This review may contain spoilers
the reflection of this kdrama is spectacular!
Stranger From Hell, also called Hell is Other People, in analogy to the term used by the philosopher Sartre, is a psychological horror film that explores the depths of the human psyche, questioning to what extent the environment can influence and shape an individual's morality, since, according to Sartre's ideas, human beings tend to blame others for their own mistakes and character flaws, when, in fact, they themselves are responsible for them.Well, the drama tells the story of Jong Woo, a young crime writer who dreams of advancing in his career and moves from the countryside to the capital Seoul after getting an internship. In order to save money, he looks for cheap places to rent, until he finds a poorly maintained and old studio apartment with a very questionable room, in which a man had already committed suicide on the premises, and which, therefore, was at a price that fit his budget. From then on, this young man's life begins to fall apart, he soon realizes that his roommates are very peculiar; They are a guy who is always laughing in a disturbing way, another who is extremely perverted and wears an ankle bracelet, and also Moojon, a super charismatic and mysterious dentist who lives next door. In the first few days, he even tries to adapt to the routine, however, things seem too strange, continuing to hear noises, whispers and footsteps in the hallways at night, and with each passing day the feeling of being watched only increases. In addition, Moojon begins to demonstrate manipulative behavior and a certain fascination for the protagonist, starting a process of total distrust of Jong Woo with the residents, who seem to be undeniably suspicious.
As the story progresses, we discover how problematic they are. Moojon is a psychopathic maniac who likes to torture others psychologically and physically and who, with the help of his studio apartment colleagues, commits several murders and tries to form and find new people with a tendency towards madness and psychopathy, just like Jong Woo. It is worth noting how much the protagonist already showed toxic traits and aggressive episodes, such as during his military service, which reveals his tendency towards madness, since he does not show tolerance towards social conversions and others, such as his coworkers, relationships and even neighbors. In fact, dealing with people is not an easy task, especially knowing that each one has their own personality, way of acting and individuality, and this is normal, people are different and opinions clash. We see many problems in others, but have you ever stopped to think that for others, you are the other? Clearly our protagonist cannot digest this.
Then, things reach their peak when Jong Woo discovers a secret room in the building, where he finds evidence of horrible crimes that his neighbors committed, which makes him extremely paranoid about the situation. He tries to escape but cannot do so in any way, until he is forced to face them directly. Towards the end of the drama, together with a police officer who was working on the case, they technically manage to defeat the residents, who end up dying in the fight for various reasons, as if they themselves started to fight each other. HOWEVER, there is a big plot twist, when, after Jong Woo is hospitalized, the police officer goes to visit him and identifies the sound she was looking for: the movement of the teeth of Moojon's victims that he had given to the protagonist in the form of a bracelet. This same sound was heard by her when the pervert had been murdered, that is, Jong Woo was actually responsible for all the murders that happened, from that one to Moojon's, in which he presents several hallucinations as if they were really talking at the time. The kdrama ends with him writing "Die" several times. - You are the best work I have ever created. Even though Moojon has died, he still remains alive in Jong Woo. In fact, more than physical manipulation, the villain uses psychological manipulation and often presents himself in a subtle way, causing hallucinations and distortions of reality in the victim, mentally exhausting him to the point of making him question his sanity and actually freaking out.
Indeed, the plot goes beyond mere heinous homicides to reveal the psychological nature. “Strangers from Hell” is a literal portrait of our intense negative and intrusive internal thoughts, which, in order to live in society, we have to abstain from.
“It doesn’t matter what they did to you, but what you do with what they did to you” - Sartre
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