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The South Korean web series premiered on Netflix on September 17, 2021. On October 12, it was officially recognized as the most popular in the history of the streaming service. Netflix made a lot of money on the project – $ 891 million, while only $ 22 million was spent on the production of nine episodes.
Director Hwang Dong Hyuk has been looking for a producer to develop the project since 2008. He wrote the screenplay himself, based on the financial problems he experienced as a young man.
The idea of the series is not new. Survival game. 456 people are willing to sacrifice their lives to improve their financial situation. $40 million is at stake. Each participant dreams of victory, each has its own story and its own motivation.
If you have already met the most hyped project of 2021, you are probably looking for something similar. Do you like to tickle your nerves? Check out our selection of movies and series similar to “Playing squid”.
10 Experiment “Behind the Glass” (2019)
“Experiment “Behind the Glass”” is a Swedish-Canadian horror film. Eight lucky people are invited to the reality show. All of them are famous people, Internet celebrities. Kasper Nordin is a backing vocalist, but his musical career cannot be called successful. He gladly accepts the offer, hoping to win. A large amount – who will refuse?
The show starts. Viewers must like and dislike, based on their preferences, participants are eliminated from the game. During the first test, one of them is killed. Is it possible to save a life by leaving the project? There is no way back. Participants are waiting for dangerous and sophisticated tests…
9. What Would You Do (2012)
“What would you do” – psychological horror film (USA). After the death of her parents, all the worries about her sick brother fell on the shoulders of Iris. The girl barely makes ends meet. Her brother is seriously ill. Only a costly operation can cure it. Iris never earn that amount.
Soon the girl receives an interesting offer from an aristocratic philanthropist. Invited dinner. A wealthy family is ready to provide all possible assistance, but only to those who prove that they really need it. Along with the other invitees, Iris finds herself locked in a luxurious mansion. Now they must fulfill the conditions of the aristocrat. Only one will survive, and he will receive a large reward. The rest will die. What is Iris willing to do for her brother?
8. Hunger Games (2012)
“The Hunger Games” – American dystopia based on the novel of the same name by Suzanne Collins. The book was very popular, published in 45 countries around the world.
The action takes place in the future. Every year, survival games are held in a despotic state. Of the 24 participants, only one will be lucky.
Katniss lives in District 12 with her mother and younger sister Prim. During the selection ceremony for the participants in the game, the lot falls out Prim. Katniss cannot allow her sister’s death, so she decides to take a desperate step. She is ready to sacrifice herself for the sake of a loved one. The girl goes to the “Hunger Games”. She, like everyone else, has to make a choice – victory or death.
7. Mafia: Survival Game (2015)
“Mafia: The Game of Survival” – a fantastic film of domestic production.
2072, Moscow. All natural resources on Earth are exhausted. Moscow is surrounded by highway overpasses and tall buildings. Humanity is saturated with entertainment. Even talk shows where human life is at stake have low ratings.
Few people are interested in the 57th edition of Mafia, so the organizers need to make some changes to the game. The creator uses a new technique where the participants face their fears with the help of a translator. Each of them finds himself where he would not like to go under any circumstances. Dealing with your phobias is very difficult, so most of the participants will not be able to overcome them …
6. Liar Game (2014)
“The Liar Game” – South Korean TV series in the genre of thriller / fantasy. 1 season, 12 episodes.
The main character Nam Dajeon is a student. A young and pretty girl wants a beautiful life, but in reality only lack of money and debts of her father. Soon she will have a good opportunity to earn money. Thanks to her kind heart, she gets into a reality show. $10 million is the amount of the reward.
At first glance, the conditions are quite simple. The show is based on deceit and lies. The one who manages to mislead the rest of the participants will win. Already at the beginning of the game, Nam is deprived of starting capital, she does not know how to lie. The girl asks for help from another member of the virtuoso swindler Ha Ujin. They team up and continue playing together. Do we have a chance to win?
The series is one of the most unique. Here, even the audience will have to move their brains. It’s not just a game of survival – it’s a game of wits.
5. Survival Game (2020)
“Survival game” – Russian psychological thriller, television series. 16 people are invited to the reality show. Filming takes place in Siberia. Prize – a large monetary reward will be received by the one who reaches the end. Civilization is absent within a radius of one hundred kilometers. Food, personal belongings, smartphones – all this will have to be left behind.
On the second day, strange things begin to happen. The film crew disappears and the participants are left alone in the deep forest without communication. The real struggle for life begins. The participants were not ready for such a turn, but now no one cares about their opinion …
4. Alice in the Borderlands (2021)
“Alice in the Borderlands” – Japanese action movie about the most common problem of all young people – addiction to computer games.
Ryohei Arisu can’t live a day without virtual reality. He is literally obsessed with video games. In the near future, fate will take over his re-education. On this day, Arisu quarrels with his father and brother, leaves home. The guy wanders pointlessly around the city and meets his friends. They see fireworks, the reality surrounding them changes. Around the deserted Tokyo, and friends must participate in brutal survival games.
3. Claustrophobes (2019)
“Claustrophobes” is an American horror film. Several people receive an offer to participate in the quest. Nobody talks about the rules, but the reward is very decent. They are locked in a room. The task of the participants is to get out of the room before they die. One room replaces another, the conditions of the game become more and more difficult …
2. Circle (2015)
“A circle” – fantastic horror movie (USA). The film begins intriguingly. 50 strangers wake up in a large cell. They don’t remember how they got here. People are gathered in a circle, and not one of them can move. In the center of the chamber is a device that kills one participant in a strange game every two minutes. The strangers soon realize that they can choose which one of them dies. Who deserves to die? How to make the right choice? What will happen to the last survivor? You will learn the answers to these questions by watching the movie “Circle”.
1. Royal Rumble (2000)
“Battle Royale” – Japanese film. The country is in crisis. 15% of the population is unemployed. Schoolchildren are also participating in the boycott. To remedy the situation, the government is launching a project called Battle Royale. Schoolchildren are brought to a desert island. On the neck of each child is a metal hoop that explodes if the conditions of the game are not met. The teacher tells the rules. Children must kill each other. The only survivor will be free…