The Mantis: Original Sin (2025)

“To face the monster outside, you must first face the monster within.”

🌑 Introduction

The Mantis: Original Sin (also known as Queen Mantis) is a South Korean mystery–thriller series airing on SBS from September 2025, with global distribution planned on Netflix. Across just eight tightly woven episodes, the show dives into the chilling story of a notorious female serial killer — “The Mantis” — who is forced to collaborate with police when a copycat begins terrorizing the city.

Starring Go Hyun-jung as Jung Yi-shin and Jang Dong-yoon as detective Cha Soo-yeol, the series blends psychological tension, slow-burn suspense, and moral ambiguity into one of the year’s most anticipated crime dramas.

🎭 Performances

• Go Hyun-jung delivers a commanding performance as The Mantis. She is terrifying yet magnetic, her presence equal parts brilliance and menace. Every glance, every measured line of dialogue carries a sense of danger and pain, keeping viewers utterly transfixed.

• Jang Dong-yoon provides the perfect counterbalance as Cha Soo-yeol, a young investigator whose idealism clashes with the dark reality of working alongside a convicted murderer. His vulnerability and determination make him both sympathetic and compelling.

• Supporting roles, though limited in screen time, enrich the story world with layers of corruption, fear, and human weakness.

🔪 Story & Atmosphere

The greatest strength of The Mantis: Original Sin lies in its oppressive atmosphere. Interrogation room confrontations, grisly crime scenes, and fragmented flashbacks to the “original sin” behind The Mantis’s past all heighten the tension to near-breaking point.

The pacing is deliberate — the series chooses to peel back secrets slowly rather than rush from one twist to another. While this method deepens psychological impact, it may feel heavy for viewers expecting constant action.

📸 Visuals & Sound

• Cinematography: Bleak color palettes, neon-lit streets, and haunting close-ups amplify the noir undertones of the series.

• Sound design: Subtle, unnerving music underscores every key moment, enhancing the sense of dread without ever overwhelming the narrative.

🔑 Themes

Beyond the thrills, the series probes deeper questions:

• Can evil ever truly be eradicated, or does it simply change form?

• Is redemption possible for someone defined by their sins?

• And perhaps most hauntingly: is the truth always liberating, or can it be more destructive than lies?

⭐ Final Verdict

The Mantis: Original Sin (2025) is not a light watch. It’s a dark, deliberate, and unsettling exploration of human psychology — designed for audiences who crave depth, ambiguity, and the slow burn of tension rather than fast-paced spectacle.

• Strengths: Go Hyun-jung’s powerhouse performance, atmospheric direction, layered storytelling.

• Weaknesses: The slower pace may test impatient viewers; some secondary plots feel underdeveloped.

Rating: ⭐⭐⭐⭐☆ (4/5)
A chilling and intelligent thriller that lingers long after the credits roll — The Mantis: Original Sin is proof that sometimes the scariest monsters live within us.