Seemingly coming out of nowhere, the South Korean drama series Squid Game has grown as an immense success of unprecedented proportions. The show has quickly become one of, if not the biggest, shows to ever hit Netflix. So what exactly is this show about, and why is it scaring up so many early Halloween season views?
Featuring childhood games turned into a deadly competition, Squid Game has kept Netflix viewers on the edge of their seats and begging for more. With a seemingly innocuous initial concept, the show has crossed all manner of cultural barriers and become the binge-watching king of the season. Here’s a closer look at what the show is about and just why it’s managed to become such an unexpected hit.
What Is Squid Game About?
The story of Squid Game involves 456 people who choose to partake in a survival game competition, with the winner being awarded the equivalent of over $35 million. These characters include irresponsible gamblers, defectors from North Korea, a police officer and a foreign worker from Pakistan. The people play games based on classic children’s games such as Red Light, Green Light and other such childhood pastimes, with one notable twist. These are literal challenges of life and death, with the losers not just being eliminated from the competition but being outright killed, sometimes in grisly fashion.
The creator Hwang Dong-hyuk made it known that he was inspired by similar bizarre concepts found in various Japanese anime, and comparisons to Battle Royale and even Gantz can also be made. He used the idea of children’s games to keep things from being too complex, as well as add an extra layer of ironic darkness to all of the carnage. The show’s title is even a reference to a youthful game enjoyed by several South Korean children.
Why Is Squid Game Currently So Popular?
Part of the success behind Squid Game, particularly for global audiences in the West, may simply stem from the season. As many are gearing up for Halloween, viewers are looking for something scary and suspenseful to watch. The fact that the show is something entirely new and not merely a new entry or a rerun of an old slasher franchise makes it all the scarier and fresher for audiences.
Another reason for this success may be the fact that it hides its darkness amid bright and colorful, albeit still highly eerie imagery. Neons and pastels dot several scenes, and this choice of color palette almost makes the copious amounts of blood blend in. It creepily evokes the childhood games that the show is based around, making even the darkness seem bright. Once again, this is a breath of fresh air, especially for Western audiences used to horror and suspense shows such as fellow Netflix series Midnight Mass looking gloomy and macabre.
The idea of a ruling class or some sort of mysterious elite having those far more desperate engage in these deadly antics is, once again, similar to previous hits such as Battle Royale and The Hunger Games. This adds a bit of social commentary to what otherwise seems like a completely absurd show, which only adds to just how watchable it is. There’s also the fact that Korean media, in general, has become incredibly popular throughout the globe, with the rise of K-Pop and K-Drama paving the way for the excitement of Squid Game.
To see Squid Game’s terrors for yourself, check out the series on Netflix now.
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