Strangers From Hell: Season 1 – Netflix Review

STRANGERS FROM HELL is a new Netflix series from South Korea. It’s based on a webtoon (org. title Taineun Jiokida) and also known as Hell Is Other People. The official genres for the series are horror, mystery, and romance. Read our Strangers from Hell season 1 review here!

Strangers from Hell is a new Netflix horror series. Actually, the official genres also include mystery and romance, but this is first and foremost a horror production. You’ll know this from watching episode 1.

The new Netflix series is based on a webtoon and was first known under the English title Hell Is Other People. This alone sounds like a good premise for a horror movie. After all, whether we’re dealing with zombies or some other apocalypse, the real danger in horror movies is usually other people.

The series is from South Korea (org. title Taineun Jiokida) which is always a good thing in our book. Production quality and character development are always prevalent in Korean productions. This is always a very good starting point!

Continue reading our Strangers from Hell season 1 review below.

Yet another good series from South Korea

In general, I love Korean movies while series from South Korea aren’t always my cup of tea. Well, except for (of course!) the zombie period piece Kingdom and the very recent Extracurricular.

You might like: Our review of the Netflix series Extracurricular here >

And now, also this one! Yes, Strangers from Hell does actually have a lot going for it and I am definitely here for it.

Also, I should say that there are more decent series from South Korea that just didn’t really rock my world. I did really enjoy the concept of The Tunnel but with so many series coming out every week, it wasn’t really a priority for me. I think Strangers from Hell probably will be.

Blurred things on Strangers from Hell on Netflix

I was a bit surprised that some things are blurred on Strangers from Hell on Netflix. It’s probably due to this series having been aired on Korean television first. And yes, we have seen this on other South Korean productions, but still, I expected them to unblur these things for the Netflix version.

Maybe we will get a version later, where the blurred items can be seen.

Still, the creepiness of this series is just spot on anyway. Everything is kind of dirty and just weird. And yes, this goes even though we seem to be getting a somewhat censored version, where knives are blurred as well as other unsavory objects (such as things related to death).

The cast of Strangers from Hell

First, I have to mention Lee Jeong-eun, who plays the landlady at the creepy boardinghouse. She is very pleasant (or appears to be at first, anyway) and seemed familiar immediately. That’s probably because Lee Jeong-eun was in Parasite (she was the original housekeeper). Also, she’s been in other brilliant Korean movies such as Okja, The Wailing, and Mother (2009).

You might like: Our review of the Netflix movie Okja which is directed by Oscar-winner Bong Joon-ho >

The main character in this new Netflix series is Yoon Jong-woo. He is portrayed by Im Si-wan (or just Siwan). He’s from K-pop fame as a member of the South Korean boyband ZE:A. However, he’s no stranger to acting either. He won awards for his role in The Attorney (2013) where he starred alongside Song Kang-ho from Parasite (2019) and the iconic The Host (2006).

Starring alongside Yoon Jong-woo in Strangers from Hell is Lee Dong-wook. I wasn’t familiar with Lee Dong-wook prior to watching him in this Netflix series, but I certainly hope to see him again. He would be perfect in a horror movie!

Overall, this series is full of creepy characters, so just dive in and enjoy the portrays of these very off-beat strangers.

Watch Strangers from Hell season 1 on Netflix now!

Kim Yong-Ki is the creator of Strangers from Hell (org. title Taineun Jiokida) in the sense that he created the webcomic it’s based on. This is also known under the title Hell Is Other People, but Netflix has gone with Strangers from Hell as the official title of the series.

The writer of the series adaption is Jung Yi-do while the episodes are directed by Lee Chang-hee.

I wasn’t familiar with the writer but I am familiar with the director. Lee Chang-hee previously directed the movie The Vanished which is based on the Spanish movie The Body. The movie recently also had a Bollywood adaption which is also out on Netflix (review here).

You might like: Our review of the movie The Vanished directed by the Strangers from Hell series director >

If you like watching stories with some damn creepy characters and nice plot twists, then do check out Stranger from Hell on Netflix now. Season 1 has 10 episodes that each have a runtime of around one hour. By the end of episode 1, you’ll get the first nice twist… just to get you hungry for more of this craziness.

Season 1 of Strangers from Hell is out on Netflix from May 15, 2020.

Details

Director: Lee Chang-Hee
Writers: Kim Yong-Ki, Jung Yi-do
Stars: Si-wan Im, Dong-Wook Lee, Joong-ok Lee, Lee Jeong-eun