The premier of the Korean zombie series, All of Us Are Dead, was met with much success. The show was trending worldwide a few days after its release and had successfully captivated the global audience to tune into the bloodbath. But beyond the flesh-eating brain-hungry, mindless monsters, the show is peppered with social commentary. Let’s look at some of them.

Weaklings turning into wicked monsters 

Bullying is the main theme that forms the crux of the Netflix show. The science teacher’s son is bullied mercilessly until he starts attacking the bullies. It is later revealed that his father injected him with a superhuman serum that turned him into a zombie.  

Another girl is a victim of cyberbullying—she is called a slut, forced to strip while the bullies snicker. By the end of the series, she is shown as someone who has zero empathy left in her body as she murders those who wronged her. The science teacher who created the Jonas Virus was also a victim. 

Religious themes in All of Us Are Dead

The act of bullying is preceded by a shot of an upside-down cross. An upside-down cross has only one meaning: Evil. When the science teacher visits his son in the hospital he sees that he created evil, and he uses the Bible to beat him. 

Unsympathetic to the refugees

The citizens of South Korea are shown to be unsympathetic to the survivors. The protestors on the borders of Hyosan demand the survivors go back and even assault them. The refugees are taken to a military camp and are still treated as outsiders by the rest of the people four months after the outbreak. 

Identity crisis 

The hambies’ search for identity will resonate with the adolescents watching All of Us Are Dead. As Nam Ra says at the end of the series that she’s neither a human nor a zombie just like teenagers aren’t fully adults, but aren’t kids either. 

Survivor’s guilt in All of Us Are Dead

The kids make it out alive. But as they approach the military men guarding the borders of the town, they remember the sacrifice of the others that got them there. They are overwhelmed with guilt for being the only survivors. 

Have you picked up on any other themes as you streamed the show that we may have missed? Comment down below.