Netflix’s latest Korean YA horror series If Wishes Could Kill opens with a disturbing and gripping premise, an app that grants wishes, only for users to die violently within 24 hours. The concept instantly sets a dark tone, pulling viewers into a world where desire comes with deadly consequences. Movie Review: How 'The Drama' Became My Personal 'Dhurandhar' Detox.

‘If Wishes Could Kill’ Plot

The series begins with a shocking scene: a schoolgirl records a chilling message before taking her own life. Soon after, we are introduced to Yoo Se-ah (Jeon So-young), a high school student navigating everyday life at Seorin High. Alongside her is Kim Geon-woo (Baek Sun-ho), her neighbour and love interest, and a group of classmates including Lim Na-ri (Kang Mi-na), Choi Hyeon-wook (Lee Hyo-je) and Kang Ha-joon (Hyun Woo-seok). Their friendships, crushes and school dynamics form the emotional core of the story. While the horror element is central, the show spends a significant amount of time exploring relationships and teenage life. The mysterious app gradually becomes a threat to this close-knit group, setting up a race against time as they try to understand and survive its deadly consequences.

Critics Review

Decider: “If the first episode is any indication, If Wishes Could Kill is more interested in the relationships among this group of friends than actual blood. Sure, there is blood at some point in the first episode, but the relationships and general high school goings-on get a whole lot more story weight. All that being said, though, the friend group that’s going to look into this app has good chemistry, and it’ll be fun and scary to see them race against time to help whichever member of the group that comes under the app’s spell.”

Heaven of Horror: “The Netflix YA horror series comes from director Park Youn-seo, who previously served as second-unit director on Kingdom Season 2 and co-directed Moving. The series was written by Park Joong-seop, who previously wrote the 2023 horror fantasy mystery Dr. Cheon and Lost Talisman. If Wishes Could Kill is the first YA Horror Series on Netflix, according to the marketing material. Apparently, this means the brilliant All of Us Are Dead was regarded as either a YA or a Netflix series. It was certainly a horror series, and one I much preferred to this 2026 release. I suppose the characters were younger, so maybe that’s it. Anyway, fortunately, All of Us Are Dead also has a season 2 coming, so I have that to look forward to.”

DMT: “Ultimately, If Wishes Could Kill is not your second-screen type show, because things go down really fast, but it doesn’t reach the finish line quite how it started. There’s some highlights, and the gore is pretty good, so if that’s all you’re looking for then you’ll still get something out of watching this show. It’s certainly plentiful from start to finish, but at the end of the day, if you care about plot-holes then you might be stuck wondering why this show exists the way it does. I’d say I was rather disappointed by episodes 5-8, so do with that what you want to before you start watching it. With that said though, I give If Wishes Could Kill, an average score of 2.5 stars. I can’t call it bad, but it certainly needs improvement, you know?”

SCMP: “This series ultimately gets stuck in its own narrative weeds – head down, digging up every detail when it should be staring out into the abyss, gleaning tension from not knowing when some unseen terror will lash out. If that seems a little harsh, it is only because it sets the bar pretty high early on.”

Watch ‘If Wishes Could Kill’ Trailer:

Final Verdict

If Wishes Could Kill offers a fresh and intriguing concept with a strong opening, but it struggles to maintain consistency as the story progresses. While the performances and friendships keep viewers engaged, the uneven pacing and narrative gaps prevent it from fully delivering on its promising premise.

TruLY Score by LatestLY
Rating:5

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(The above story first appeared on LatestLY on Apr 25, 2026 06:07 PM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com).