Explaining Squid Game is…
a piece of cake. Don’t believe me? Just watch.
The game ‘Squid’ or ojingeo (regional variations aside) is a Korean children’s game played within a boundary that loosely resembles a squid. Teams are divided into two: offense and defense. The offensive team has to hop (on one leg) it's way through the body of the squid and reach back to its head, to win. The defending team has to push them out of the boundary as they try to pass through, to win.
There you go. Easy peasy, lemon squeezy.
If you’re sitting bemused with a quizzical expression on your face, well you, pal, just got played. However, if you’re also a fan of the current Netflix global sensation Squid Game, then you know that life and death is but a game. Hey, you’re in the right place.
서문
Released on 17 September (2021), Squid Game is the official title holder of the most-watched Netflix series ever. Trending in over 76 countries including the U.S, Australia and South Korea, the series took just about 28 days to lay claim to the throne. Bridgerton, the series it took over from, is a period romance set in England and boy, it’s a 180-degree shift in flavour.
The premise of Squid Game is as follows: destitute citizens of the city of Seoul are invited to participate in six games to win a once-in-a-lifetime worth of money. The games are Korean children’s games, with grim consequences if you lose. Death. Often, in brutal fashion. A far, far cry from a colonial romance.
It begs the question, why is the survival horror drama Squid Game trending? How do you explain why a riveted worldwide audience of 142 million (and counting) tuned in to watch the show?
Let’s investigate.
The Netflix Effect: Regional is the new Global
Have you heard of La Casa de Papel? It’s a Spanish television series that premiered in 2017 on the Spanish TV channel Antena 3. Here’s how I heard about it — on September 3 (2021) Abhishek Jain, the CEO of the Jaipur-based software company Vervelogic decided to give his employees a holiday to watch the premiere of the final season of the series. The gesture, needless to say, went viral.
Didn’t ring any bells? I’m talking about Money Heist, which Netflix acquired and premiered right at the cusp of 2018. The series about a criminal mastermind and his accomplices was a runaway hit and currently stands as Netflix’s seventh most popular show. Guess what turned out to be even more popular? Lupin, a French mystery thriller series about a master thief with a vendetta.
There’s a growing tide of non-English language releases by Netflix captivating audiences around the world, with Squid Game becoming the latest global success. This is, somewhat, by design. Netflix has made shows in 40 different countries, subtitled them in 37 languages and dubbed them in 34. As Bela Bajaria, Netflix’s VP of Global Television puts it, the mandate is to “make local language shows that are authentic to the vision, the country and the language.” Thanks to the streaming service, they’re readily accessible to a worldwide audience.
Fun Fact: Since 2019, viewership of non-English language shows on Netflix in the U.S. is up by 71%.
Southeast Asian Horror and the International Stage
You’ve probably heard of Parasite. The Korean social thriller not only won the Oscar for the Best International Feature Film, but it also won the award for the Best Motion Picture of 2020. If you’re not a movie aficionado, it’s (probably) why you’ve heard about it.
What you (probably) don’t know is that both Malaysia and Indonesia sent horror flicks as their official entries for the Best International Feature Film category at the Academy Awards in 2020. Roh, the Malaysian demonic horror inspired by indigenous folklore, earned festival nominations in the U.S., Italy, Singapore and Indonesia along with its Oscar bid. It was picked up for international distribution by Netflix as well as Disney+ Hotstar. The Indonesian horror-thriller Perempuan Tanah Jahanam or Impetigore (title of the international release) won six awards at Indonesia’s highly renowned Citra Awards, was screened at the Sundance Film Festival and broke into the U.S. market by distribution via Shudder, a U.S. based horror/thriller streaming platform.
Explaining why Southeast Asian horror is delighting critics and global audiences alike, Thomas Barker, lecturer in film and television at the University of Nottingham Malaysia told Al Jazeera, “Southeast Asian filmmakers are innovating in a genre that has become somewhat stale in the West, with familiar tropes, storylines and monsters.” If Parasite, which has elements of horror, catapulted Southeast Asian horror into recent public consciousness, streaming platforms are helping the genre reach an international audience, to steadily increasing viewership.
The stage, you could say, was set for a certain Southeast Asian horror series to become an international blockbuster.
The Zeitgeist: Social Horror
What do Squid Game and Parasite have in common? The stories emerge as a result of protagonists on the wrong side of the economic spectrum, with hopes and aspirations to reach the better side. Both reflect on the growing divide between the rich and poor, how the two view and treat each other, expressed through depictions of Korean society, but emblematic of capitalism worldwide. Horror is the medium, but the message is clear: society is the monster.
You can argue that social horror really begins with Night of the Living Dead and Rosemary’s Baby, both released in 1968, using the horror format to depict racial and gender disparities respectively. However, it’s only with Get Out (2017) that the genre received mainstream recognition. The social/political horror won 17 awards including an Oscar for Best Original Screenplay. Since Get Out, social horror has increasingly been in the spotlight, with notable examples being Midsommar, Us, Hereditary, and the aforementioned Parasite which have all enjoyed mainstream success.
Why is social horror having its time in the limelight? Perhaps because we as an audience are more informed and afraid than ever before. Take it from leading sociologist Barry Glassner, “We are living in the most fearmongering time in human history… people waited for the evening newscast or for the morning newspaper to get their dose of fear. Now they get it on their phones.” We’re distinctly aware of the inequality, violence and suffering in our communities — making us question our own moral fabric, on a daily basis.
Squid Game juxtaposes economic inequality with the vicarious thrill of fear and violence. For a global audience increasingly unsettled with the world it lives in, perhaps it brings some catharsis.
결론
Whether you like Squid Game or don’t, it’s taken the online world by storm, and its success will influence the cinematic universe to come. It’s true that no one can really predict what trends across the global network — it’s certainly not your regular cup of tea, let alone a piece of pie. However, I believe the three factors I’ve outlined above showcase some aspects of the climate conducive to Squid Game’s massive success.
Do they foreshadow it? Probably. Perhaps.
