With the success of Netflix’s Squid Game rising, here are some shows and movies that match its heart-racing energy.
WARNING: The following contains minor spoilers for Season 1 of Squid Game, now streaming on Netflix.
Squid Game is quickly becoming a global phenomenon, gaining the heights of other Netflix original hits such as Stranger Things and Tiger King. It has easily captured the interest and intrigue of millions of viewers as they fall in love with the rich and emotional characters and the deep, strong storyline. With one season released so far and no news of a second (as of the writing of this article), fans of the new thrilling Korean drama are looking for other shows to feed the hunger started with one little game of Ddakji.
Alice in Borderland
Released in December 2020, Alice in Borderland follows Arisu and his friends as they find themselves in an emptied-out Japan, being forced to compete in a series of random games to survive. They must use their wits, strength and bravery to earn “visas” to stay alive or keep risking their lives in death-defying games. Luckily, Arisu is a highly skilled gamer, giving him a competitive and creative advantage over the other players. However, a looming mystery shadows the world, as no one knows why this is happening and who is in charge of the games. This mystery thriller takes its time to lay out its universe and keep audiences on the edge of their seats, providing a Squid Game feel almost a year before its release and bringing childhood fun to horrifying danger.
Oldboy
“Revenge is a dish best served cold” perfectly personifies the 2003 Korean cult classic Oldboy. Based on the manga of the same name, Oldboy is a story about Oh Dae-su, a man who wakes up trapped in a room with no clear reason as to why he is there. After 15 long years, Dae-su is released and forced to solve the mystery of his kidnapping but finds the answer more horrific than he can ever imagine. Oldboy plays into the suspense of its story, leaving no stone unturned and no word spoken without purpose, a staple of Korean thrillers that was globally popularized with the release of Parasite. If Squid Game‘s suspense kept viewers in their seats, then Oldboy should help fix that itch.
Parasite
On the topic of Parasite, Bong Joon-Ho’s Oscar-winning film is a must-see for Squid Game fans. Bong’s artistic use of his characters and settings wowed audiences worldwide, setting a new love and respect for international films and TV shows. Parasite takes the struggling Kim family into the home of the rich Park family as they infiltrate the household as staff members. The way Parasite builds suspense through its 132-minute runtime is a masterclass in filmmaking, and much like Squid Game, Parasite is the place for thriller lovers.
The Platform
This 2019 Spanish sci-fi horror debuted in TIFF 2019 where it won the People’s Choice Award for Midnight Madness and managed to secure a streaming deal with Netflix. The Platform covers a similar theme to Squid Game where characters are forced to do whatever they need to stay alive. The film is set in a tall, vertical tower with hundreds of floors, each housing two inmates that move up or down once every month. They are fed through a platform of food that floats in the middle of the building, starting from the first floor and ending at the bottom, with those on the lower floors eating what the top floors left behind. The fear of the unknown follows The Platform through each new day, with neither the audience nor the character knowing where they will end up next and what they will have to do to survive.
To see Squid Game’s terrors for yourself, check out the series on Netflix now.
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