What to read, watch, and listen to if you lovedThe Flu
Kim Sung-soo · Film · 2013
If you loved The Flu, start with Happiness (Han Sang-un, 2021) — a series on the same thread. Below: 4 books, 4 series and 2 podcasts, each matched to The Flu across media.
If The Flu hooked you, it is because you are drawn to stories where rapid viral outbreaks force society into terrifying, claustrophobic corners.
Books on the same thread
The Plague
Albert Camus · Book · 1991
Shares a thread with The Flu: Medical Thriller.
Much like the desperate struggle for survival in The Flu, this classic explores the moral weight of human resilience when an infectious disease forces a community to confront its mortality.
The Great Influenza
John M. Barry · Book · 2005
Explores: Pandemics, Public Health, Scientific Discovery.
If the clinical reality of the pandemic in The Flu fascinated you, this historical account provides the definitive, chilling look at the real-world science and social impact of mass outbreaks.
Blindness
José Saramago · Book · 1999
Shares a thread with The Flu: Social Breakdown.
Fans of the quarantine measures in The Flu will recognize the brutal breakdown of order here, as a city descends into chaos following the sudden, mysterious spread of a debilitating condition.
Inferno
Dan Brown · Book · 2013
Explores: Dante Alighieri, Global Pandemic, Overpopulation.
This thriller mirrors the high-stakes global urgency of The Flu, blending a fast-moving biological threat with a complex conspiracy that forces characters into impossible moral dilemmas to ensure human survival.
Series on the same thread
The Strain
Guillermo del Toro · Series · 2014
Shares a thread with The Flu: Medical Thriller.
If you enjoyed the infection-based tension in The Flu, you will appreciate this series, which follows a dedicated medical team racing to contain a rapidly spreading, ancient viral threat in modern New York.
Happiness
Han Sang-un · Series · 2021
Shares 2 threads with The Flu: Quarantine, Medical Thriller.
This series echoes the forced containment and social friction seen in The Flu, illustrating how a deadly virus transforms a sealed apartment complex into a microcosm of class warfare and survival.
Kingdom
Kim Eun-hee · Series · 2019
Explores: Political Intrigue, Plague, Royal Conspiracy.
While set in a different era, this show captures the same political corruption and social panic found in The Flu as a mysterious, flesh-hungry plague threatens to collapse a fragile kingdom.
The Hot Zone
James V. Hart · Series · 2019
Shares a thread with The Flu: Medical Thriller.
Viewers gripped by the government response in The Flu will find this anthology essential, as it highlights the heroic, high-risk efforts of scientists working to contain deadly, world-threatening biological outbreaks.
Podcasts on the same thread
The Truth
The Truth · Podcast · 2026
Explores: human condition, experimental storytelling, moral ambiguity.
This podcast captures the same sense of cinematic dread found in The Flu, delivering short, immersive stories that explore the dark, unpredictable side of human nature during times of intense crisis.
This Podcast Will Kill You
Exactly Right and iHeartPodcasts · Podcast · 2026
Explores: pathogen history, public health awareness, scientific curiosity.
If the scientific mystery of The Flu kept you watching, this podcast provides a deep, expert dive into the biology and history of the very pathogens that cause such global devastation.
Keep exploring
Common questions
Is The Flu based on a true story?
The Flu is a 2013 fictional movie directed by Kim Sung-soo. It depicts a scenario where a flu virus rapidly evolves into a pandemic, leading the government to implement extreme containment measures as the death toll rises and public panic spreads throughout the population.
What happens in the movie The Flu?
In The Flu, a lethal virus begins to spread, quickly morphing into a widespread pandemic. As the death toll increases and the living population falls into a state of panic, the government decides to take extreme measures in an attempt to contain the outbreak.
Who directed The Flu?
The 2013 movie The Flu was directed by Kim Sung-soo. The film focuses on the rapid escalation of a viral outbreak into a pandemic and the subsequent extreme containment measures taken by the government amidst the mounting death toll and widespread public panic.
Does The Flu involve a government response?
Yes, the government plays a central role in The Flu. As the virus evolves into a pandemic and the death toll mounts, the government implements extreme measures to contain the infection while the living population struggles with the resulting panic.