DEATH in itself can be a terrifying concept to comprehend. Add politics into the equation and it gets deadly. This frightening truth is a reality in Netflix’s latest series, Hellbound. Set between the years 2022-2027 in South Korea, the horror feature sees mighty beings (called angels) deliver bloody condemnations to humans.
At a preordained time, the angels appear and condemn the handpicked individuals to hell. Local religious group New Truth Society and the gang-like Arrowhead take advantage of this situation. The pair gain power by capitalising on people’s fears and ignorance of the strange phenomena.
Directed by Yeon Sang-ho, the dystopian horror series is told through six episodes. Episodes one to three follow the journey of a detective, the chairman of the New Truth, and a female attorney investigating the matter.
Episodes four to six then pick up the story five years later, and revolve around a television producer and his wife who struggle to come to terms with their newborn baby being bound for Hell.
At first glance, Yeon’s latest series may seem like another rendition of The Ring franchise or even the 2019 horror flick Countdown.
However, Hellbound manages to distinguish itself from those two by taking the ‘countdown to death’ concept to a whole new level. Yeon excellently does it by incorporating religion into the mix.
In fact, the dystopian feature beautifully explores the concepts of free will, sin and punishment without having to wade into controversial waters too much. While Hellbound does tackle the topic of religion, the show does not single out any religion in particular.
Instead, the series’s plot centres more on the politics of man that seeks to make use of religion. For instance, the characters’ interactions and perception of a higher power give the show its appeal. The interactions between cult leader Jeong Jin-soo and police officer Jin Kyeong-hoon is one example of this.
Although both individuals have different views on religion, both characters have a similar desire. Both parties agree that sinners deserve punishment. Their disagreement only lies in who they think should be the one carrying out the punishment.
But in the end, their beliefs do not matter as they see them crumble due to unforeseen circumstances.
Another highlight worth pointing out is the story arch the minor character Lee Dong-wook goes through. It was fascinating to see him navigate religion and his devotion to Arrowhead upon learning his fate.
And it was also definitely satisfying to witness the character’s ending. He sure got what he deserves.
Unfortunately, the story’s intensity also led to much confusion. Given its supernatural element, certain scenes ended up being rather confusing.
It is only around the middle of the series that viewers are given a bit of context about the supernatural aspects of the film. Hence, it would have been helpful if more background about the supernatural events was provided during the genesis of the series.
Hellbound also does not shy away from violence. From the start, characters are brutally killed in public, and every gruesome detail of their death is shown. While it is understandable to include some graphic scenes, certain gory scenes seemed unnecessary as they did not add any substance.
Despite its shortcomings, Hellbound is the kind of horror flick that draws you in with each episode, leaving you desperate to know why things are unfolding the way they do. Kudos to Director Yeon for building this fantasy world.
And while news for the second season has not officially been confirmed, one cannot wait to see what he has in store next for the series.
