Strangers from Hell (2019)

Predictable but still thrilling twist

This drama had a twist that I was kind of expecting, but overall I had mixed emotions about it. It started out okay; a little creepy but kind of slow and disjointed, and there were characters I cared about and some I didn't. I definitely got a little frustrated, and there's this feeling of impending doom.

There's a twist towards the end which I kind of saw coming, but it was one that I had wanted to see so even though it was predictable, it raised my rating of this drama by quite a lot.

There are some very subtle moral questions that I liked too, and some of my questions are left unanswered but that's okay! Great October watch, finished just in time for Halloween.

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This is what finally made me get the appeal of Lee Dong Wook and I don't know what that says about me as a person. Either way, he made this drama for me. So, I am one of the people who think this drama went a little too slow with the narrative in the beginning. Sometimes, it felt like it was just walking circles while I wished to see more of the main character's interactions with Dong Wook's character.
I feel like this drama could have gone for *more*. Not on gore or violence, but they could have had even more fun with the concept (which is already very fun).
The acting was overall great from everyone, the production design was also very well done.
One thing I couldn't get behind was the main character's girlfriend, but those may have been cultural differences from my part. I just don't understand how any loving person would let their partner live in a place like that lol.
The drama was fun, especially by the end. In a perfect world it would have been as overtly homoerotic as Hannibal, but we can't have it all.

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Hell is empty and all the devils are here

This disturbing series is loaded with mental and physical violence partnered with philosophical symbolism and deep psychology.

If you have worked in or experienced the dark underbelly of human existence, the scenarios presented in this drama are not dissimilar to reality at all ... how a series of events and/or encounters with certain people over time can tip a person to lose their humanity ... childhood abuse, workplace abuse, societal abuse where you have to toe the line or face the consequences ... all leading to the buildup of intense suppressed rage ... and then implosion or explosion. Passive aggressive people seem to better manage this suppressed rage within the societal confines of propriety, but this method doesn't work for everyone one ... like Jong Woo ... he couldn't vent that rage into passive aggression, instead he could only imagine what he really wanted to do. The times he went 'physical' he got 'punished' which lead to more suppression.

It was fascinating how Moon Jo kept encouraging Jong Woo to be "truthful" ... to be authentic. It is very commonplace in the workplace and in social media to hear people telling you to "be your authentic self" ... people spew this phrase out like they were gaining merits or treasures in heaven. What does it mean to be your authentic self when you have all this suppressed rage that cannot be expressed in the family or the society or the workplace or the country you are in??? It is impossible ... especially when you have been psychologically 'invaded' and 'conquered' by abusers in your life.

The seeds of Jong Woo's metamorphosis were always there, even before he came to "Eden". Jong Woo just needed a little 'nurturing' to tip the scale... and that is exactly what Moon Jo did ... in the same way that Eom Bock Soon did to him and the twins ... Moon Jo hijacked Jong Woo's mind like a virus and psychologically became wedded to him ... calling him 자기야 . How symbolic was the name "Eden" for the place where this metamorphosis occurred ... like Adam and Eve, Jong Woo became 'corrupted' in 'Eden' and was then cast out into the world.

When Moon Jo said they could never kill him because there were too many of 'him' ... he was 100% right ... with a plethora of "Eom Bock Soon" and "Moon Jo" type parental figures / institutions / work colleagues etc ... the next generation is guaranteed.

Jean-Paul Sartre (existentialist philosopher and playwright) said in his play "No Exit":
"Hell is other people"

They mentioned this quote in this series. Sartre was of the view that humans were very much aware of how other people perceive them and that because of this awareness and the subsequent changes they make in response, they lose their freedom to be their original authentic selves. Not being able to be your authentic self and even be punished for it ... well that leads to all kinds of dramas ... just like this one ... an age old drama. Even William Shakespeare was across such a theme ... in his play "The Tempest" he wrote:
“Hell is empty and all the devils are here.”

Acting: The performances of Yim Si Wan, Lee Dong Wook, and Park Jong Hwan (played the twins) were outstanding.

Script: The scripting was generally of a high standard, but I felt that it went too slow in some places particularly some of Jung Hwa story scenes with her family/father and investigation processes ... I didn't think that really added much value to the story. I am glad that it was only 10 episodes (in my view it could have been less) as to flash it out to the usual 16 episodes would have totally destroyed the point of watching this blood bath and psychological descent into hell.
I found the scripting for the police scenes annoying and tropey - arrogant, presumptive know it all seniors and juniors going off half cocked doing their own thing (even though it was with good intentions and reasonable suspicion and because she got no support from her colleagues/line supervisors).

Rewatch - if you are into heavy brutal psychology and existential philosophy ... yeah it is worthy of a rewatch.

Overall: A disturbing series, but brilliant in its profound look at the human psyche in a repressed social context.

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Something like this actually existing?

The story is great and I enjoyed the flow of the story; but the ending and the plot twist???? (watch the story first so you would know XD). For me this is the one of the best kdrama that I watched. Starting from story, to ost(s), and to acting everything is masterpiece. The actor who acted as a twin from room 307 did a great portraying his role actually everyone of them did a great job! can't wait for the directors cut version.

Story: I don't know why Moon-Jo calling Jong-u babe and he said he was special to him? but I think that was cute hahaha I don't know why but the story is not intented to turn out like that. If they could just listen to Jong-u he will not turn like that :'( (I won't spoil it so you better watch it) and the end it was really confusing but if you're going to scan every details I think you will know it?. but I rate this (8/10)

Acting: They give justice to their role especially The actor who portrayed the twins!!! (10/10)

Music: good (10/10)

Rewatch: definitely I'm going to rewatch it sometimes so (8/10)

I recommend this to those people who love exploring some drama genre hahaha although yes as you can see it's kinda disturbing to watch it.

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Twist after twist

Strangers From Hell was right up my alley. It was dark and unexpecting. Everything thrown at you hit you and made it almost impossible to get back before another thing was thrown at you. I'm someone who cringes when things are cliche, but this drama never made me feel that way. It was so exciting and thrilling to watch. Definitely someone I can see myself watching again to kill some time if I'm feeling like it.

There is blood and horror, be warned, but it's so good. I watched this quite a while ago from writing this review, but I can still strongly remember that this is one of the best shows that I took my time to watch. Every plot hole was cleaned up and there were no scraps left behind. The acting in this show is phenomenal. And watching it, you can feel the unease our main character felt through the screen. This drama gave me goosebumps.

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Disturbingly good

This is one of the most beautifully written series I've ever seen. It does start out a little slow but once the story gets going, it's impossible to stop watching. While watching this show I felt like my emotions were heightened, that's how good of a job they did with the setting and also the acting. I also enjoyed the unpredictability and how it went far beyond my expectations.

The psychological aspect is especially well done, I like how we got an insight into how the character was processing everything. Also shows how your environment can severely affect your mental state. Overall, I enjoyed this very much, though I understand it wouldn't be for everyone, however, if you love psychological shows with creepy undertones, I highly suggest it.

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I already watched this drama five time?,What a mind blowing KDrama( series) ?someone recommned me? ,Direction,Script,Story was Solid,background music was
Hearttouching,Creepy & deep same time,Editing,Visual FX was outclass,Atmosphere was very eerie & acting was great by all cast especially Lee dong-wook( dentist) Aunty,Twins,Pervert & Jung woo( Si-wan) Act Expcetional ????? A must watch Psycoligical ,Dark Thriller for Dark cinema fans
Ending was too good ✌️ i surprised why some people complain that they not understand end? in fact every scene,story was in very detail they Explained perfectly every Aspect?
One thing was confirm ( dentist was real,he was not imagination of Jung woo,Yes Jung woo have Depression,Anxity,Halluciation Issue even before stay in Eden studio but these all mental issue become worst after face Eden studio,Job people? & Jung woo not have personality disorder issue soo this enough to explain & clear Series End

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fckin incredible drama, but should have been a full 16 episode!

my goodness. what a journey. truly incredible, more so because of the leads acting especially Im Shi Wan and Lee Dong Wook, bravo...!!!

despite so, this being an OCN dramatic cinema style drama, i have to judge it precisely based on that. i definitely think there are multiple plot holes in the drama that could have been resolved if the number of episodes were increased to at least 12, or better if it was a full 16 episode kdrama. they could have tied up the loose ends a lot better if this was written like Memorist (2020) where they introduce the villains/culprits one by one, and try to foreshadow and confuse us about the real one. that i believe would have made the quality and thrill of each episodes much more consistent because some of the episodes in the middle seem to have been filled with filler scenes that do not contribute much to the tension or the story.

some plot holes that i could think of:

1. the first guy who was introduced as Seo Moon Jo's "chagiya" (honey), he was killed too fast literally in ep. 2. and it was also the same episode that they revealed to us the true identity of Seo Moon Jo (the dentist). would have been nice if he had a bigger role and more screen time since he had the look and physicality of someone creepy/dangerous as well, rather than just a lackey of the dentist like the others.

2. Yoon Joong Wo's PTSD at the military service was quite unclear to me. we get throwbacks that he had huge anger management issues but i feel it would have been better if he had some sociopathic tendencies like the male lead's character in Flower of Evil (2020) instead of PTSD. i don't think people with PTSD are the ones to actively hurt others, but in the flashbacks, we saw that he was the one who joined brutally in the beating of his fellow soldier.

3. the manipulation of Seo Moon Jo into Yeon Joon Wo's brain that the latter is as capable of murdering people just like him, i think was not fleshed out enough. again, a problem of the lack of a number of episodes. in the rather limited screentime that Seo Moon Jo had in the drama, he was more of a 'psychotic sweet-talker' guy to Joon Wo rather than someone who truly comes across as a highly manipulative narcissist who's also physically intimidating/terrifying. Moon Jo for the most parts before his self-revelations, comes across as more shady than outwardly frightening. would have been nice if we get to see more of how Moon Jo directly tries to terrorize Joon Wo mentally and psychologically. also, Joon Wo's stay at the Eden Studio has not been that long at all and it did feel they made such a huge leap in the story just to portray him as someone who was suddenly going insane from all those crazies.

4. i also think the story could have been made more complex if there were stronger motives to the whole tenants and owner of Eden Studio conspiring in serial murder cases. the crime case mention in the final episode about a whole family who was brutally murdered in a vacation house was literally brushed over, and would have been so interesting if that plot was integrated more centrally to add mysterious/suspense elements to the story. also, Joon Wo and the new tenant Seok Yeon had speculation of sort that those tenants were involved in some kind of organ trafficking deals or something, but this potential plot point was never pursued, which would have added an interesting motive to the killings rather than just for the sake of creating 'dental arts/souvenirs'.

5. more importantly a full background story of how the long-term tenants of Eden Studio got entangled with one another through their upbringing in Spring Orphanage was never fully given to the audience. We also don't know very clearly what triggered Moon Jo's character to become a serial killer eventually at that point. He definitely should have had more screen time than what was given to him.

also, i found this very helpful comment on the last episode:

"Okay but... if Jongwoo really did kill those 3 (in a very messy matter), why is it that the detectives never found evidence that would point him as the killer? His fingerprints would've been on the wrench, knife, and the landlady's wrist. Plus, they knew that the vacations house killer was meticulous. Sure they got testimonies to cover him but isn't it also part of the investigation to look for concrete evidence?? Technically they only had Jongwoo's statement to tell them that Moon Jo was the murderer. The thug and Ji Eun's statements also proved that Moon Jo was the leader of the group but they had no idea who actually killed the 3 members. And during the Eun Jin's statement, she said that she heard the pervert getting killed by the landlady. If that's the case, she should've heard Jongwoo's voice instead of the landlady's. Lastly, forensics would've found evidence of Moon Jo's teeth collection, and detectives probably already knew that the vacation house victims and other victims of the Eden Studio had missing teeth. Why didn't they question Jongwoo's teeth bracelet??"

...which kinda points to how crime thriller dramas that focus on the complex psychology of human characters would always downplay the precision of forensic science. i get that they probably wouldn't have ended the drama any other way, but addressing this issue (or at least foreshadowing a lot more clearly that Moon Jo has now indeed has become a twisted psychopath with an unbroken thirst to kill other people who knew he had to somewhat clear his traces from the murder scenes) would have made the ending scene more neat and crisp.

overall, i must comment about the finale episode, which was utterly remarkable! the fighting scene between Joon Wo and Moon Jo was very deliberate and so well done, and it was quite a shock for me to see how they went all out with the killing rampage in that final episode, almost the same feeling as when i watched Parasite LOL. that's literally the scene where we could see Moon Jo using his towering height and strength over Joon Wo who's much smaller than him. just based on their fighting scene alone, i was able to imagine that their roles could also have been played by Park Hae Jin (Moon Jo) and Lee Joon (Joon Wo) respectively based on their body size differences. the casting really worked extremely well in this drama and the actors who played them also did such a marvelous job!

all in all, this is not exactly a drama anyone would want to rewatch, but someone who became a fan of Im Shi Wan and Lee Dong Wook through this drama might wanna rewatch it to relish/remind themselves of the phenomenal actors they both really are.

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Heavy psychologically, creepy and dark.

There is something uneasy that makes me put this note. I really liked the psychological approach to the drama. I personally understood what was happening with the character on the second part (episode 7 or 8 approximately) but ANYWAY. The environment, the settings, the music are the perfect combination that makes you feel bad. Add to that the play of all the actors and it works ! I wouldn't put a 10 because I think it's a series that needs to be seen in a good frame of mind. I'm not a sensitive person, but I released it ten minutes ago and I feel like I need to see something less dark, with butterflies and flowers ^^. despite everything its a must-watch (at least once !)

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So unpredictable, yet enjoyable

This drama really has got some plot to it. The watcher never knew what to expect, believe it or not, for me this drama was the best I've watched yet.
When I started it, I was so sure, Jong Woo would just die and that'd be the end of the story, or he would kill Moon Jo before the police arrived. So as one would expect, I was quite confused, as to why, Moon Jo called him his masterpiece, when he'd managed to get himself killed.. why would he call him that, when he had basically "failed"...but after finding out how crazy Jong Woo actually was all along, I had alot more things to question, than just this part of the story in the drama.
We have seen a perspective of the story that really made this drama so good. One that showed Jong Woo as the good guy, that we never expected to be this mentally unstable.
This may have actually got me to buy and read the Book Metamorphosis. It now has piqued my interests. They both liked this book alot, and so I want to know what made it so special to them that it was mentioned more than once over the entire drama.
I can only recommend this drama to anyone who is into this psychological type of plot.
Lee Dong Wook can't keep his hands off of good dramas!!

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