Netflix’s Sweet Home Review: A Silly and Enjoyable Apocalyptic Series

Sweet Home is a South Korean horror series based on the webtoon of the same name by Kim Kan-bi and Hwang Young-chan. The series is directed by Lee Eung-bok, Jang Young-woo and Park So-hyun and stars Song Kang, Lee Jin-wook and Lee Si-young.

Horror is something that gets me going, especially if it’s the post-apocalyptic, monster/zombie type. These shows have an endless supply of things that it can show because it really doesn’t have to be coherent or essentially make much sense. Post-apocalyptic shows can, however, get too mixed up in its own silliness, which is kind of the case with Sweet Home.

Sweet Home, a 10-episode horror series talks about an apocalyptic world where there’s a virus (?) going around that turns people into monsters based on their desires. Caught in this mess are the people of Green Home, a dilapidated apartment complex with a variety of personalities.

The show focuses on some of these personalities and gives us a backstory about them, however, not everyone gets the same focus as others. There’s suicidal loner Cha Hyun‑soo who gets infected pretty early on in the show. However, he is able to battle the demons within and somehow hold on to his humanity. He and a bunch of misfits bundle up together to save themselves from this outbreak.

A bulk of the story in the series is made up of these people and their personal lives and personalities. With so many members to focus on, Sweet Home takes a lot of time to get us acquainted with all of them and then we see them change and grow in such difficult circumstances. I liked the parts where it focused on these people and their various problems and backstories, it gave a more human touch and let us grow closer to these people and care for them.

The other major portion of Sweet Home is about the monsters. There’s enough gore in this South Korean horror to last a lifetime and it’s delightful to watch. Vying away from the zombie apocalypse stories that are oh-so-common, we get to see other types of unique monsters that aren’t always readily available in many horror contents. However, in spite of these ingenious monsters at hand, most of them are CGI, the quality of which is so bad that it becomes silly instead of horrifying. More often than not you will end up rolling your eyes because of the horrible CGI effects that take away any horror elements that the show started off with.

However, the gore and blood in the series make up for the terrible CGI somewhat. Blood gushes from people’s noses all the time and it’s like watching a faucet push out water. There’s also instances of self-harm, bullying and other forms of abuse which are, in my opinion, scarier than any monster. The way the residents band together to try and survive in such a horrible situation is a great watch and does well to join these themes together.

Performance-wise also everyone delivers. Everyone is believable in their roles and portray their characters with enough care so that you don’t feel like it’s just another caricature. Sweet Home pushes through on its own rapid pace, and before you can catch a breath from the initial rush of energy, there’s more in the next 5 minutes. Honestly, we get to see a monster very early in the episodes and that’s what creates the pace for what’s to come. No sooner do you recover from a monster whammy do you get 5 more.

Summing Up: Sweet Home

Sweet Home, in spite of its many flaws, is a perfectly bingable and fun show that keeps you occupied throughout. Although there are moments where the show drags a bit here and there, it’s nothing major to take you out of it. The entire show takes place mostly inside the apartment complex which gives it a sense of coherence but also adds to the tension of staying in a small space. The pacing is extraordinary and its high-energy narrative makes for a good and fun watch, although don’t expect too many scares.

Sweet Home is streaming on Netflix.

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