Top 10 Epic Moments in All of Us Are Dead

It’s been awhile since the last time I posted a series or a movie-related content for this blog. However, I was so hooked by this new horror-survival series from Netflix and I can’t help but to write something about it. For those who do not know it yet, there is a new coming-of-age zombie series in Netflix entitled “All of Us Are Dead“. It seems like South Korea is really taking over this “zombie supremacy” after a series of successful zombie films like “Train to Busan” and “Alive“. Not to mention the notable success of other Netflix series like “Sweet Home“, “Hellbound“, and “Kingdom“.

Just when you thought that they have used all possible concepts for a horror-survival movie, here comes another zombie apocalypse series that will take us to an entirely new setting ~ high school. Concept-wise, the idea of a zombie outbreak in a high school setup is not entirely new. For instance, we have the popular “High School of the Dead” manga and animated series from Japan and also the less successful “Daybreak” in Netflix which got cancelled after one season. All of Us are Dead, however, will give us everything we want from a zombie apocalypse series.

For me, it seems like a wonderful merge between Highschool of the Dead and Train to Busan. Nothing is more terrifying than those highly aggressive zombies in almost all South Korean films and series. The series, however, is more than just horror as it managed to incorporate right amount of drama in this 12-episode long Netflix series. The series will highlight various sensitive topics like bullying, oppressions, suicide, and even teenage pregnancy. It is also wonderful to mention that the series actually originated as a Webtoon (a virtual comics portal in South Korea).

All of Us Are Dead features a great ensemble including Park Ji-hu (On-jo), Yoon Chan-young (Cheong-San), Cho Yi-hyun(Nam-ra), Park Solomon (Su-hyeok), Yoo In-soo(Gwi-nam), Lee Yoo-mi (Na-Yeon), Kim Byung-chul (Byeong-chan), Lee Kyu-hyung (Detective Jae-ik), Jeon Bae-soo(Nam So-ju), and more. Generally, the series follows the story of a mysterious zombie outbreak that started to take place in Hyosan High School. The so-called Jonas Virus that is created by the school teacher Lee Byeong-chan spread quickly that eventually lead to a city-wide catastrophe. Only few students of Hyosan High School managed to stay alive during the outbreak and now, they have to find their ways to escape and survive this nightmare.

If you haven’t watched the series yet, I suggest that you skip this article first as it contains major spoilers. Today, I am listing down ten of the best moments from the series. This is my personal list so if you have something else in your mind that deserves the top ten spots, feel free to share it with me via comment.

The Cafeteria Scene

Things escalated quickly in this series. We get to see how the outbreak started to spread in Hyosan High school. The students-filled cafeteria is definitely not the ideal place to survive for an outbreak. When the group of infected students managed to infiltrate the cafeteria, that’s where the first massive gruesome moment took place. It became more intensified in Episode 2. Cheong-San and On-jo were there as well as Gwi-nam who were trapped there for quite. What makes this moment great? Well, when the fire sprinkler system was activated, it made it even harder for the remaining students to survive. With slippery floor and limited space, escaping the place was seemingly impossible.

The Library Chase Scene

Another epic moment of the series is the library chase scene between Cheong-San and Gwi-nam. After successfully making it through the Broadcast room, Cheong-san and Su-hyeok decided to sneak to nearby rooms to scout for a cellphone. This is where they met the infected Min Eun-ji who turned out to be an asymptomatic to the virus. Things went wrong and Cheong-san and Su-hyoek has to part ways. Cheong-san eventually encountered Gwi-nam and witnessed how he killed the Principal. This lead to an epic chase and fight scene in the library. Characters jumping from one stack to another while fighting and trying to avoid zombies at the same time is just brilliant and remarkable.

When Gyeong-Su Turned

Probably one of the most heart-wrenching moments of the series is when Gyeong-su turned into a zombie. Unfortunately, this is not because he was bitten but betrayed by Na-Yeon. Instead of what supposed to be a reconciliation moment between the two, Na-Yeon decided to infect Gyeong-su by wiping the blood of an infected straight to Gyeong-su’s wound. While we cannot disregard the emotional scene between On-Jo and I-sak that apparently took place in the same room, Gyeong-su and Cheong-san moment is more heart breaking. Good thing that all the anger we felt for Na-Yeon transitioned perfectly with Nam-ra‘s solid slap to her face haha.

The Love of a Mother

The series also shows us the stretch of what a loving mother can sacrifice and do for her child. There are two characters in the series who managed to show their unconditional love for their kid despite the catastrophe. First is Cheong-san’s mom who despite knowing the threat the growing outbreak courageously hit the road in an effort to save his son. Another character is Park Hee-su, a student who just gave birth to a child. While she managed to escape Hyosan High School’s outbreak, she failed to survive the horror of the city. After getting bitten, she made an effort to save her newborn child. She went into a secured place and make sure that her baby was safe and tied herself before she turned into a zombie.

Girl Power

Whether you are in great support of the Classroom Sheltered students or the Bathroom squad, we cannot deny the fact that girls dominated this series. All Jang Ha-ri‘s moments are epic and probably the most powerful non-infected character in the series. Unlike High School of the Dead, this series is not about overpowered weapons and will give us a realistic take on a zombie survival. However, Jang Ha-ri with her bow and arrows along with her impressive shooting skills is just a perfect addition to this ensemble. Not to mention all the “hambie” moments of Nam-ra. Remember when she effortlessly throw Gwi-nam off the stair when the group is quite overwhelmed by zombies while trying to reach the rooftop?

The Barricade Scene

When the surviving students managed to reach the gymnasium, they were welcomed by another terror. It turns out, the gym is also filled with zombies and they managed to hide on the storage room. This is where they planned to create an improvised barricade out of the various materials they found in the storage room. While they managed to pull this off, one of them had to sacrifice himself to save the team. It was a nerve-wracking moment especially when they found out that the exit was locked!

The Reunion

When it is almost impossible for the squad to survive, miracle happened when On-jo’s dad finally arrived. On-jo’s dad traveled his way to Hyosan High School to save his daughter. It was a heart warming moment that they two finally met and how he managed to save the kids from such grave danger. However, just when we thought that it is already a happy reunion, On-jo’s dad had to sacrifice himself to save the kids. It’s safe to say that it is one bitter-sweet moment between On-jo and her dad that took place in just one episode.

Cheong-San and Gwi-nam Final Fight

Ever since he turned into an asymptomatic zombie, Gwi-nam has one goal in his mind and that is to take a revenge to Cheong-san. It was a great surprise when Cheong-san was bitten by Gwi-nam and that he had to sacrifice himself to save the remaining survivors. This moment also lead to the final battle between the seemingly undying Gwi-nam and Cheong-san. I personally thought that Cheong-san will become a hambie like Nam-ra because of his weird responses after being bitten by Gwi-nam. During the epic battle, Gwi-nam finally managed to crash Cheong-san’s left eye. The battle, however, ended in horrific fate as the two succumbed to the massive explosion.

The Hyosan Bombing

When the authorities finally learned how the infected reacts to sound frequencies, they had to act immediately to stop the outbreak knowing that it is already spreading to nearby cities. They came up with the decision to bomb Hyosan. As what they said, a sacrifice of the few can save more lives. With the help of drones, they use the sound frequencies to attract zombies to their designated target locations. I just love how these scenes were executed and how the bombing somehow provide conclusion and hope to the remaining survivors.

The Finale

While most of the series today provide us with underwhelming and disappointing finales, All of Us Are Dead will make us want for more. The series concludes nicely in a way that you are either okay of getting a sequel or not. It gives a nice conclusion that the outbreak is, somehow, over but it also made us eager to know more about the remaining “hambies” like Nam-ra. The hambies will surely give a new threat to Season 2 if ever there is another season for the show. Nevertheless, this is a great series from Netflix and I recommend everyone to watch it!

Photos and Images are from Netflix and IMDB