This review may contain spoilers
So this drama has:The most overreacting stereotypical boring psychopath. The other characters acting is alright, but they tried too hard to make this guy edgy.
Bad communication, ridiculous investigation, dumb decisions, cliches...
Unlikeable characters all around
Very annoying twin brothers
Worst girlfriend material
Very predictable "plot twist"
Everything is predictable from a mile away
And of course in the end our crime writer guy who got so brainfucked by the events of this show be writing "die" endlessly over and over again. Totally buying that of course.....
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I have to admit that the acting is fantastic. As I was watching, I kept wanting to scream at the screen telling Jong Woo to get out of that literal hell hole. Everyone really did such a wonderful job playing characters that I hope are nothing like their real life personas ;)
However, I felt like ten episodes of this was too much and would have been done better as maybe a slightly longer film. Halfway, I was ready to call it quits again because it was not only a bit repetitive but also, such a drama is rather psychologically and emotionally taxing as well. I wonder if this would have been a drama that would have been better watching week after week rather than binging over the course of a few days.
I rated the rewatch value low since these dramas are hard for me to watch again, especially already knowing what happens. I'd say it's probably not a drama for everyone, but if the theme is up your alley, then it'd likely be a good one to check out.
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Introvert
Are you a socially awkward potato? Do you hate having neighbors? WELL HAVE I GOT A SHOW FOR YOU!Lee Dong Wook is my bae and seeing him as a psychopath somehow makes him sexier so naturally, I dove straight in headfirst with this one lol
Most horror/suspense series make you hate being alone but Strangers From Hell will make you wish you were alone and definitely make you hate the thought of neighbors. It's gonna be second nature to shout "OMG you're gonna die!" or "Turn Around!" from the comfort of your bed or couch while all the madness unfolds beautifully in a sea of screams, maniacal laughter and blood. Cause this series delivered it all!
It'll send you through a infinite loop of "Wait, was that even real?" and have you begging for a S2 (which I would be happy with, but it ended well enough to not be a cliffhanger).
Enjoy...
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What truly amazed me was the camera work. I don't who takes credit for that, but it was brilliantly done. I don't think I've ever seen a drama with such elaborate shots and transitions. It really added to the story and it was done in a really unique way. It was just so good.
Aside from that, it has to be the first time where I don't have any flaw to point out. There are some things that do need clarification from the writer/director, but even these felt intentional. There's a phone charger coming into play for a bit of the story, and this scene is open to interpretation, but I don't think they would have integrated it to the story if it didn't have purpose. Whether it be to add to the atmosphere, or simply to show a character forcing an encounter, I'm dying to know what the meaning behind this scene is.
The ending was also incredibly chilling. One of the major advantages of the show was the completely unpredictable future of any given character. That to me was amazing, and the ending really fit the story.
The Actors :
- This was my first time encountering Im Shi Wan, who plays the lead character. He was really impressive in his role, it really made me feel like the plot wasn't just a story. Like we were witnessing someone else's daily life. It really was amazing to watch him as the main character. You could sense the character's unease turning to pure fear, and the 9th episode will forever remain one of the most intense episode I've seen in my life.
I can't elaborate without giving away some spoilers, so I'll leave it at that, but he really made quite an impression in this drama.
- Lee Dong Wook was made for this role. I had seen him in Blade Man before this, and consciously avoided anything he was in after that. But to me this role attested his talent as an actor. It says a lot, because this has to be a really hard character to play. The chilling sensation you have when he appears on screen, this was a complete surprise to me. I feel like the drama wouldn't be the same without him playing Moon Jo.
Every actor aside from them was remarkable, and I had the pleasant surprise to see the girl from DAY6's music videos cast in this drama. It was nice to see more of her.
The story also had perfect OST to complement it, the songs really fit the drama, and were also amazing on their own. (Yes I am biased, The Rose are fantastic what can I say)
That said, if you have trouble watching bloody / gory scenes, this drama probably isn't the best thing for you. I advise you to skip a few scenes if you're determined to watch it.
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This review may contain spoilers
One of the best Korean thriller/psychological dramas
SFH was a drama I stumbled upon without any intention, and I'm glad I did because I was really satisfied with it. I'm going to make this a really short review, in simple terms: WATCH IT!It has you hooked from the beginning and keeps you on edge every second, not only with the OST but also the way the drama has been filmed and executed. The psychological aspect is amazing, and the way this element progressively builds up through only a matter of 10 episodes - is commendable. You think you've finally grasped the main plot, or what's going to happen next but you're plastered with something completely different, leaving you second-guessing your thoughts and whatever you've grasped so far.
I mean, another bonus is Lee Dong Wook and how FINE he looks, but don't let that distract you from the fact that he's a part-time dentist who also has a passion for killing and cannibalism. (Siri, play 'Criminal' by Britney Spears <3)
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This review may contain spoilers
Daebak!!!!
I was utterly surprised how good this movie turned out. I saw Lee Dong Wook was in it and thought why not. Man when I tell you he is the best villain I've seen in a long time. He was manipulative, conniving, endearing, likable, crazy, etc. I absolutely loved him. Si Won or whatever his name was absolutely adorable. He looked so innocent in the beginning and you could slowly see his mental decline as he fell into darkness. Ending was great, they didn't drag it out too long.I WOULD HIGHLY RECOMMEND WATCHING THIS.
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"Humans are the most fearful creatures."
This drama clearly has no strong plot. But, with only ten episodes, each spanning the length of an hour, it did not pull any punches.Disturbing and dark, it begins with Jong Woo moving into a dingey apartment with the least rent out of all that he had seen. With a hopeless job and seemingly disconnected friends, he is thrust directly into the company of the many strange men in his neighbouring rooms. Yet, he has no way out. No one listens to his words or has time for him.
The drama brilliantly portrayed the sweet country boy Jong Woo's many incidents that ultimately lead him spiralling into a state of mental distress so much that we at one point are unable to watch it out of sheer stress. Im Shi Wan was excellent in his role and he conveyed the intense expressions and Jong Woo's state of mind with so much reality.
Help comes in the form of a charismatic dentist, Mung Joo, with whom he shares his similar love for crime fiction. But, wh he originally thought to be the most normal out of everyone, becomes his biggest nightmare. I saw Lee Dong Wook in Goblin, but it is this drama that truly showed his talent. The very mad gleam in his eyes, the flicker of compassion (only for Jong Woo, by the way) and his own strange perceival of nature and human mind was almost paradoxical. It was weird that Jong Woo and more chemistry with him than his own girlfriend Ji Eun, who was saddled with work load and never really semed to have her 'country boy' image of his removed from her mind.
People keep pushing their frustrations out on everyone , and Jong Woo, a good guy, realizes that he was being pushed around and maybe it was time to snap back.
The turn of events, the gory scenes and most importantly, the sheer incompetence of the police was mind numbing. There was a moment I assumed that one of the policemen/detective was working in favor of Eden studio.
*Mild spoiler*: this would also make the ending more possible.
I was suprised that I liked it so much. Every single supporting character delivered their roles well. All in all, this is definitely a highly thrilling, re-watch worthy drama, especially for starters of this genre.
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WOW
If you like some thriller and psychopaths this is your thing, I really enjoyed every second. The relationship between the characters is amazing, and the acting impressed me more than once. The aura of the settings is pretty accurate, representing exactly what is wanted at all times. It is one of the few psychological series that has really marked me, not only because of the story itself, but also for the whole environment that they created.If you are hesitant, please give it a chance, It will hook you from the start!
Also the BSO immerses you in all the scenes, giving it a plus! The Roses did an amazing job hehe
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maybe not to everyone's "taste"
This drama started quite interesting and I admit I was hooked and the end was well done and surprising at end and I also liked the manga drawings over characaters at the end but for me finally it crossed the line from scary with flaky characaters to just sick〜 I do not really like these stories with psychopaths and seral killing [ it is scary how people like them so much it must be some primitive instinct buried deep in us all] so I take off 1 point perhaps unfairly considering how good it was as a drama〜but 十人十色 depends on your” taste” as you will see when you watchwwwWas this review helpful to you?
This review may contain spoilers
Unique.
As Jong-Woo facing mental issues, the ending doesn't surprise me. Isolation, bullying, alienation, step by step he went into a black hole with no way out.No one in his environment was sane and they all one after each other put his head into the water and pushing him off his limits. The residents of the hostel but mostly Moon Jo help him to embrace the darkness that it kept increase in him.
That rage he wanted to discharge, the power to do what he always wanted. In the head of Jong-Woo that's completely normal, he just reproduced what he constantly saw and always endured from others. "Others are hell, imma be worst then hell then.
The realisation was wonderful, the writers have done a great job in their search and to bring awareness to mental health. It felt pretty realistic.
The acting needed to be excellent so that the viewers would take the show seriously and being immersed into the darkness at the same time as Jong-Woo. Both I'm Shi Wan and Lee Dong Wook pull off a wonderful act, it was magistral. LDW was the perfect protagonist, he should take more often that kind of role.
Some people, blame the ML ending pitifully way but I have one question: Would you’ve done better? In these circumstances, how can you be sure to end up better than him?
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TRY YOUR BEST TO SLOWLY WITHDRAW FROM THE DARKEST IMPULSES OF YOUR HEART
I think if I were to touch upon every single thing that I loved about Strangers from Hell, I would be writing a novel instead of a review. I've actually seen this drama twice now because I started to re-watch it the day after I finished it. Actions sometimes speak louder than words, so let that sink in as I try to best express the amount of love I have for this show while also keeping it as brief and coherent as I can possibly can.For me, watching Strangers from Hell was the equivalent of picking away at a scab you might have on your knee or elbow. It is immensely satisfying to peel back the layers of skin, no matter how gross or painful it might be. Except, in this case, the scab was the human psyche, and there was no hesitation whatsoever when it came to ripping apart these layers. This show was dark. It was gory. It was terrifying, and it left an ache in my bones and a hollow feeling in my chest after I finished the very last episode. There were moments when the show seemed to be hinting at going into a certain direction, and I would often think to myself, 'This show is already dark enough, there's no way they're actually going to do that,' AND THEN THEY DID, so I would have to let out an audible gasp for how daring the showrunners were. I think for the last five or six episodes, I watched them with my hand cupped over my mouth while also keeping the lights on because of how scared I was while watching.
I think one of the things that really worked well in Strangers from Hell and that helped to make it so enjoyable were the two main leads, Yoon Jongwoo and Seo Moonjo, played by Im Siwan and Lee Dongwook respectively. The acting was spectacular; I don't think anyone else could have played these roles. Jongwoo was especially interesting to me in the sense that he was somewhat relatable. Not relatable in the sense that I'm slowly going crazy (hopefully), but relatable in the sense that adulthood is difficult, people are difficult, and work is difficult. I'd also like to point out that I am currently living in a university residential hall with a communal bathroom - on the third floor, no less! - and I wasn't even assigned a roommate for this semester so it can get quite lonely at times in my room. I think this greatly affected my own opinion when watching Strangers in Hell and why and I was able to relate to Jongwoo.
Also, the amount of gas-lighting that was present in the show was insane. Not only did we get to see it with Jongwoo and the residents of Eden, but we also get to see it with Jongwoo and his awful co-workers, Jongwoo and his girlfriend, his girlfriend and her own terrible co-workers, as well as with the female police officer, Seo Junghwa, as she dealt with the detectives. I think this show did a really great job representing what gas-lighting is and how that can affect the mental state of a person, as well as stressing the fact that it can come in many different forms. This was most evident in the character of Jongwoo. I've seen some people complain about how this could have been a movie because of the slow-pacing, but I believe that it was the pacing of the show that truly allows the audience to see the changes that Jongwoo was going through, and I don't think a movie would be enough time to explore and justify Jongwoo's actions. Personally, I did not find the pacing slow at all and I found every scene, from dialogue to action sequences, to be thrilling.
Then there is Seo Moonjo, the sexy dentist of my dreams. He was wonderfully creepy and strange; I couldn't help but be drawn to him. I would physically get chills all over my arms whenever he smiled. His relationship with Jongwoo was so interesting to watch unfold. I could probably write a whole essay on that aspect alone but I will resist. Just know that this character was extremely well-written and that he drove me crazy in the best way possible. The supporting cast, too, was amazing. The actors must have put in a lot of work in order to prepare themselves to play these characters, the absolute darkest representation of human nature.
Another thing I really liked was the music. It was so haunting and eerie. It really helped to establish the creepy atmosphere of the show.
The camera work here was also really interesting to me, It was kind of shaky at times, though that didn't really bother me. Sometimes there would be shots that I think were meant to give you the impression that what you were looking at was the point of view of someone physically watching the scenes that were unfolding on the screen while also remaining hidden, kind of like a stalker. That was a really nice touch that helped to keep me on the edge of my seat.
And oh my gosh, the ending? What was that? I don't know, but I loved every single second of it. I think it really helped drive in the point of how Jongwoo is essentially an unreliable narrator, and it's up to the viewer to decide how much they want to trust his side of the story. It's definitely an ending that keeps you thinking about it for days on end, and I found it even more satisfying during my second watch.
Overall, if you enjoy watching shows that are psychological and horrific in nature, then I would recommend Strangers from Hell with all of my heart. The grip this show still has over me even after I've finished is still holding strong, so I have a feeling that this story will stick with me for a very, very long time.
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Good Enough
Korean Drama "Strangers From Hell" is a dark story that builds up to the great final twist in the end. The only thing that was missing was a bit of a more craziness of the main villain. All the others were mad enough to be triggering the insanity of the main character.The latter was the star of the drama and the sole focus of it, as his downfall was well-orchestrated, even though there were evidence from the start that something was off that he himself was trying to suppress.
The performances, finally, were all great from everyone in the cast and the atmosphere pretty dark and suspenseful.
So, overall, 7 out of 10.
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