#Alive (2020) Horror Movie Poster

#Alive (2020)

MovieZombie Horror Survival Horror Action Horror

Released: June 24, 2020

Runtime: 98 min

15

South Korea

Korean

What if the end of the world arrived while you were stuck alone in your flat, with no food, no internet and a zombie at the door? #Alive is the feature debut of Cho Il-hyung, adapted from Alone, a script by American writer Matt Naylor. It opened in Korea in June 2020 during the pandemic, drawing more than 200,000 viewers on its first day, then became a worldwide hit on Netflix in September 2020. Yoo Ah-in plays Joon-woo, a gamer trapped in his family's apartment during a zombie outbreak. Park Shin-hye plays Yoo-bin, a survivor in the opposite building. Released in a year of lockdowns, its story of isolation hit a nerve.

6.7/10

Horror Jungle Rating

IMDb

6.3/10

IMDb Rating

88%

Rotten Tomatoes

Watch Trailer Where to Watch

QUICK HORROR SNAPSHOT

Creepiness & Uncanny

5/10

Monster / Killer Threat

7/10

Atmosphere & Dread

6/10

Re-watch Value

6/10

Gore & Violence

6/10

Jump Scares

6/10

Psychological Terror

6/10

Overall Scare Factor

6/10

Tension & Suspense

7/10

Official Trailer

Where to watch

Updated November 13, 2026

Netflix

Available

SHOULD YOU WATCH IT?

Worth Watching?A quick, fun zombie survival film, especially if you liked Train to Busan.

Yes

Watch Alone?Easy to watch solo. The lonely hero makes it oddly fitting.

Yes

Watch in the Dark?The night scenes benefit from a dark room, but much happens in daylight.

Maybe

Good for Date Night?Fast, light enough and with a sweet bond between the two leads.

Yes

Watch With Parents?Little sexual content. The violence and one suicide attempt are the main concerns.

Yes

Beginner Friendly?A good first zombie film, with moderate gore and a hopeful tone.

Yes

Family Friendly?Fine for older teens, but too violent for young children.

Maybe

Slow Burn?The outbreak starts in the first few minutes.

No

Headphones Recommended?The zombie snarls and the radio scenes are better with good sound.

Maybe

18+

Age RecommendationContains strong horror content, violence, and disturbing themes.

16+

Spoiler Free Review

Yoo Ah-in carries the first half almost alone, and he is very good. Joon-woo is not a hero. He is a young man who never had to look after himself, slowly running out of food, water and hope. His drone flights and live streams make him feel very modern.

The film picks up when Park Shin-hye arrives. Yoo-bin is calm, prepared and deadly with a hatchet, and their friendship across two balconies, talking by walkie-talkie and laser pointer, gives the film its heart.

The zombies are fast and vicious, and some keep habits from their old lives. The set pieces, like a zip line between buildings and a dash through a stairwell, are well staged and tense. The violence is bloody but not extreme.

The weakness is the story. After a strong first hour, the final act leans on a familiar human villain and a very convenient rescue. It is not as clever or emotional as Train to Busan, but it is a tight, entertaining 98 minutes.

What Works

Yoo Ah-in makes the lonely, unprepared hero believable and likeable.

The two-building setup and the walkie-talkie bond are fresh for a zombie film.

The zip line and stairwell sequences are genuinely tense.

Its lockdown story felt very timely in 2020.

What Doesn't Work

The neighbour villain in the last act feels like a cliche.

The helicopter rescue ending is too neat and easy.

The zombies are never explained, and the wider outbreak feels thin.

FINAL VERDICT:

#Alive is a lean, fun zombie survival film with two strong leads and some great set pieces. It is not a classic, but it is an easy recommendation for a night in. If you want a lighter Korean zombie film than Train to Busan, this is a good pick.

Be Careful, Spoilers Ahead

Plot Summary (Spoilers)

Oh Joon-woo, a young gamer and streamer, wakes up alone in his family's apartment as a zombie outbreak hits Seoul. A neighbour forces his way in, turns, and attacks him before Joon-woo pushes him out. His parents text that they are safe. He barricades the door with the fridge and posts a call for rescue online.

Days pass. Joon-woo uses a drone to scout and sees the whole complex overrun. The phone network, internet and water slowly fail. A zombie breaks in, destroying his food, and he lures it off the balcony. Starving, he drinks alcohol and hallucinates. A voicemail from his family records the moment their shelter was overrun.

In despair, Joon-woo tries to hang himself, but stops when he sees a laser pointer flashing from the opposite building. It is Kim Yoo-bin, another survivor. They connect a zip line between their apartments, with help from his drone, and Yoo-bin kills a zombie firefighter who climbs the cable. Joon-woo raids a neighbour's flat for supplies and walkie-talkies, and the two become friends.

Running low on everything, they decide to reach a safer floor of Joon-woo's building. They fight their way to the eighth floor, where a stranger lets them in and feeds them. The food is drugged.

Ending Explained

The stranger ties them up and locks Yoo-bin in a room with his infected wife, planning to feed her. Yoo-bin covers the zombie's head, and when the man opens the door, his wife attacks him. Yoo-bin takes his gun and shoots them both.

The gunshots draw a horde. Trapped, Yoo-bin asks Joon-woo to kill her before the zombies get in. Just then they hear helicopters. They run to the roof, where a military helicopter holds off the zombies and lifts them to safety.

A news report explains that the army is rescuing survivors who posted on social media. Joon-woo's old rescue post, which he made at the start, is part of the reason they were found. The hashtag #StayAlive turns into #Alive. The message is simple: staying connected, and not giving up, is what saved them.

Hidden Meaning & Symbolism

The film is about isolation, and its release during the 2020 lockdowns made that theme feel very real.
Joon-woo's phone and drone show technology as both a lifeline and a reminder of how alone he is.
The neighbour who feeds survivors to his wife shows how love can turn into something monstrous in a crisis.
The hashtag ending suggests that reaching out to others, even online, is what keeps people alive.

Scariest Moments

1

First Visitor: A bloody neighbour begs to come in, then turns into a zombie inside Joon-woo's flat.

2

Fridge Barricade: A zombie smashes through the door and knocks over the fridge, ruining his food.

3

Firefighter on the Line: A zombie firefighter pulls on the zip line and starts climbing toward Yoo-bin.

4

Eighth Floor Run: The pair fight down the stairwell toward locked doors with a horde right behind them.

5

The Locked Room: Yoo-bin is shut in a room with the stranger's infected wife.

Parents Guide / Trigger Warnings

Jump Scares

Moderate

Several sudden zombie attacks.

Graphic Gore

Moderate

Bloody bites and hatchet kills, but nothing extreme.

Suicide / Self Harm

Moderate

Joon-woo tries to hang himself, and Yoo-bin asks to be killed.

Flashing Lights

Mild

Laser pointer and flashlight signals at night.

Substance Abuse

Mild

Joon-woo drinks alcohol to survive when water runs out.

Child Death / Peril

Mild

Some young zombies appear in crowds. No main child characters.

Animal Death

None

No animal deaths are reported in the reviews and plot summaries we checked.

Nudity

None

None.

Sexual Content

None

None.

Trigger Warning Notes:

Contains violent zombie attacks, a suicide attempt by hanging, the implied death of the hero's family and a man who drugs survivors to feed them to his infected wife.

Trivia

It is based on Alone, a script by American writer Matt Naylor, who co-wrote the Korean adaptation with director Cho Il-hyung. Naylor's script was also made in the US as Alone (2020).
Filming took place in Gunsan from 1 October to 12 December 2019.
On its opening day in Korea it drew 204,071 viewers and took 62 percent of the box office, the best first day for any film since the pandemic began there.
Netflix bought the international rights in August 2020 and released it worldwide on 8 September 2020.
It entered Netflix's all-time top 10 non-English films, with 54.62 million hours watched in its first 28 days.
Before release, an Instagram account was created for the character Oh Joon-woo to promote the film.

FAQS (Frequently Asked Questions)

Is #Alive scary?

It is tense and has jump scares, but it is more of a survival thriller than a frightening horror film.

Does anyone die at the end of #Alive?

Joon-woo and Yoo-bin both survive. The stranger and his infected wife are shot by Yoo-bin.

How does #Alive end?

Joon-woo and Yoo-bin escape to the roof and are rescued by a military helicopter. A news report says survivors who posted on social media are being rescued.

Is #Alive connected to Train to Busan?

No. They are separate films with different directors.

Is #Alive the same as the movie Alone?

They come from the same script by Matt Naylor, but they are separate films. Alone (2020) is the American version.

Where can I watch #Alive?

It is on Netflix worldwide.

Does Joon-woo's family die in #Alive?

It is strongly implied. He receives a voicemail recording their shelter being overrun.

Is there a post credit scene in #Alive?

No.

Is #Alive suitable for teenagers?

Older teens should be fine. It has bloody zombie violence and a suicide attempt, but no sexual content.

Movie Information

Original Title

#Saraitda

Release Date

June 24, 2020

Runtime

98 min

Country

South Korea

Language

Korean

Status

Released

Director

Cho Il-hyung

Writer

Cho Il-hyung, Matt Naylor

Main Cast

Yoo Ah-in, Park Shin-hye, Jeon Bae-soo, Lee Hyun-wook, Lee Chae-kyung

Production Company

Perspective Pictures, Zip Cinema

Distributor

Netflix

IMDb Page

Also Known As

Alive, #Saraitda