Netflix’s Squid Game series has made it an instant hit with fans all over the world. In the show, a number of people who are desperate for money are lured into a competition where they have to battle to the death while playing children’s games.
It’s a violent and good binge watch, but it only lasted nine episodes. If you love shows like this, check out these flicks that are similar to Squid Game.
Alice in Borderland
If Squid Game seems to be a little mild for you, Alice in Borderland is a must-watch. The series is fast-paced and the stakes are higher. While hiding from police near Shibuya Crossing, three friends are suddenly transported to an alternate and dystopian Tokyo. They find they have no choice but to participate in deadly games to load their individual ‘visas’, or face execution.
Battle Royale
Battle Royale is considered the OG survival movie, and it’s based on a manga of the same name by Koushun Takami. The Japanese flick has gained cult status among fans to this day. In the near-future, the Japanese government kidnaps and sends groups of teenagers to a remote island. The teens are forced to murder each other in a twisted competition until a victor emerges. Those who refuse will be killed by the explosive collars they are forced to wear.
The Hunger Games trilogy
To punish the other districts for rebelling against the Capitol, one boy and one girl from each district in Panem are chosen via lottery to compete in a series of deadly games called the Hunger Games each year. Each game gets aired across Panem. The participants are called tributes and only one victor can emerge from the annual games. When Katniss Everdeen takes her sister’s place at the games, she becomes an unexpected symbol of hope for Panem’s citizens.
The Purge anthology
Imagine having one day in a year where you’re able to kill anyone or carry out your sickest fantasies without impunity. In The Purge, a wealthy family made the mistake of welcoming a stranger into their highly fortified home. The night quickly turns chaotic when the stranger disappears after a fight broke out at home. The family soon realise they have to survive the night when a murderous gang is at their front door.
Escape Room
Six people who are able to solve a puzzle cube are invited to join an escape room game to win a huge cash prize. The participants soon discover that they might not get to live through the game. Each room can lead to any of their deaths and their fates are in the hands of the Gamemaster.
As the Gods Will
As the Gods Will has drawn comparisons to Squid Game because the unfortunate participants have to play deadly children’s games too. However, this film is said to be way bloodier than Squid Game. A group of high school students across Japan are forced to undergo trials set by ‘gods’ who are animated versions of Japanese dolls. If the dolls aren’t appeased, they will not hesitate to kill.
Nerve
In the film, an online reality game called Nerve lets people enlist as Players or Watchers in a game of Truth or Dare. The winner of the day will receive monetary rewards. When a young woman named Vee (played by Emma Roberts) gets teased for her unadventurous nature, she joins the game to prove all her naysayers wrong. Along the way, the game pairs her up with a guy named Ian (played by Dave Franco). While the game starts out fun and exhilarating, it soon leads into riskier dares and descends into chaos.
Saw
Two men wake up in a room after having been knocked unconscious, with chains on their legs trapping them there. They soon discover that they are victims of the Jigsaw Killer—a serial killer testing his victims’ will to survive through ‘games’ involving murderous contraptions. This 2004 movie spawned a hit film franchise that features victims placed in near impossible scenarios and forced to make difficult decisions in order to live.
Jigsaw
Years after the death of John Kramer aka the Jigsaw Killer, five strangers wake up inside a barn with buckets on their heads and chains around their neck. A tape recording from John Kramer explains that they have been chosen because they have all sinned and must sacrifice some blood in a series of tests.
Kaiji
Based on a manga of the same name, Kaiji centres on a gambler and petty thief named Kaiji Ito. Kaiji is approached by a mysterious man who tells him he can win a large sum of money just by playing games aboard a ship. Each game has its own unique rules and the outcomes can range from mild to deadly.
Animal World
Animal World is a loose Chinese adaptation of Kaiji. Zheng Kaisi is in deep debt and is invited onto a ship called Destiny. Passengers on the ship engage in a game of rock paper scissors for money. Each player is given cards that correspond to rock, paper or scissors, and three stars which can be lost or gained through matches. To win and get off the ship, players need to finish all their cards and have at least three stars.
3%
This dystopian Brazilian show is set in a near-future Sao Paulo where 20-year-old residents from the impoverished Inland compete to enter a utopian offshore society. To do that, they have to compete in a series of tests called The Process and only 3% of participants make it through. Failure to do so means death so participants use any trick in the book just to make it through.
The Belko Experiment
An ordinary office day quickly turned violent when 80 employees of the Belko Corporation realise they are pawns in a deadly game. They are trapped in the office and are instructed to kill two of their co-workers within 30 minutes. If they refuse to kill their colleagues, everyone else will die. Factions start to form and betrayals are rampant.