Sweet Home was one of the most popular Korean shows to premiere on Netflix in 2020. Combining a horror theme with a somewhat timely premise, the Webtoon adaptation was noted for its incredible special effects, which pushed the series to become the first South Korean TV show to break into Netflix's Top 10.
Its premise of monsters in disguise also brings to mind another franchise that hit it big in 2020. Though it originally launched in 2018, Among Us became a huge phenomenon in 2020 thanks to streamers on Twitch. Featuring monstrous impostors who creep among unsuspecting victims, the game bears more than a few similarities to Netflix's hit K-Drama.
Sweet Home
Based on the Korean Webtoon by Kim Kan-bi and Hwang Young-chan, Sweet Home is based around the life of Cha Hyun-soo. Having recently lost his family in a tragic accident, Cha moves into an apartment in an attempt to begin a new life. This is all quickly upended, however, following the announcement of a mysterious virus.
This virus is revealed to be turning people into monsters based on their desires, with even the most unassuming people being monstrous beasts in disguise. Cha and those stuck with him in his apartment complex must soon learn who among them is a monster, and survive when they make their discovery. Likewise, many of them begin exhibiting incredible powers of their own, which aid them against the monsters and make others convinced that they are the enemy.
Among Us
Among Us is a multiplayer game in which the players complete various tasks around a compact map. But among these crewmates are imposters whose goal is to sabotage the crew's mission. Ultimately, the imposters will try to kill off crewmates, with the game ultimately being lost if all of the crew is killed. Clues have to be followed to figure out which crewmates are benevolent and which are imposters, with them initially being indistinguishable from each other. Players that are killed then become ghosts and can aid those that are still alive.
This basic premise of Among Us is very similar to the one in Sweet Home. For starters, the sometimes cramped environments in the game are analogous to the show's apartment complex. Likewise, random, unassuming individuals being killers and monsters is the exact same threat in both projects. The presence of benevolent but not-quite-human ghosts is also similar to otherwise normal humans in Among Us gaining their own powers to combat monsters with.
The main difference between the two is that Sweet Home, contrary to its name, wears its horrifying nature on its sleeve. This includes not only the monsters themselves but also the violence that they inflict on their victims. Among Us, on the other hand, is a colorful, cutesy game with characters that look halfway between the Android and Reddit mascots. In the end, while they may look quite different, both projects share a similar, horror-filled soul.
KEEP READING: Will Netflix's Sweet Home Get a Season 2? (Is It Canceled?)