Hellbound, directed by Yeon Sang-ho (Train to Busan), is part supernatural horror, part police drama, and completely captivating. Based on the webtoon ‘Hell’ (also created by Yeon Sang-ho), Hellbound explores what our world would come to if angels arrived on earth to tell a person the exact day and time they are going to die. Also that they are damned and will be spending eternity in hell.
The opening sequence of Hellbound is jaw-dropping. A man sits in a coffee shop, terrified and staring at a countdown on his phone. Once the countdown ends, three creatures that resemble a demonic Thanos covered in black mist charge into the coffee shop. The man runs from them but is no match. The terrifying beasts pursue him through traffic, destroying anything or anyone that gets in their way. They catch up to the man, beat him in an excessively gruesome manner, then incinerate his body and take his soul to hell.
Detective Jin Kyeong-hoon (Yang Ik-june) is called upon to investigate. The giant creatures left no physical evidence behind, just destruction and the charred remains of their victim. Jin’s research leads him to a religious sect known as “The New Truth”. Led by the mysterious Jeong Jin-soo (Yoo Ah-in), The New Truth believes that these public and violent murders are God’s way of scaring the world back into being righteous and repentant.
Aiding Jin in his investigation is attorney Min Hye-jin (Kim Hyun-joo). Min represents people who have fallen victim to The New Truth’s activities, usually performed by the extremist offshoot of the sect, known as Arrowhead. As Jin and Min work together to solve these horrific murders, public fear and chaos skyrockets. More murders, or “demonstrations of damnation” occur, and threaten to change the world as we know it forever.
Unsurprisingly, Hellbound is an extremely bleak and somber work. There are few, if any, moments of levity. Every scene is bathed in a muted blue/gray light which adds to the ominous atmosphere of dread, as does the menacing score. Every character has inner demons, and the more unfortunate ones encounter literal demons. Heavy themes such as what is evil, murder in the name of religion, cult mentality, and more are prevalent in the film.
All of the performances were strong, but Yoo Ah-in as Jeong Jin-soo was a true standout. He played the cult leader with the perfect combination of calm charisma and quiet menace. My biggest problem with Hellbound was the look of the CGI demons. I know little about film special effects, but the creatures looked a bit cheesy to me. Not terribly off, but just enough to pull me out of the story whenever they entered.
Hellbound is a gripping and tense hybrid of police procedural and supernatural horror. Additionally, it takes the time to really develop the story and characters. Despite some distractingly “meh” CGI, I highly recommend watching. Especially if you are in the mood to not smile for a few hours.
It is worth noting that this review is only based on the first 3 episodes of Hellbound. The entire series will premiere on Netflix later this year.
Score
Hellbound is a gripping and tense hybrid of police procedural and supernatural horror. Additionally, it takes the time to really develop the story and characters. Despite some distractingly "meh" CGI, I highly recommend watching. Especially if you are in the mood to not smile for a few hours.
