Cure Your ‘Sweet Home’ Hangover With These K-Dramas and Movies
The long-anticipated final season of Sweet Home is here, and with it comes the ultimate showdown between the humans, Monster Humans, and neohumans.
The beloved K-drama won’t be receiving another season, which means you might be suffering from a Sweet Home hangover after plowing through season 3’s eight episodes. Fortunately, there’s a plethora of similar K-dramas and movies to help ease the pain.
From All of Us Are Dead to Hellbound, these titles spotlight protagonists forced to navigate dystopian worlds, square off against supernatural monsters, or do a little bit of both.
1. All of Us Are Dead
All of Us Are Dead still hasn’t received a second season, but its first holds up all on its own. Zombie stories are nothing new, but this South Korean drama, based on a Naver webtoon, sets itself apart by making a high school the center of an apocalyptic nightmare.
After a zombie virus spreads through the school and the surrounding city, a group of students must fight for survival. The storyline can be a bit exhausting at times, but fans of the subgenre are sure to find characters to root for in what is ultimately a thrilling coming-of-age story complicated by flesh-eating antagonists.
2. Train to Busan
George A. Romero’s Dead series might have laid the foundation for zombie movies as we know them, but Train to Busan has very much become THE zombie movie of modern cinema. The story itself is relatively simple: A group of train passengers are thrust into chaos after a zombie outbreak violently sweeps across Seoul.
The movie is fast-paced, and the zombies are faster. Much like Sweet Home, the heart-pounding action only slows with smaller moments of humanity. You’ll be hard-pressed to find someone not moved by Train to Busan’s emotional ending.
3. #Alive
#Alive is another South Korean movie that takes a rather unique approach to the zombie subgenre. While the majority of zombie flicks focus on ensemble casts, #Alive follows just one man, Oh Joon-woo (Yoo Ah-in), after zombies trap him in his apartment all alone. It’s not until later that he meets Kim Yoo-bin (Park Shin-hye), a neighbor who gives Oh Joon-woo something to live for.
#Alive might expertly capture the true terror of isolation and loneliness, but it also excels at pulling on heartstrings. Not to mention, its zombies and special effects are up there with the very best.
4. Hellbound
Goodbye, zombies. Hello, dark fantasy. Like Sweet Home, Hellbound is chock full of supernatural creatures, only here, they specialize in dragging select South Korean citizens to Hell. It’s a unique premise that, in turn, bears a unique episode structure. What starts as a detective’s investigation into the supernatural happenings later time jumps to a new set of characters grappling with their baby’s Hell sentence.
Overall, Hellbound offers a solid split between horror and fantasy. It’s no wonder it usurped Squid Game as the most-watched series on Netflix.
5. Squid Game
Speaking of Squid Game, it warrants mention on this list, too. Thematically, it’s dark, delving into the lives of financially ruined people participating in a series of deadly games for the chance of winning millions. Unlike Sweet Home, Squid Game doesn’t have monsters of the supernatural variety. Instead, it reinforces the idea that greed creates human monsters.
It might not have much in common with Sweet Home at first glance, but those who prefer their K-dramas with a little more suspense and mystery rather than just apocalyptic action will surely find something to like in Squid Game.
6. Gyeongseong Creature
Gyeongseong Creature is one of the more unique entries on this list, primarily due to its historical plot. Set in 1945, the series explores the inhuman experiments conducted on Koreans during Japan’s occupation. While Gyeongseong Creature pulls from the dark side of history, it adds a monster twist that works to reinforce the unfortunate brutality that comes with colonialism.
Led by Korean stars Park Seo-joon and Han So-hee, it’s no surprise Gyeongseong Creature is already topping “Best K-drama” lists everywhere.
7. Hell Is Other People
Like Sweet Home, Hell is Other People (also known as Strangers From Hell) has webtoon origins and begins with a young man, Yoon Jong-woo (Im Si-wan), settling into a less-than-desirable new apartment. When bizarre occurrences start up, Yoon Jong-woo suspects there might be more to some of his neighbors than what meets the eye—hence the title.
Hell Is Other People might lack monsters, but it certainly doesn’t lack scares. It’s a psychological thriller with a creepy vibe that might warrant lights on viewing.
8. The Guest
If you’re looking for a pace change after Sweet Home but still want a supernatural story, The Guest just might fit the bill. This supernatural K-drama follows a priest (Kim Jae-wook), a psychic (Kim Dong-wook), and a detective (Jung Eun-chae) as they combat evil spirits.
Solid cinematography guarentees The Guest is a beautiful watch, while the story of friendship between the main protagonists makes emotional investment easy. If supernatural K-dramas are your thing, this is one of the best.
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