Ever since I was young, I have loved zombies.
I grew up watching The Walking Dead, which is now in its final season. I played popular zombie video games such as Telltales: The Walking Dead or The Last Of Us, which is receiving its own television show on HBO. I have seen and viewed some of the best zombie films to this date.
And yet, the latest Netflix zombie show, All Of Us Are Dead, has taken the number one spot in my heart as one of the best modern zombie shows - possibly one of the best zombie TV shows ever.
While I do love all the other shows like The Walking Dead (which has been my main zombie show for years) such as Z Nation, The Strain and more, All Of Us Are Dead has recently become my favorite zombie show. And right here, I’m going to convince you the reasons as to why you should watch this amazing series next, trying my best to avoid spoilers, as a seasoned zombie lover.
All Of Us Are Dead Jumps Right Into The Seriousness Of The Situation
Something that I really like about All Of Us Are Dead is that it jumps right into the seriousness of the situation, unlike many other apocalypse shows or movies that build up the problem. Like for example - in The Walking Dead in the first episode, we do see Rick trying to escape hordes of zombies, but the focus of the episode isn’t really on the dead - it’s more on Rick trying to find his family.
That’s fine and dandy, but if I’m watching a zombie show, I’m probably going to be watching it for the zombies and how the people survive in this situation. Some TV shows take a while to get to that point, but All Of Us Are Dead moves right into the seriousness of the situation from the first scene, and then shows how quickly one virus can spread if not contained.
It almost feels like a car crash when the shit starts to hit the fan early on. You know it’s going to be bad, but you can’t help but look at the horrible things that are happening, from the first bite to the next, which is what captures your attention so quickly into the show.
The Story Is Contained Mainly To One Location In All Of Us Are Dead
I have a feeling I’m going to be using The Walking Dead in comparison to a lot of my points here, because this is another big one. In All Of Us Are Dead, I love the fact that the story is contained to one area.
In The Walking Dead, the story has expanded so much in Season 11, and while the addition of new storylines and new worlds and new characters can be a good thing, sometimes, it doesn’t always pan out and it complicates the story (still not a big fan of the Reaper storyline in Season 11).
However, All Of Us Are Dead does the complete opposite of that, instead focusing almost entirely on one location - Hyosan High School. I know what you’ll say - TWD didn’t do that in the beginning and was only focused in the quarry, and to that I say you’re right.
That’s what made the show good in the first place, its focus on one particular area per season, further pushing the storyline and the characters into danger without adding unnecessary villains to the mix. But it’s lost that spark down the line with the inclusion of many different groups and many different communities that screw everything up.
All Of Us Are Dead thrives on its almost sole location, being able to focus on the ways in which the students bond with each other, learn to survive, and the ingenious ways they use to kill zombies when no one else is there. It gives the actors and actresses their time to shine while you, as the viewer, connect with their characters.
All Of Us Are Dead Is NOT Afraid To Kill Anyone - And That’s A Good Thing
This was one of my favorite parts of All Of Us Are Dead. This Netflix series is not afraid to kill anyone.
I won’t reveal who dies in this show, but let me just say I was getting serious flashbacks to TV series’ like Game of Thrones or Breaking Bad, where important main characters are killed off, as if with the snap of a finger.
What makes these deaths even bigger is that they aren’t mindless deaths that are just there for the gore, or for the sake of killing off a character that needed to die (like Cersei’s stupid demise by bricks in Game of Thrones). Every person who dies in All Of Us Are Dead passes in their own different way, which further pushes the stories of the main characters in the show. These people who die could be a best friend, a teacher, a love interest, or anything else.
There are some truly heartbreaking deaths here, but All Of Us Are Dead so willingly kills them off that I can appreciate each one for meaning something. It shows the reality of a zombie outbreak - most likely, the people you love are not going to survive, so you better cherish them now while they are still on the TV screen.
The Outside Story Featuring The Military And The City Survivors Is Just As Interesting
This was another big thing that I loved about All Of Us Are Dead. While I was just talking about how great it was that the show almost completely focused on the high school students as its main story, All Of Us Are Dead also utilizes the whole city of Hyosan and the military near it to further show the outbreak outside of the school.
And it’s done fantastically.
In twelve episodes, we are given a truly brutal look at what it would be like to live in a highly populated area during a zombie outbreak. We see multiple stories that don’t overtake the main one within the high school, but are still just as interesting, and don’t over-complicate the plot.
It’s also intriguing to see how the military and regular people adapt and change during a circumstance like this, and the heavy moral decisions they must make in order to save people. When that duality is shown, of no one really being good or evil in this situation, it feels a lot more realistic than most antagonist stories in zombie shows.
All Of Us Are Dead reminded me a lot of Will Smith’s I Am Legend, in the way that no human is really the ultimate villain - the infection is. The virus is. And that’s what makes this such a great zombie show.
The Zombie Situation Evolves In A Way Many Other Zombie Shows Don't
I really don’t want to spoil too much here, so let me just say this - the zombies in this show are unlike anything you have ever seen before.
Mild spoiler, but the people who are bitten turn quick in this show, almost World War Z levels of quick, which is what causes this epidemic to spread so easily. However, this show does something with its zombies that isn’t done quite common, creating an even more intriguing storyline that could potentially carry itself into another season, if ordered by Netflix.
Again, I don’t want to reveal what exactly happens with these zombies because you should find out for yourself, but yeah, you should be afraid - very afraid. And boy, am I scared when watching this show. Just imagine a whole entire horde of zombies racing after you - God, I’m shaking just thinking about it.
If zombies are your thing as much as it is mine, seriously, watch All Of Us Are Dead. It’s a fantastic series with a well-written plot that will capture your attention from the first scene, and has truly become one of my favorite pieces of modern zombie horror. You won’t regret it, trust me.
Stream All Of Us Are Dead on Netflix.
Netflix truly knocked it out of the park with this series, and due to its popularity, I truly hope it gets renewed for a second season. If for some reason you’re here and you have seen the show and are trying to find something remotely close to the series, check out these 10 other amazing Korean horror movies and TV shows you’ll enjoy just as much.
