Happiness (2025)

Did a better job than the original.

This remake did what the original didn’t for me. It kept me intrigued enough to continue with the series.

Yes, I acknowledge this review will have some very unpopular opinions.

I placed spoilers at the end of this review.

Overall, this was a pretty good series. Is the script perfect? No, but it managed to keep me invested in the story and characters. I liked this version because it had the perfect type of horror, suspense, and psychological thriller vibe. It really did a great job grabbing my attention and keeping me interested throughout. One minor complaint is it had some missed placed humor and romance elements that really didn’t fit in with the rest of the series. Fortunately, there were not many of them. In many ways, this is like an old school horror movie because many of the characters made some stupid decisions. For me, that just added to my enjoyment. I don’t normally note this, but the opening credits were mesmerizing. I thought the cast did an outstand job with their characters. It was also cool to see Saint Suppapong and Orn Patchanan work together again, both were in “Let’s Fight Ghost”. The cinematography, special effects, and FX make-up were awesome. Most of the music was fine, but there were a few times it had some odd background music choices that did not fit the mood of the scene.

Random Notes:

Warning! This has some gory scenes, but not that bad. However, I have a high tolerance level with gore because I grew-up watching horror films of the 80’s and 90’s.

There is a bonus scene after the ending photo montage in episode 12 which is very ambiguous.

I don’t know how much this mirrors the Korean original series because I dropped that one after the 2nd episode. That series had a bizarre mix of comedy, romance, and suspense that didn’t work for me. It simply didn’t have the type of horror and suspense vibe I was hoping for.

Sophida and Yoshi’s apartment was also used in the “Peaceful Property” series, “Wandee Goodday” series, “Only Boo” series, “My School President” series, and “Good Old Days” series.

I’m 90% certain that Dr. Beam’s childhood home was also used in the movie “My Boo”, “Leap Day” series, “Bake Me Please” series, “Shadow” series, “Sing Again” series, “Mama Gogo” series, and “21 Days Theory” series.




******Potential Spoiler Alert******

Personally, I like that the romance storyline was not a main focus of the series and did not overpower the main storyline. The one time they kissed was, um, well something.

I was able to overlook the stupid decisions with the exception of one. I’m not an infection control expert, but it made no sense to quarantine the individuals that were infected with the ones that were suspected to be infected. You’re telling me that a building that big did not have another area that could be used as a second quarantine area.

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I started this series yesterday and finished it today.

I started this series yesterday and finished it today. That alone says a lot: I genuinely liked it! But there are also a few things I honestly didn’t enjoy at all.

Let’s start with what worked: I appreciated that they didn’t stray too far from the original plot, and that they more or less followed the same sequence of events without turning the story into something completely different.
I also found that some aspects were actually easier to understand in this version: the dynamics were clearer, and certain moments stood out more.
Another good point: the focus wasn’t overly placed on the romance between the main characters, but rather on the unfolding events and rising tension. And I liked that they added little details — things that might’ve been in the original but didn’t really stand out as much.

As for the cast, I love Saint: that face of his, that way of acting that’s both a little mature and still a bit raw… I always find him charming. Orn did a great job emotionally, especially in the scenes involving her father and when she was helping the people in the building.
Petch, though, was my favorite! I had so much fun watching him. He looked perfect with those glasses, and I was so happy to see him again in a role that fit him so well. I adored him.

Now... spoiler alert!

I’m not going to talk about the lack of “chemistry” between the two leads — because really, in a situation like that, who would even be thinking about flirting? You’re in the middle of a pandemic, trying to survive. Romance isn’t exactly a priority.

What really didn’t work for me was how the main characters were written almost as exact copies of the original ones.
Run, for example, felt like a weaker version of Sae-bom. Not emotionally — Orn did convey those parts well — but in her “badass” side. It felt forced, like she was trying hard to copy that specific trait, and it didn’t quite work. Not because she couldn’t do it, but because she wasn’t given the freedom to make the character her own.
Saint had the same issue: his character was clearly modeled after Jung Yi-hyun, and it shows. Unfortunately, that’s a mistake many remakes make — trying too hard to stay faithful. And in doing so, they lose the soul and the chance to tell something truly new.

Patch, on the other hand, was adorable. His character was easy to read from the very beginning, and that’s what made it fun to watch him evolve. Sure, he was a simple, straightforward character — the kind thriller fans usually roll their eyes at because of how basic and predictable he is — but that’s exactly why he entertained me.

One scene I consider iconic in the original is when Yi-hyun chases the car carrying Sae-bom, jumps on the hood and points a gun at the colonel, with her doing the same from inside the car.
The Thai version of that scene… wasn’t bad. But it just didn’t hit me the same way. I’m not sure why exactly — it just didn’t land with the same impact.

In the end, the only character who truly felt like he had his own distinct personality was Jee, the sweet grandson of the elderly couple. Everything else? Fairly standard.

Still, it deserves a high rating — because I had a great time watching it!

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