Netflix’s Squid Game has absolutely nothing to do with Stephen King‘s horror. One might find a few thematic overlaps between King’s stories and Squid Game, but the hit Netflix K-drama lacks traditional horror elements. Interestingly, though, a new show on Netflix seems to perfectly combine Squid Game survival horror with Stephen King supernatural terror.
The show in question, Dead-End Job, follows a simple premise. It focuses on a broken and desperate man, Hyuk‑jun, who decides to take up part-time jobs through a mysterious agency. Soon, every job turns into a battle for survival, reminding one of Squid Game‘s titular games. With every job comes a supernatural threat, seemingly straight out of a Stephen King book.
Dead-End Job‘s Squid Game parallels become even more evident when it gamifies Hyuk‑jun’s jobs. With every job, Hyuk‑jun has a ticking clock over his head, and he is expected to navigate a set of rules and conditions to be able to survive. Like Stephen King’s books, the Netflix horror series also finds terrors in the mundane and everyday struggles of blue-collared jobs.
In its 8-episode runtime, Dead-End Job even features Stephen King-esque monsters like an evil clown, a deadly mist, and a self-driving car. Considering how brilliantly Dead-End Job gamifies its horror by combining elements from both Squid Game and Stephen King’s stories, it is not surprising that it is performing incredibly well on Netflix.
Dead-End Job Is Rapidly Climbing Netflix’s Streaming Charts (& It Makes Sense)
In the last week of October, Dead-End Job rose in the ranks to become one of the most-watched non-Engish shows on Netflix for the duration (via Tudum). It has already garnered over 5 million views just a few days after its release. Considering how more and more viewers are checking it out, its viewership numbers will likely increase in the second week.
Dead-End Job‘s early success makes sense. It is not exactly a Squid Game replacement. However, it scratches the same survival horror itch with its gamified format and supernatural twists. It also keeps viewers glued to their screens by introducing a new part-time job/game in every episode while delivering subtle social commentary on real world concerns surrounding capitalism and job insecurity.
Dead-End Job Deserves A Season 2 After Season 1’s Ending
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Image via Netflix</figure>
It is almost surprising that Dead-End Job is currently being touted as a limited series on Netflix. Its storytelling format holds immense potential, and the fact that it adopts an original story leaves a lot of room for more follow-ups. Not to mention, Dead-End Job also ends with a massive cliffhanger that perfectly sets the stage for another season.
In the past, Netflix and other streaming services have not shied away from renewing miniseries for more seasons. Given how well Dead-End Job is performing on Netflix, it also seems to have a good chance of returning in the near future. However, the Netflix horror show‘s return will primarily depend on how it performs in the upcoming weeks.
If Dead-End Job‘s viewership only grows from strength to strength moving forward, it could become Netflix’s next Squid Game. Even if it does not match Squid Game‘s virality, it has the potential to etch its own solid identity in the horror genre and potentially beat some of Stephen King‘s direct TV adaptations. Hopefully, Dead-End Job will get to return for at least one more season.
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