Everything you need to know about ‘All of Us Are Dead’

On one hand, we have The Walking Dead. On the other hand, Squid Game. Now, put your hands together, and you've got All Of Us Are Dead, the new series that has taken streaming giant Netflix by storm, and given Train to Busan a run for its money.

The 12-hour-long series, which just dropped January 28th on Netflix, is definitely binge-worthy. (and terrifying). If you've ever wondered what would happen when the playground becomes a battleground, here's your primer on the South Korean juggernaut that puts a teenage face on the fight against flesh-eating zombies.

It's your classic zombie story, with a twist

In the series, set in a South Korean high school, a teen girl is bitten by a manic lab rat. She then, of course, turns around and bites her schoolmates, and sets off a chain reaction. But the fight for survival is pretty grim, considering that the authorities don't believe there's a zombie outbreak, and leave the school to fend for itself.

Classic zombies versus uninfected humans, right? What sets this apart, is the youth of the zombies. Here, the teen hormones trump the zombie urges. 

Director Lee Jae-kyu told Forbes, "They are not perfectly blended into society quite yet. The school is a confined space where no rescue comes. I thought it was very interesting how the teens are immature but compared to adults, they're more passionate."

“I was wondering what kinds of decisions they would make in life-or-death situations,” he added

"Having high school students as the main characters is a very clever move," writes The Guardian in their review. "Flung about by their hormones, the students’ oversized reactions to the situation heightens the mood of the show. And the fact that they’re always preoccupied with their own stuff, no matter how apocalyptic things get, means that the story can tick along nicely independently of the zombie horde."

You may have seen its precursor before

The 12-episode series is based on the webtoon Now At Our School by Joo Dong-geun, which was immensely popular upon its release in 2009.

Its ratings are through the roof

According to FlixPatrol, which aggregates streaming data, the show topped Netflix’s charts in over 25 countries since its premiere just a few days ago, including in South Korea, Thailand and Singapore. It’s the third Korean series to reach this milestone, like Squid Game and Hellbound.

It stars some familiar faces

If you're up to snuff on your Korean movie gods, you might recognize House Of Hummingbird actress Park Ji-hu and Yoon Chan-young of Doctor John fame in the show. Park Ji-hu won the Tribeca Film Festival 2019 Best Actress winner for House of Hummingbird, and she's only 18 years old. Talk about talent. 

Twitter is loving the show… and the sexy leads

The thirst is real!

BEFORE YOU GO: Tiffany Haddish on dealing with grief and personal lows during her career high

[video_embed id='2363409']BEFORE YOU GO: Tiffany Haddish on dealing with grief and personal lows during her career high [/video_embed]