'Girigo' is drawing expectations as Netflix's young adult (YA) horror to follow All of Us Are Dead and Sweet Home.
On the 31st, Netflix released posters and still cuts for Girigo, announcing the birth of a new YA horror series.
Girigo is a series that depicts high school students who receive sudden death notices because of the curse of the wish-granting application "Girigo" and struggle to avoid that curse. In particular, it has attracted attention as Netflix's first Korean "YA horror" series.
This work is a YA horror piece that sharply captures the anxiety and fear felt by teenagers placed in unpredictable situations, maximizing psychological tension. Within the fresh premise of an app that grants wishes in exchange for death, it portrays high school students with various concerns—relationships with friends or family, academic stress, growing pains concerning identity—facing an unknown terror. By combining teenagers' unstable emotions with the suspense unique to the horror genre, it promises to offer intense immersion that allows viewers to deeply empathize with the characters and experience an emotional panorama beyond simple fright.
In particular, Girigo is also noted as a work that will continue Netflix's role as a gateway for next-generation content talent, which has led new actors and creators to the global stage through various genre series such as All of Us Are Dead (abbreviated All of Us Are Dead) and Sweet Home. As director Park Yunseo said, "Because the script was fresh, I wanted to work with new actors to fully deliver that charm to viewers," Girigo is led by Jeon Soyoung, Kang Mina, Baek Sunho, Hyun Woo Seok, and Lee Hyoje, who have steadily built up acting chops through various works.
Jeon Soyoung, who gave an impressive performance in the drama Honor: Their Court, My Youth, and numerous short films, plays Se-ah; Kang Mina, who showed presence in Welcome to Samdal-ri, Cafe Minamdang, and the Netflix film Love Untangled, plays Na-ri; Baek Sunho, who has moved across various genres in works such as Man and Woman, Dongjae, the Good or the Bastard, O'PENing 2024 - recipient, and KICKKICKKICKKICK, plays Geon-woo; Hyun Woo Seok, who solidified his position with the film 404 Still remain, Our 5 minutes, Time to Have Strength, and the drama Cheer Up, plays Ha-jun; and Lee Hyoje, who showed steady acting in First Love, Wild Boar Hunting, and Lost, plays Hyeong-uk. The synergy of the five characters completed by the fresh energy of ambitious new actors is expected to draw attention.
In addition, Girigo is notable as director Park Yunseo's first main directorial work; he gained experience participating as a B director on season 2 of the Netflix series Kingdom and co-directing the drama Moving. He said, "I wanted viewers to experience the fear alongside the characters," and added that he aimed to realize a realistic sense of space through first-person shots, body-cam use, and Atmos work. With Park Yunseo's distinctive direction, Girigo is predicted to unfold a new world for the YA horror genre. Netflix release on Apr. 24.
[Photo] Provided by Netflix.
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