Netflix has officially announced that If Wishes Could Kill will launch on the platform on April 24, 2026. As the streamer’s first young adult (YA) horror series from Korea, the first teaser trailer is going all out in getting the audience ready to be scared of an app.
Yes, that’s right. The series features a rising ensemble cast, including Jeon So-young, Kang Mi-na, Baek Sun-ho, Hyun Woo-seok, and Lee Hyo-je, as students caught in a deadly supernatural countdown set off by the wish-granting app, which is taking over the classroom.
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If Wishes Could Kill is directed by Park Youn-seo, who is known for serving as the second unit director on Kingdom Season 2 and co-directing the hit series Moving. The series’ screenplay is written by Park Joong-seop. The production focuses on delivering a high-stakes occult thriller that centers on the specific social dynamics of South Korean high school life.
This project is being used to represent the continuation of Netflix’s strategy to support emerging talent while diversifying its portfolio of Korean media, as explained by the streamer in its Newsroom. By moving into the YA horror space, the platform expands its existing lineup of romantic comedies and adult-focused revenge thrillers. If Wishes Could Kill marks the first time the service has produced a Korean series in this genre hybrid, it also serves as an image of the platform’s growing library of international series and films.
While If Wishes Could Kill is the first co-production in the YA Space between Netflix and Korean studios, the streamer previously released All of Us Are Dead, a YA horror series set at a high school during a zombie outbreak.
What is If Wishes Could Kill about?
The narrative is set within the halls of Seorin High School and follows a group of five friends whose lives are upended by an app called Girigo. While the application promises to grant the deepest desires of its users, it demands a lethal price in return.
The series seems to blend traditional elements of school-life drama with intense occult chills and suspense we expect from horror in this age bracket. Beyond the horror and dread of an inescapable ticking clock, the story explores themes of friendship, personal growth, and the emotional bonds between the protagonists as they face terrifying conditions.
The newly released teaser trailer provides a glimpse into the atmosphere of unease that permeates the series. It highlights the five friends’ descent into the curse of Girigo, beginning with a sequence in which Choi Hyeong-wook runs toward Yoo Se-ah in the middle of a classroom while an ominous timer counts down. The footage shows the various teenagers recording their wishes and submitting them through the app, a choice that quickly spirals into chaos and supernatural horror.
If Wishes Could Kill Cast
- Yoo Se-ah: Played by Jeon So-young
- Lim Na-ri: Played by Kang Mi-na
- Kim Geon-woo: Played by Baek Sun-ho
- Kang Ha-joon: Played by Hyun Woo-seok
- Choi Hyeong-wook: Played by Lee Hyo-je
