Tunnel: Season 1 [Teoneol] – Netflix Series Review

TUNNEL is a Sci-Fi Thriller out on Netflix now. The South Korean series [org. title Teoneol] features a serial killer and time travel. And yes, that’s as awesome as it sounds. Read our Tunnel series review here!

Tunnel is a Sci-Fi Thriller series out on Netflix now. The South Korean series features a brutal serial killer, that seems to leave no trace, and time travel. A serial killer able to escape by travelling back and forth in time is obviously pretty difficult to fight.

Also, yes, this new Netflix series is as awesome as it sounds.

However, be warned, the actual time-travel element doesn’t really begin until episode 2 of Tunnel. Episode 1 of Tunnel does feature several murders though, so it’s not like we’re starting out slow.

Read our Tunnel review of the new Netflix series here!

Tracking a serial killer in 1986 and 2016

The cop trying to catch the serial killer in Tunnel is traveling back and forth between his own time period, which is 1986, and 2016. Obviously, the world has changed quite a lot in those 30 years. Everything is faster and it’s not easy to just “fit in” or even understand what the hell is going on. 

Without going too overboard, Tunnel is a series that works beautifully with its characters along the vein of other brilliant Korean thrillers and horror movies. Especially a movie like The Wailing comes to mind. Of course, this does also mean that each episode is like a mini movie.

You might also enjoy: Our review of the South Korean thriller The Wailing which you’ll find here >

For the record, please don’t be discouraged by the somewhat cheesy opening credits. I’ve come to realize this is simply the style of South Korean TV series. It looks like an awerage soap opera, but it’s so much more.

Another quality production from South Korea

It’s no secret that we’re very fond of South Korean movies here at Heaven of Horror. We even made a list recommending some of the best movies in the thriller and horror genre, just to get even more people hooked on these awesome movies. However, when it comes to TV series, it’s been more of a mixed bag.

Recommended reading: Our list featuring some of the best genre movies from South Korea >

The new Netflix series from South Korea called Vagabond was nowhere near the level we expected. However, the Netflix period piece series featuring zombies was pretty damn awesome, so do check out that one. It’s called The Kingdom and there will be a season 2. Read our review of The Kingdom season 1 here >

When it comes to Tunnel, we’re back to a strong story with characters you care about. As per usual, nobody is 100% good or bad, which is always good. Though there may be an exception or two in this series, which means you should instantly fear for their life. Then again, you never really know what to expect from a series like this.

Watch Tunnel season 1 on Netflix now!

While Tunnel is a new series to Netflix, it was released in its native South Korea back in 2017. This doesn’t make it any less relevant to the rest of the world, so I’m just happy we finally get to watch it.

And yes, there is also a movie from South Korea called Tunnel from 2016. However, that one is an entirely different kind of story about a man being trapped in a collapsed tunnel. This one has the same title since the time travel element is connected to a tunnel. The actual plot revolves around a serial killer and features most of the plot on the cop hunting him across two time periods (1986 and 2016).

Season 1 of Tunnel has 16 episodes and each is more than an hour long. Still, this is very much worth checking out if you like crime, thrillers and stories focused on serial killers.

Season 1 of TUNNEL is out on Netflix in the US, Canada, the UK, Australia and other countries from October 1, 2019.

Details

Creator: Choi Jin-hee
Director: Shin Yong-hwi
Writer: Lee Eun-mi
Stars: Choi Jin-Hyuk, Hie-bong Jo, Hyun-min Yoon, Lee Yoo-Young

Plot

In 1986, Detective Park Gwang-Ho (Choi Jin-Hyuk) desperately tries to catch a serial killer. He chases after the serial killer and goes through a tunnel. On the other side of the tunnel, Detective Park Gwang-Ho finds himself in the year 2017. The serial killer has resumed the killings that began 30 years ago. Detective Park Gwang-Ho works with Detective Kim Sun-Jae (Yoon Hyun-Min) and Professor of Criminal Psychology Shin Jae-Yi (Lee Yoo-Young) to catch the killer.