My second and last edition at the LFF is Hellbound, a Netflix kdrama series set to premiere on November 19. Directed and co-written by Train to Busan director, Yeon Sang Ho, Hellbound tells the story of people getting messages from angels telling them the exact time and day of when they’re going to hell, and these demons brutally attack them and send them to hell. This creates a rise of followers in a cult lead by Jeong Jin Soo (played by Yoo Ah In), who has tried to spread the message of divine justice through the acts of these demons. This mini series is based on the webtoon of the same name co-created by Sang Ho with cartoonist, Choi Gyu Seok. They premiered the first 3 episodes.
I got to say, watching a kdrama in a cinema is a dream I never knew I had. It’s just so cool, you know? Plus, I never get to see Korean content as much I’d want in cinemas and, to top it off, I finally got to see something at the Prince Charles Cinema. It’s a cinema I’ve always wanted to go to, and now I finally had a reason to go! The seats were more comfortable than I thought they’d be, and the auditorium felt like the one in La La Land. Anyway, I was very excited to see this. The teaser trailer looked so good, and I was expecting this to be just a traditional horror show, which is probably why I was, at first, disappointed it wasn’t like that. Hellbound is actually a police drama, with social commentary on divine justice, corrupt law, and fear. While I did expect it to have traditional horror, I enjoyed how the horror element of the show lied within its social commentary. Driven by fear and belief, the cult followers did brutal things to anyone who was against their faith. We have all seen first-hand how fear and beliefs divided people and made them do stupid things during this pandemic, so watching this felt more horrifying and relevant more than ever. Other than the story, Hellbound has great cinematography and direction, and great performances from the cast, especially from Yoo Ah In. He played the charismatic, yet sinister, cult leader, Jeong Jin Soo, brilliantly.
Overall, the drama so far is a slow burn and not much is revealed about origin of the demons or why specific people were damned to hell, but they did leave us in a cliff hanger and I am so frustrated that I have to wait another month to continue. I’ll give them credit for that because I am now even more invested because of this. It truly is insane… It was a great way to get audiences to continue watching in a months time.
Catch all 6 episodes of Hellbound on Netflix, dropping on 19 November!
Zerendipity 