Cho Yi Hyun Is Doing Her Best

At the age of 22, this South Korean actress has already won over the world with her role as Choi Nam Ra in the chart-topping zombie thriller All of us are dead. Just don’t ask her what’s next, she’s taking things one step at a time

- Farisia Thang

When it comes to Asian horror movies, zombie stories haven’t always been the naturally popular choice. Considering that we already have a trove of terrifying demons from our own cultural folklore, it’s not surprising this particular brand of undead has traditionally held little relevance or fascination for us. At least, this was the case until the cultural phenomenon that was Yeon Sang Ho’s horror movie Train to Busan.

Post-Train to Busan, South Korean creators quickly overtook whatever monopoly The Walking Dead had over the zombie genre. Kim Eun Hee’s Kingdom, Yeon Sang Ho’s Peninsula, and Cho Il Hyung’s #Alive followed one after another, like an outbreak so to speak; each director adding their own nuanced interpretation and narrative to the oeuvre. And the most recent series to join the Korean zombie genre is Netflix’s All of Us are Dead.

Set at a high school in South Korea, the series shows a zombie apocalypse breaking out and threatening the safety of students after a failed science experiment. The violent but intriguing story follows a group of students: There’s Nam On Jo and Lee Cheong San who are neighbours and childhood friends; Lee Su Hyeok, a former ex-delinquent who secretly has a crush on Choi Nam Ra, the class president; Yoon Gwi Nam, a terrifying villain and bully; and Lee Na Yeon, a privileged student who looks down on others — to name a few.