REVIEW: ‘If Wishes Could Kill’ Has Teeth And Leaves A Mark

Wishes going horribly awry is something the horror genre loves to revisit, even when it follows similar paths. In Netflix’s YA Kdrama horror, If Wishes Could Kill, director Park Youn-seo and screenwriter Park Joong-seop blend the familiar monkey’s paw trope with a blend of modernity and shamanistic folklore that makes this genre staple a fascinating ride. While some plot-related matters fall short or leave unanswered questions, there’s no denying that this YA horror has teeth.

If Wishes Could Kill opens with a brutal death before jumping forward in time, where we meet a group of students at Seorin High: Yoo Se-ah (Jeon So-young), a rising track and field star, her not-so-secret boyfriend, Kim Geon-woo (Baek Sun-ho), the oh-so-pretty and popular, Lim Na-ri (Kang Mi-na), the scholarly and analytical, Kang Ha-joon (Hyeon Woo-seok), and the awkward otaku, Choi Hyeong-wook (Lee Hyo-je). Like any group of longtime friends, they butt heads, joke, and laugh with one another.

At least, that’s how it is before Hyeong-wook uses the Girigo app. It’s an app that will grant you your dearest wish, but once it does, a countdown begins. And, as this group of friends finds out, once the clock hits zero, that means you’re dead. One by one, each person in this group finds themselves at risk for getting involved with the app, either directly or indirectly. As hormones and tensions rise among these students, fractures emerge, and they all realize where each person’s heart and motivations lie as they try to survive.

What starts off as a fun app quickly turns deadly in If Wishes Could Kill.

If Wishes Could Kill runs a fairly straightforward path in its first two episodes before screenwriter Park Joong-seop shakes up expectations. There are established rules, and the deaths are gnarly, following a pattern similar to the one in the series’ opening scene. Once Se-ah makes a pivotal decision, one arguably entirely expected from her, what happens next opens up the door for experimentation with the rules as we know them. This is also where the series’s shamanistic elements come into play.

The arrival of Ha-joon’s sister, Haetsal (Jeon So-nee), and her partner, Bangwool (Roh Jae-won), adds some intrigue and confusion when the story shifts deeply into the realm of the supernatural. The reasoning for Haetsal staying locked within the parameters of her isolated location makes some sense, but there are more questions than answers by the end of If Wishes Could Kill, especially once Bangwool experiences a revelation of his own. As a knowledgeable shaman who might be able to help Se-ah and her friends, her inclusion works. The backstory? Not so much.

Yet it’s clear that if the series gets greenlit for a second season, there are at least some questions it can address moving forward, especially if it includes these two shamans again. However, sometimes the questions that arose were distracting. With only eight episodes to spare, If Wishes Could Kill needed further tightening of its story to keep itself from straying away. In other cases, like when the series pivoted to exploring the relationship between Do Hye-ryung (Kim Si-ah) and Kwon Si-eun (Choi Ju-eun), we got just enough to work with, but there was room to push further. 

The pivot into the story’s shamanistic elements adds both intrigue and some loose ends.

Given the parallels between the toxic female friendships between Se-ah and Na-ri, and Hye-ryung and Si-eun, If Wishes Could Kill shows how these friendships morph into something more poisonous with far-reaching consequences. Unspoken envy, immaturity, and secrets have a way of spilling forth and impacting everyone around. Arguably, this element draws more focus long after the initial haunted app is introduced. 

What makes this even more impactful is how committed everyone is onscreen. The entire cast of If Wishes Could Kill is amazing to watch, even when the script takes a direction or tone that doesn’t quite match the scenarios (like the awkward chase scene halfway through the series that just didn’t quite fit the overall tone). As the protagonist, Jeon So-young is impossible to look away from. Naturally charismatic and strong, yet still vulnerable where it counts, it’s no wonder that Na-ri wants what Se-ah has based on Jeon So-young’s portrayal.

As her rival and counterpart, Kang Mi-na portrays Na-ri as initially a somewhat mean, immature girl, yet still amicable with her friend group. There’s no sense of the deep levels of insecurity and hatred she has towards Se-ah. At least, not immediately. As If Wishes Could Kill progresses, Kang Mi-na channels Na-ri’s deep-seated rage, possessiveness, and psychopathy into her performance, making the inevitable clash of friends-turned-enemies all the more intense by the series’s end. 

Curses are born somewhere, and what better place than the ruined foundations of a toxic friendship?

In all the horror and gore of If Wishes Could Kill, an additional applause must be given to Lee Hyo-je as the ill-fated Hyeong-wook. He exudes the characteristic awkwardness that the otaku archetype requires, but once the curse takes hold, his physicality takes on a whole new level. Elevated into a haunting harbinger of things to come for Se-ah, Lee Hyo-je runs the gamut of emotional extremes, creating the image of both pitiful victim and psychotic murderer. 

The visual language of the horror constructed by director Park Youn-seo and the crew is memorable. Red hues illuminate the sinister nature of the newly introduced supernatural, hinting at hellish powers waiting to take what’s theirs. Against these darker visual tones, Haetsal’s sanctum, with its usage of white, creates a distinct dichotomy between the powers of light and dark. But what is most surprising is when the horror shifts to daytime. Without the cover of shadow and darkness, there’s nowhere to hide, and what is seen shocks and disturbs.

This all comes together to create a memorable, albeit flawed, YA horror viewing that leaves us wondering what will happen next. If Wishes Could Kill takes a familiar premise and makes it fresh with its infusion of shamanism and exploration of toxic friendships. With some tighter edits to the story and maybe a couple more questions answered, it could have had further impact. What we do get, though, is a horror with some bite to it, and it will certainly leave a mark.

If Wishes Could Kill is now streaming exclusively on Netflix.