers from Hell showcases all that darkness of human nature and exhibits the increasingly troubled mind of our struggling young protagonist as he deals with other people, and their various forms of evil and darknesses.Everything escalates from there. And what we get is such a masterpiece, though one that might be difficult to stomach, as its themes get increasingly darker and darker. Suffice it to say there are many references of murder, torture, cannibalism, and other forms of cruelty that can make most of us a bit squeamish. The slow build up, jarred with occasional but shocking scenes of violence or the macabre, makes the whole experience rather tense.
As a whole, the show completed what it set out to do. Give us viewers a dismal and disturbing glimpse into human nature, as through a mirror darkly. It does so brilliantly. Combine the excellent cast and acting, great original soundtrack, with great story buildup, and elements that mix the mystery, crime, suspense, and horror genres, you get an utterly twisted journey such as this series. It definitely might not be for everyone, especially for the faint of heart. It gets under your skin.
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Truly from HELL!
This k-drama drama has been the shortest I have watched with only 10 episodes. However, it PACKS what longer dramas do not have in 16!It is truly a master piece of horror, very DARK and twisted until the very end: Hollywood would only dream to create such an intricate story that will make you look the other way at times!
The acting is SUPERB, the location creepy as it should be, and the plot masterfully written.
I had never watched a dark k-drama but I am glad I did because it really adds flavor and variety to family dramas and others that are on a more positive note.
I would love to watch another one like this one in the future but it is not something you want to watch every week.
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Fever Dream
This kdrama is veeerrryyy fight club inspired i'd say. I definitely was NOT expecting that plotwist in the end, but thats what makes it all the more interesting i guess. This is also one of those kdramas that leave you with an open ending where you can only guess what happens in the end. I really like how they made us experience sort of a surreal experience along with the main character- And although the fandom loves to joke around how he and his killer alter ego are in love, it honestly does make a lot of sense. Was them being okay with each other in the end, them confessing their love for each other? LOL Im just blabbering around but the characters had more chemistry than the main character and his girlfriend!Was this review helpful to you?
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In just a few hours I did finished the whole drama and It was worth. I have seen all the hype and famous this drama was and today I did give a chance and watched.
And was like... WHAT????? It's so good. (Sometimes I did root for the villain, sorry)
All the cast did a amazing job, even me while watching did a get a little bit scared ☠☠☠
I love they way they did put the OST, in the right moments. Like, when did have a "moment" and they did put the classical music. I loved.
Lee Dong Wook, he acting surprised me so much in a very good way. Never seen him in this type of role and I want to see more.
Jong Woo, I'm a little confused about what did happen in the final in your head my bud, but I starting to get the hole thing.
It's surprising, intriguing and GOOD. Very good. Truly recommend!
BR-RJ (16:55)
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good shit
i‘ve been making this show my personality since i started watching it, it‘s been three months now and i cant seem to get over it. loved every second of it, despite the fact that it was confusing at some points, so i’ll definitely rewatch it again to get all of the connections implied.i‘ve always been afraid of the dentist (which was why my dad told me not to watch it) but now i just think of moonjo doing it and i‘m good to go lmao
also i really love the ost‘s.. even listening to them rn
strangers from hell is definitely (after kinnporsche) my fav kdrama
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hell really is other people
I finished this show 2+weeks ago and i'm still thinking about it and lowkey considering rewatching it. It hit all the notes and even though I know a season two wouldn't make sense, I want more!This was my first foray into Korean thrillers/horrors and boy did I ever pick a doozy. I have had this show on my watchlist on netflix since early 2020, but never took the plunge to watch it and now I am regretting that. It is SO GOOD. Like....really good. I didn't know what to expect going into the show, but it was so so much better than I ever thought it would be.
I could go on and on about the story, the music, and most importantly THE ACTING. The entire cast was so creepy and enthralling. Lee Dongwook and Im Siwan had some crazy chemistry and their scenes were always just on another level of creepy and intrigue.
All in all, I would recommend this to anyone who likes things that are a little messed up and crazy, but with a kickass soundtrack and a very talented group of actors. I will be rewatching this in the near future and losing my mind at it's brilliance, again.
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Eerily Entertaining
This is not for the faint hearted and those who have a weak stomach for gore. I found myself dieting for some reason while watching thru the 10 episodes. I can't seem to swallow food thinking about the carmine scenes you'd always see on most episodes. The insanity and how each actor meticulously portray their characters are superb, you'll hate and get scared of them to the core. I love the soundtrack, it gets stuck in your head making you consciously become aware about possible scary things around you, just like what any successful horror flick does to you when it's really a hit.Was this review helpful to you?
