Korean monster thriller hits Netflix

Poster for “Sweet Home,” a Netflix original series based on a Naver web comic of the same name. Courtesy of Netflix

By Park Ji-won

The highly anticipated Netflix original series “Sweet Home” released on Friday. “Sweet Home” is an adaptation of the web comic of the same title which has 1.2 billion views so far, according to Naver.

The series revolves around Cha Hyun-soo, a depressed teenage boy who lives in an old apartment building called “Green Home” after losing his family members in an accident. The timid boy is suddenly transformed into a “benign” monster fighting against malicious monsters to save the world.

Directed by Lee Eung-bok ― a star producer-turned-director with previous mega-hit dramas including “Guardian: The Lonely and Great God (2016-2017), “Mr. Sunshine” (2018) on tvN, and “Descendants of the Sun” (2016) on KBS ― the 10-episode thriller asks its audience what it means to be a monster or a human being.

Netflix original series “Sweet Home” Director Lee Eung-bok. Courtesy of Netflix

“There are monsters in the series, but I wanted to talk about human beings. I would like to ask our viewers to define what a monster is. In the series, Cha Hyun-soo, the lead role, says that there is a monster which doesn't attack people. I think having a desire and having a monster appearance are not always bad. I would like to talk about such prejudices in this series,” Lee said during an online press conference, Wednesday.

“I have watched many monster films and dramas. But it was the first time for me to see humans who became monsters because of their desires, which was very interesting for me. The entire story is like a fairy tale about a boy who faces a doomed world and turns into a monster to save it. Cha reminds me of Johnny Depp in the film 'Edward Scissorhands,' a character who has a pure and innocent soul. … When it comes to monsters, we tried our best to reflect the desire of the monsters in the characters not to disappoint fans of the original story.”

Cha Hyun-soo, played by Song Kang, in the Netflix original series “Sweet Home” Courtesy of Netflix

While shooting the movie, actors said they were under pressure to honor the original story.

Song Kang, who played Cha, said “As a fan who enjoyed reading the original web comic, I felt pressure to express the inner side of Hyun-soo. But I tried my best to play the role by showing my innermost side and my malicious side.”

Actress Lee Si-young played a character who doesn't exist in the original story. Lee plays Seo Yi-kyung, a former firefighter and a former special forces member who fights against monsters to protect the residents.

“Seo Yi-kyung is a female character who can show that a person who is considered weak ― such as a child, an elderly person, or a woman ― can overcome difficult situations with a strong will. Of course, they can be strong to protect their family. For example, as a mother of a child. I thought that it was necessary for Seo to show the self-driven character in the catastrophic situation, I think audiences would find it entertaining to see how a female character, or a weak character, turns into a strong character to survive. … I had to work out hard as there are scenes where I had to show my body. I did a lot of primitive freehand exercises such as chin-ups, push-ups, and tire rope pulls to build muscle,” actress Lee said.

Director Lee said Netflix invested a lot in this series ― 3 billion won per one episode. More than 90 percent of the episodes were filmed in an 11,570 square meter set.

“To be honest with you, a lot of money was invested in this series. Some may think that it is not economically viable and is a huge challenge from the financial perspective, but the streaming company prioritized the other values rather than efficiency and money,” Lee said.

Most of the members of the production are from Korea, but its team also includes international crews. Legacy Effects, which made special effects for films “Avatar” and the “Avangers” series; Spectral Motion and VFX Studio Westworld, which visualized famous HBO series “Game of Thrones” and Netflix's “Stranger Things”; and Spectral Motion, which made “Hellboy” and “X-Men.”

Top choreographers such as Troy James and Kim Seol-jin participated in choreographing the creatures' movements.

A scene from Netflix original series “Sweet Home” Courtesy of Netflix