New Korean school horror drama 'If Wishes Could Kill' tops Netflix rankings with fresh cast
A scene from Netflix horror series "If Wishes Could Kill" / Courtesy of Netflix
Hyeong-wook, a high school student long hopeless at math, suddenly earns a perfect score on an exam. As his friends stare at him suspiciously, he smugly holds up his smartphone.
“The secret is this wish-granting app. It’s called Girigo.”
His friends scoff and leave. Moments later, a 24-hour timer lights up on Hyeong-wook’s phone. When the countdown finally reaches zero, he dies a horrific death in front of everyone.
Released on Netflix last Friday, "If Wishes Could Kill" is an eight-episode series that follows five high school students as they struggle to break free from a mysterious app that predicts their deaths.
Despite its R rating for violent content, strong word of mouth has helped the drama climb to No. 1 in Korea and No. 3 globally on FlixPatrol, a streaming analytics website, since its release.
Hyeong-wook (Lee Hyo-je) becomes the first of his friends to fall victim to the curse in Netflix horror series "If Wishes Could Kill." Courtesy of Netflix
More striking than its rankings, however, is its cast. All five main characters are played by relative unknowns: Jeon So-young as Se-ah, Kang Mi-na as Na-ri, Baek Sun-ho as Geon-woo, Hyun Woo-seok as Ha-joon and Lee Hyo-je as Hyeong-wook.
The casting choice was strongly pushed by director Park Yoon-seo, himself a newcomer behind the camera. Calling the shots on his first series, Park said he wanted fresh faces to make the drama feel more real, given the nature of the genre.
“I wanted to convey the script’s unique and fresh flavor, and the actors were also part of delivering that experience,” Park said during an interview at a cafe in Seoul’s Jongno district on Tuesday.
The actors, most of whom were taking on leading roles for the first time, were more than enthusiastic, according to Park. They threw themselves into the filming without hesitation, often performing scenes without stunt doubles — to the point that special makeup was needed to cover their bruises.
Even before filming began, the actors showed unusual dedication. To transform into Se-ah, a track-and-field athlete, Jeon So-young cut her hair short and tanned her skin. Lee Hyo-je gained 20 kilograms for his role, while Baek Sun-ho underwent intensive choreography training to make a scene in which his character is possessed by an evil spirit feel more realistic.
Bangwool (Roh Jae-won, left) and Haetsal (Jeon So-nee), a shaman couple, prepare a ritual to lift Se-ah’s curse in "If Wishes Could Kill." Courtesy of Netflix
Also joining the cast are Jeon So-nee and Roh Hae-won, both proven performers, as Haetsal and Bangwool, a shaman couple who bring added weight to a lineup led largely by newcomers.
They also help steer the drama away from the school genre and into occult territory. While their roles may call to mind "Exhuma," the added layer of Jeju Island’s local shamanism — from Haetsal’s belief in a serpent god to "gime," the white paper shamanic ornaments attached to the walls — gives the story a distinctive air.
“I wanted to add distinctly Korean details in a way that would feel fresh to overseas viewers,” explained Park.
For Park, the biggest challenge during filming was sustaining the tension until the very end. To do that, he kept twisting the plot and shifting genres throughout the series, making sure the audience never settled too comfortably into the story. The use of bodycam footage in a scene where Se-ah enters the spirit world was one such attempt, designed to make viewers feel as if they had been dropped into a first-person horror video game.
But even Park found himself hesitant and uncertain when it came to the drama’s repeated scenes of violence.
“I came to the conclusion that, to differentiate the drama from existing horror films that rely on jump scares, it needed to show violence vividly and directly to the audience,” Park said.
“I paid close attention to the direction so it would be clear that these acts were carried out under outside control, not by the characters’ own will,” he added.
Park Yoon-seo, director of Netflix horror series "If Wishes Could Kill" / Courtesy of Netflix
"If Wishes Could Kill" ends by hinting at an expansion of its universe. Park slyly fed the speculation, saying he is already working on stories centered on Haetsal and Bangwool, as well as one character's journey in the spirit world.
As the interview drew to a close, Park said he hopes the drama can grow into a series that serves as a stepping stone for young actors hoping to break into the industry, much like the "Whispering Corridors" franchise once did.
“If 'If Wishes Could Kill' becomes a series, the most important goal would be to keep introducing new faces,” Park said.
“I don’t think there is anything more important than giving opportunities to those who long for one.”
This article from the Hankook Ilbo, sister publication of The Korea Times, is translated by a generative AI system and edited by The Korea Times.