‘Hellbound’ is Netflix’s addictive Korean horror series about demonic angels and new age cults

Thank Netflix’s Squid fishing game and Apple TV+’s Dr. Brain, Korea has recently become a country with a well-deserved online entertainment scene and that trend continues with Hell is bound, a new Netflix series from Train to Busan director Yeon Sang-ho like his modern zombie classic, focusing on the social unrest that arose after unexplainable supernatural phenomena. In this case, it would be the sudden apparition of angels, prophesies of impending and eternal human demise, and a trio of demons who specialize in evil acts. decide for all to see. Unsurprisingly, this shook the citizens of Seoul, which seemed to prove the existence of God – as well as confirm that there is a Hell that some unfortunate souls cannot avoid. from.

Based on Yeon’s webtoon of the same name, Hell is bound (November 19) doesn’t beat around the bush, opening with a cafe patron patiently awaiting his moment of doom. When the clock strikes the forecasted time, earthquakes shake the Earth, followed by the appearance of three black smoke giants intent on killing people. As Yeon envisioned, these creatures resembled the Hulk’s demonic cousins, not only because of their bloated physiques and taciturn gait, but also because of their grip (including on the tops of cars). bowl), swing the victim back and forth with his legs, and perform multiple Hulk Smash maneuvers with two hands. They’re like CGI superheroes turned villains, and they succinctly accomplish this original goal, whom they dismember to bloody pulp in midday traffic and incinerate with magical power. magic, at which point they quickly disappear through an invisible portal.

In the age of ubiquitous cell phones, this public incident instantly becomes a viral craze, in the process, Jung Jin-su (Yoo Ah-in), the leader of a leading cult. the decade known as the New Truth. Jung explains that this episode is not uncommon; it is part of a repeating pattern designed by God who punishes sinners for their mistakes. For Jung, it was proof that God wants people to live according to His precepts, and that He has become so frustrated with injustice and disobedience that He has now decided to banish everyone. pious people. It is, then, divine justice free from error and imperfect human laws. Jung believes the idea should be promoted near and far as a means of improving our corrupt world, and his message will attract even more when another woman comes up to say she received an “edict” from the angel, and was then massacred in public. television in a demonic “rally”.

Jung has an obvious messianic complication but his theory is bolstered by the fact that people have witnessed the creatures’ rampage for themselves, not to mention the proclamation of the angel. It is clear that the chosen ones are heading straight for the kingdom of Satan. However, skeptics remain, including detective Jin Kyung-hun (Yang Ik-june) and lawyer Min Hye-jin (Kim Hyun-joo), who are troubled by more than just cult behavior. by Jung but also by the New Truth’s connection to Arrowhead, a more radical faction engaged in criminal activity. The Arrowhead leader streamed his wild sermons while wearing a skull cap and glowing face paint in the black lights, and his fanatical adherence to the doctrine of the New Truth soon accepted by a large number of citizens, including Jin’s daughter Hee-jung (Lee Re), who is still grieving when her mother was murdered at the hands of a murderer who received an absurdly light sentence.

[Minor Spoilers Follow]

Jin and Min’s quest to get to the end of the game takes up the first half of Yeon’s six-episode series. Then, having provided the full reveal and conclusion to its story, Hell is bound leap forward to a future in which the New Truth has established itself as a social and political power. Now run by another President, it holds power with an iron fist, demands obedience to its scriptures, and threatens unbelievers with severe punishments, delivered by Arrowhead. It is in this new world that TV reporter Bae Young-jae (Park Jeong-min) runs into trouble, courtesy of a shocking turn of events: his newborn child receives an angelic decree. , which contradicts the core tenet of New Truth that sin is both. created by, and therefore editable through, human action. If Bae’s baby is convicted, it suggests that the creatures’ motives are not to punish sinners at God’s command, but to something more mysterious – and perhaps random.

Hell is bound examines its evil premise from various angles, investigating the shame, fear, vigilante rage, and tyrannical oppression that may arise from this paradigm shift of the event. There are many theological problems, such as the view that organized religion exerts control through fear, and that its dominion over believers can only be maintained if will. God’s will is understood as reasonable. Furthermore, it holds that allowing a group to interpret and define supernatural phenomena as gospel opens the door to authoritarianism and thereby destroys the very concept of free will. The conundrums are a constant source of tension in Yeon’s story, keeping him stoked for action but never overpowering the underlying suspense stemming from his and writer Choi’s confident plot. Kyu-sok.

When Hell is boundThe text is reassuring, Yeon’s direction is a bit more on the map. After depicting the maiden assassinations of creatures in the daytime, Yeon increasingly takes everything in the dark, be it chases, chat encounters or deadly fights. . Why he strayed from the light and left everything in the murky darkness is puzzling; even though he’s trying, in the second half of the show, because Train to Busan Gift: PeninsulaThe astigmatism of slums of apartment buildings and shaggy characters, there’s no point in making things indistinguishable. As a result, the climactic suspense of the proceedings is undercut by a fundamental lack of visual coherence, which is too bad considering that Yeon has demonstrated, in the first episodes, the ability to depicts his enormous computer-generated fortune.

The desire to understand God’s plan is shared by all in Hell is bound, but that knowledge is unattainable, making Yeon’s latest a drama about accepting the mysteries of the universe (and His presence and purpose). Even if it stumbles a bit in the second half, it’s a genre attempt that deftly employs modern horror and superhero cinematic grammar to confront age-old questions about relationships. ours with the gods. And as hinted by a final bend of the cliff, it still seems to have additional, creative stories to tell.