Courtesy of Netflix
This crime-like scene is investigated by Jin Kyunghun (Yang Ik-june), who provides a first-person perspective into the phenomenon. In any thriller, the main character has a sad backstory and a grey character arc. This is exactly what Jin Kyunghun has. His wife was murdered, and years later he is released from prison. However, not only does this sad backstory give the audience sympathy for our main character, but it also becomes his weakness. This sore spot is pressed upon by Jung Jinsu (Yoo Ah-in), a chairman of a religious group called the New Truth that believes the monsters are attacking sinners. He delivered the clam cryptic word of faith that grips his believers. He shares his thoughts that the attacks are related to people’s great sins, and his followers, of course believed him.
Co-written with Choi Gyu-seok, “Hellbound” is the kind of horror series that visibly grows with each episode. It explores the concept that humankind has always wondered about: the divine – angels and devils, is God real and what lies in the afterlife? The characters wrestle with the inevitable media frenzy, the shame people would feel after getting a decree, the institutions that would try to capitalize on it. ‘Hellbound’ becomes a fascinating series about faith. Humans are used for the rabid effect of fearful belief for potent thrills. The bursts of action, which can surprise you just like the script’s narrative developments, immerse you in the chaos with shaky camera work and long takes. “Hellbound” ensures that while the pummelling monsters stubbornly remain a mystery, the brutality that human beings commit to each other always hurts.
Chantal Kapani is a published writer, poet, and the founder of the blog, So Yesterday. Her work has appeared in The Force To Be Reckoned With, The Ruin Magazine, The Recollective Magazine, Candid Orange, and more.
