'Sweet Home' director unafraid of criticism as final season reaches bold ending

'Sweet Home' director Lee Eung-bok discusses his journey with the series and dealing with the criticism that followed the show's second season.

A still from the last season of Netflix's apocalyptic horror series ″Sweet Home″ [NETFLIX]

Meeting the expectations of an eager audience is no easy task, especially following massive success. This was the challenge for Netflix’s apocalyptic horror series “Sweet Home,” which debuted its first season in 2020 and recently released its grand finale on July 19. Director Lee Eung-bok, fully aware of the stakes, has welcomed constructive criticism with open arms, not only for his own improvement but also to pave the way for future K-creature works.

“I think if criticism can be constructive and witty, then that can also be a good reward,” director Lee said to reporters during an interview on July 25, in Jongno District, central Seoul.

The last season of “Sweet Home” centers around a world where the boundary between humans and monsters is blurred, and a new type of humanity, the so-called neohuman, arises. The series’ universe is based on the Naver webtoon of the same name, created by Kim Carnby and Hwang Young-chan. In the series, humans suddenly become monsters with an appearance that reflects their deepest desires.

Director Lee took the helm of all three seasons, which he described as being a “painful” journey.

Netflix's apocalyptic horror series ″Sweet Home″ director Lee Eung-bok [NETFLIX]

“Since ‘Sweet Home’ was a project that differed greatly from the work I had done before, directing the series was both a burdensome and painful experience for me,” Lee said. Before taking the helm of the horror series, Lee was more renowned for his previous romantic works, such as the KBS series “Descendants of the Sun” (2016) and the tvN series “Guardian: The Lonely and Great God” (2016-17) and “Mr. Sunshine” (2018).

Lee wanted to raise questions about humanity through the series, asking viewers what they would do if they were in the shoes of the characters. “The series raises questions about what path humanity will take within such a universe and how one might react if their loved ones, family, friends or neighbors had become neohumans.”

Neohumans are monsters who have undergone the final stage of “monsterization,” turning them into emotionless humans with the attributes of monsters.

When the highly anticipated second season of the series was released last year, fans left scathing reviews about the introduction of the new characters that did not appear in the previous season, saying they made the narrative loose.

A still from the last season of Netflix's apocalyptic horro series ″Sweet Home″ [NETFLIX]

A still from the last season of Netflix's apocalyptic horro series ″Sweet Home″ [NETFLIX]

Lee described the additions as "inevitable" because the characters move to a more open space after leaving the main setting of season one, the Green Home apartment complex, which was a limited area with a limited number of people.

“I believed that simply sticking with just the same characters from season one could later become a trap,” Lee said, adding that he had to decide between repetition and variation.

Numerous monsters appear in “Sweet Home,” which means that computer-generated imagery (CGI) is incorporated into the series. Over the last five years, the show's approach toward CGI has changed, significantly, according to Lee.

“In season one, we took a reserved approach to using CGI, as it was mostly shot indoors,” Lee said. “We tried not to show much [of the CGI figures in season one]. But from seasons two and three, we tried to use CGI more boldly, as the setting was in a more open space.”

Lee also hinted at the possibility of a spinoff, though he emphasized that it remains only a consideration.

A still from the last season of Netflix's apocalyptic horro series ″Sweet Home″ [NETFLIX]

Despite some negative feedback, many acknowledge that "Sweet Home" significantly boosted the development of the Korean creature genre, for which Lee expressed his gratitude.

“[Making creature works] is both time-consuming and cost-intensive, so it’s important to move forward step by step,” Lee said. “‘Sweet Home’ was also done like that, and I hope that the series can serve as a valuable reference for future projects.”

BY KIM JI-YE [kim.jiye@joongang.co.kr]