‘Hellbound’ season one review: A fascinating dystopian horror entrenched in the politics of man
The Hindu
The Korean dark fantasy series strikes the right balance of gore and lore by digging into themes of radicalism and damnation
The series has an explosive start, seeing three giant dark demons pummeling a man to death on the street in full public view, before burning him to a shell of ash and bones. Then the beasts then disappear from sight, as if happy to accomplish their task. This gory scene sets the tone of what is to come: uncontrollable chaos… and hopefully some answers.
.
Set in the years 2030 to 2027, Hellbound – originally a webtoon by Train to Busan director Yeon Sang-ho who also directs the Netflix live-action series – follows the lives of people who are haunted by prophecies of being dragged to hell, having committed sins at some point in their lives. This seems like a fairly simple concept, but leave it to Korean cinema to elevate it to something darker and far more troubling.