Saagar Kote
Netflix’s ‘If Wishes Could Kill’ or ‘Girigo’ is a South Korean horror series directed by Park Youn-seo. Set at Seorin High School, the story follows five students who come across a mysterious mobile app called Girigo, which claims to grant any wish. However, what they don’t realize initially is that those who use it soon face sudden and unavoidable death. After the unexpected death of a classmate, Yoo Se-ah (Jeon So-young), Lim Na-ri (Kang Mi-na), Kim Geon-woo (Baek Sun-ho), Kang Ha-joon (Hyun Woo-seok), and Choi Hyeong-wook (Lee Hyo-je) begin to suspect a connection between the app and a series of supernatural experiences linked to other students.
As they investigate its origins, they are forced to confront extreme insecurity and fear. In their efforts to break the cycle, the group uncovers disturbing truths about the app. Check out this list of shows similar to ‘If Wishes Could Kill’ that deal with suspenseful characters, unpredictable worlds, and the insecurities of the soul.
10. Control Z (2020-2022)
Netflix’s ‘Control Z’ is a Mexican drama series set at and around the Colegio Nacional. Chaos reigns over the educational institution when an anonymous hacker interrupts a school assembly and publicly exposes a student as transgender, leaving the campus shaken and the victim helpless and isolated. Similar attacks continue as more students have their private lives revealed, causing suspicion, arguments, and growing division among classmates.
With fear spreading through the school, Sofía Herrera (Ana Valeria Becerril), a quiet but highly perceptive student who values justice, takes it upon herself to discover who is behind the leaks before her own secrets are uncovered. She is assisted by Javier Williams (Michael Ronda), a new student who becomes involved in the search as the situation worsens. Created by Carlos Quintanilla Sakar, Adriana Pelusi, and Miguel García Moreno, the narrative shares similarities with ‘If Wishes Could Kill’ in that it delves into the minds of youngsters in an academic setting haunted by an inexplicable threat and their efforts to break free of it at any cost.
9. One of Us Is Lying (2021-2022)
Created by Erica Saleh, ‘One of Us Is Lying’ is set in Bayview High and focuses on the lives of five students, including Simon Kelleher (Mark McKenna), Addy Prentiss (Annalisa Cochrane), Cooper Clay (Chibuikem Uche), Bronwyn Rojas (Marianly Tejada), and Nate Macauley (Cooper van Grootel). Chaos reigns when they all report for detention, but only four leave alive. Simon, who runs a gossip platform, suffers a fatal allergic reaction.
Once authorities determine his death is not accidental, suspicion falls on the other students, each of whom has a reason to resent him. As anonymous gossip posts continue exposing secrets, the group works together to uncover the truth behind Simon’s death and identify the person responsible. The Peacock mystery drama show is based on the eponymous novel by Karen M. McManus. It resembles the world of ‘If Wishes Could Kill’ through its depiction of teen angst, personal trauma, unpredictable threats, and the consequences of violence.
8. Pretty Little Liars (2010-2017)
‘Pretty Little Liars,’ created by I. Marlene King, is a mystery drama show set in Rosewood, Pennsylvania. Based on Sara Shepard’s eponymous novel series, it follows Aria Montgomery (Lucy Hale), Emily Fields (Shay Mitchell), Hanna Marin (Ashley Benson), and Spencer Hastings (Troian Bellisario), whose close friendship ends after the disappearance of their group leader, Alison DiLaurentis (Sasha Pieterse). A year later, the four remaining friends reunite when they begin receiving threatening messages from an unknown figure known as “A.”
The sender knows details they believed only Alison knew. After Alison’s body is discovered, they realize someone else is targeting them. As more truths emerge, the girls hope to search for answers about Alison’s disappearance and uncover the identity of “A” before it is too late. The narrative, akin to ‘If Wishes Could Kill,’ is a puzzling story featuring young characters, inexplicable events, threats, and themes of desire and secrecy.
7. All of Us Are Dead (2022-)
Based on the webtoon of the same name by Joo Dong-geun, ‘All of Us Are Dead’ or ‘Jigeum uri hakgyoneun’ sheds light on longtime friends Nam On-jo (Park Ji-hu) and Lee Cheong-san (Yoon Chan-young), and others, who find themselves surrounded by danger at Hyosan High School. The chaos begins when a virus spreads through the school, turning the infected into flesh-eating zombies. With the outbreak spreading rapidly, students are trapped inside the school and forced to fight for survival as they search for a way out.
As the infection reaches the surrounding areas and threatens urban spaces, communication is cut off, and the Korean military works to contain the crisis and prevent a wider disaster. Created by Chun Sung-il, Lee Jae-kyoo, and Kim Nam-su, the Netflix South Korean horror series is an engaging watch. The school setting, the sudden rise in violence, brutal deaths, and the supernatural elements of the narrative connect it to ‘If Wishes Could Kill.’
6. The Midnight Club (2022)
Created by Mike Flanagan and Leah Fong, Netflix’s ‘The Midnight Club’ is a horror drama show based on Christopher Pike’s novel of the same name. It delves into the ups and downs in the lives of Ilonka (Iman Benson), Kevin (Igby Rigney), and other terminally ill young patients living together in a hospice, where they are expected to spend their remaining days in peace. After discovering their shared interest in horror, the group begins meeting every night at midnight to tell frightening stories.
Alongside these gatherings, they also become curious about the possibility of other realms beyond death. They agree that whoever dies first will try to contact the others. As time passes, they begin to suspect that a sinister presence may already exist within the hospice’s walls, leading to greater chaos. Much like ‘If Wishes Could Kill,’ the series features a claustrophobic setting, where youngsters work together to solve a seemingly supernatural mystery linked to violence and death.
5. Chambers (2019)
Netflix’s ‘Chambers’ centers on the trials and tribulations of Sasha Yazzie (Sivan Alyra Rose), a teenager whose life is saved through a heart transplant after she suffers a heart attack. Once she recovers, disturbing visions begin to trouble her, appearing more frequently and growing increasingly intense. Drawn toward the identity of the donor, Sasha becomes obsessed with learning the truth about the donor’s death. As she moves closer to exposing the hidden circumstances and conspiracy connected to it, she also starts adopting traits of the deceased donor, including darker qualities that feel deeply sinister. Created by Leah Rachel, the horror show complements ‘If Wishes Could Kill’ due to its depiction of supernatural phenomena, the element of death, and the lurking secrets that threaten individuals in unlikely circumstances.
4. Dead of Summer (2016)
Created by Ian Goldberg, Adam Horowitz, and Edward Kitsis, ‘Dead of Summer’ is a horror drama show set in 1989 at Camp Stillwater, a seemingly peaceful summer retreat. As school ends and summer begins, counselors, including Deborah Carpenter (Amber Coney), Amy Hughes (Elizabeth Mitchell), and the rest of the camp staff, look forward to a season filled with new experiences. However, the camp’s long-buried and sinister mythology soon begins to awaken. Evil forces emerge from the shadows, and the counselors find themselves trapped in a nightmare that threatens to destroy them. The narrative captures the paranoia and destructive psychological images and themes of ‘If Wishes Could Kill’ and also features claustrophobic spaces and vulnerable characters.
3. Night Has Come (2023)
Directed by Lim Dae-woong, ‘Night Has Come’ is a South Korean horror-thriller series that follows students from Yooil High School on a field trip that turns deadly. At night, everyone at the retreat center receives a message announcing the start of a real-life Mafia game. To survive, the students must identify the hidden killer while eliminating one another. As fear and suspicion spread, Lee Yoon Seo (Lee Jae In) relies on her sharp reasoning skills to uncover the truth, while class president Kim Jun Hee (Kim Woo Seok) struggles to protect his classmates. With rising tension and mounting deaths, the class fights to expose the killer before time runs out, and the consequences get more violent. The show explores the dread of young students, forcing them to take part in violence and confront the deepest fears of their souls, much like the experiences of the characters in ‘If Wishes Could Kill.’
2. Red Rose (2022)
BBC’s ‘Red Rose’ is a British horror drama series that revolves around the experiences of Rochelle Mason (Isis Hainsworth) and her close group of friends who want to enjoy a casual summer after completing their exams. What begins as a carefree break before heading off to college soon becomes disturbing when their smartphones are gradually taken over by a mysterious app called Red Rose. The app issues threatening demands and warns of dangerous consequences if they refuse to obey. As fear grows, the friends struggle to understand whether the menace comes from the dark web or a supernatural force. Created by Michael and Paul Clarkson, the story shares a connection with ‘If Wishes Could Kill’ through its visually engaging depiction of teenage angst, supernatural elements, and the uncertainty of technological development.
1. Light as a Feather (2018-2019)
Based on Zoe Aarsen’s eponymous book, Hulu’s ‘Light as a Feather’ follows close friends McKenna Brady (Liana Liberato), Olivia Richmond (Peyton List), Alex Portnoy (Brianne Tju), and Candace Preston (Ajiona Alexus). Their Halloween night takes a terrifying turn when they play the game “Light as a Feather, Stiff as a Board.” What begins as harmless fun soon becomes deadly as the girls who take part start dying in the exact manner foretold during the game. As fear spreads, the remaining survivors race to uncover why they are being targeted.
When they start to suspect that they are being targeted by someone they know, the situation gets more chaotic and dangerous. Created by R. Lee Fleming Jr., the horror thriller show complements the characters and world of ‘If Wishes Could Kill.’ Both shows feature youngsters in claustrophobic spaces dying, dealing with extreme danger, and battling against greater odds to survive and achieve a sense of liberation.
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