A deadly wish-granting app drives a teen thriller led by rising Korean actors
Following in the footsteps of Korean youth-oriented horror hits like "Whispering Corridors," Netflix is launching its own Korean young adult genre entry, "If Wishes Could Kill," spotlighting a slate of rising Korean actors.
The series centers on a group of high school students who discover a mobile app called Girigo that grants users’ wishes, but at a deadly cost: Whoever makes a wish is killed within 24 hours.
With a cast largely made up of emerging actors, the series is a potential launchpad, echoing the role the popular "Whispering Corridors" films have played in the Korean industry.
Speaking at a press conference in Yongsan on Tuesday, director Park Yoon-seo — the hitmaker behind "Moving" and "Kingdom" — said he hopes the show succeeds as a platform for discovering new talent. He added that he is considering whether "If Wishes Could Kill" should adopt an anthology format or continue its current narrative going forward.
As horror has traditionally been anchored in feature films, the shift to a serialized format prompted a different creative approach. Park noted that extended runtime allowed for a stronger emphasis on narrative cohesion and internal logic.
“Films often rely on a tighter runtime to deliver impact through concentrated horror,” Park said. “As a series, we focused on building a more structured narrative and maintaining plausibility, making sure the story sustains immersion through to the end.”
The approach also shaped the show’s overall palette. Rather than adhering strictly to genre conventions, the series incorporates elements of occult, action and school drama to maintain momentum across its eight episodes. Park framed the hybridization as central to the show’s identity.
“We’ve combined traditional horror with Korean-style occult elements,” he said. “There are aspects that feel distinct from other works, and we structured the narrative to remain tightly paced throughout.”
The emphasis on grounded storytelling extends to the performances.
Actor Jeon So-young, who plays the lead role of Se-a, described the series as balancing realism with heightened, supernatural elements. “It’s a mysterious project that blends the realistic and the unreal,” she said. “The experience can feel different depending on whose perspective you follow. While the visual effects are strong, many scenes were performed by the actors themselves, which may help deepen immersion.”
At the same time, the production did not set out to cater to international audiences. Instead, according to Park, the focus remained on local specificity, with the belief that distinctly Korean elements would resonate more strongly abroad.
“Rather than tailoring it for global viewers, I wanted to highlight distinctly Korean elements,” he said. “That, I think, can feel fresher to audiences abroad. At the same time, the idea of a curse spreading through a mobile app is something universally relatable.”
"If Wishes Could Kill" premieres Friday on Netflix.
yoonseo.3348@heraldcorp.com
