10 Horror TV Shows That Had No Right To Be This Good

The show that took over the world in 2021, Squid Game and its astronomical success seemingly arrived out of nowhere. Any seasoned K-drama fan will know that the genre has steadily been gaining international popularity for nearly two decades now, and in more recent years has begun to see pre-produced original series with A-list casts and worldwide advertising coming out of streaming services like Netflix. Even still, no one could have quite predicted the sheer enormity of Squid Game.

Breaking away from the more common slice-of-life and melodramatic rom-com plots that are staples of Korean drama, Squid Game’s high concept focus on a gameshow-esque fatal competition that preys on the victims of South Korea’s poverty crisis was the perfect follow up to fellow international smash hit film Parasite. The striking visuals, innovative premise, sheer amount of horrifying deaths and gore, and challenges so easily replicable they seemed almost bred for social media consumption drew in mass audiences that usually wouldn’t tune into foreign language drama. However, unlike many of Netflix’s other viral successes, Squid Game is legitimately really, really good. Few shows have so thoroughly deserved the hype, catapulting both unknown and seasoned Korean actors into the global spotlight thanks to their exceptional, emotional performances.

Squid Game simultaneously had absolutely no right and yet, perhaps, every right to be as excellent and popular as it has become. The show has ushered in a new age of high quality Korean and East Asian streaming horror, with following shows like All Of Us Are Dead and recent predecessors such as Sweet Home receiving renewed attention. Sometimes a shake up from out of left field is exactly what the horror genre needs.