Editor’s Note: Joe Lipsett had previously reviewed the show’s first three episodes.
Belief is a gray element within life – belief can inspire good or evil. Belief can allow us to find hope or stir others with fear. In the wrong hands, people can craft belief into a weapon. The latter is very much at the heart of Hellbound, directed and written by Yeon Sang-ho (Train to Busan). The Korean Netflix show sells an intriguing premise – in this world, an angel appears to certain people and tells them when they will die and go to hell; on the specific day and time as given to them, three monstrous beings will appear and send the person to hell.
A new religious organization in the form of The New Truth arises from these supernatural tragedies, holding public hearings and spreading information across the web about how these attacks are God’s will. That because people run amuck sinning, God is now taking a more active stance in punishing. People begin to take the words of The New Truth to heart, striving to live a life without sin. The thing is though – how can anyone know if The New Truth is indeed telling the truth?
Though the supernatural angle of the show offers a gripping narrative shrouded in mystique, Hellbound is so much more. Sharing some similarities with that of this year’s Midnight Mass, Hellbound is an exploration of belief – how fanatical belief is dangerous, how institutions can manipulate people, and our effort to find meaning in life.
Episode one drops the audience right into one of these supernatural attacks. It’s a regular morning in a café; people enjoying each other’s company over coffee. One man sits alone however, nervously staring at his phone. Noting the day and time, the sound of boom is heard – then three massive beings crash through the café window and charge at the man. These beings – all black and having a mass like Marvel’s Hulk – throw anything and anyone out of their way to get to the man. He runs out of the café and into the street, the three beings running after him and slamming through cars. Once they get a hold of him, they horrifically beat and tear into him, all before taking part in an act where a bright white light appears and burns the man down to his bones. Once complete, the beings run off and disappear into thin air.
The violence of these acts is sincerely gruesome. In fact, when it comes to any act of physical violence Hellbound portrays, the show is in no way subtle in how its shown. Considering his work on Train to Busan, one might say that Yeon is more than experienced when it comes to action. The show’s cinematographer, Byun Bong-sun, captures these horrific moments – and the show’s few fight scenes – in gruesome glory; the impact of each cracked bone, bit of torn flesh, and all-out pummeling is on full display. But Hellbound’s horror is much more than that of the physical or even supernatural.
As The New Truth gain power over the public, the narrative places much focus on character and public interactions with that of the religious group. At the head of this group is Jung Jinsu (Yoo Ah-in), who shares a charismatic charm like that of Death Note’s Light. Jinsu is a gentle man, considerate and kind to those he is among – but of course, a cult leader always has a few secrets in their closet. He tells people how God is trying to teach them a lesson; that these monsters only target sinners, and God is trying to help guide humanity towards salvation and a life without sin.
Going beyond that of just preaching, Jinsu decides to start making these attacks purposely public – calling them Demonstrations, where audiences can partake in watching sinners be punished. These Demonstrations begin to pick up in viewership, stirring a greater mass hysteria and fear. The New Truth then begins implementing the Demonstrations as a means of outing sinners; meeting these people, The New Order will record them and have them voice their sins, while also sharing personal details about their families. Because of this, people become super loyal to The New Truth, willing to track down sinners and act violently against them.
In opposition to Jinsu, the show introduces us to detective Jin Kyunghun (Yang Ik-june) and attorney Min Hyejin (Kim Hyun-joo). Both Jin and Min see the actions of The New Truth as exploitative and insidious, especially when a small gang known as the Arrowheads begin to associate themselves with The New Truth, the latter using the gang to their benefit at times. While neither Jin or Min make for remarkably deep characters, each is significant to the plot – fueling the narrative’s progression and contributing to the show’s thematic exploration.
While the mystery behind these supernatural attacks is always present throughout the show, the stronger horror in Hellbound is the manipulation and abuse brought on by the cult. Hellbound holds nothing back in how the cult discuss public psychology with one another, taking careful approaches in how they present information. The methodical nature of these conversations is unnerving, for this is a group who know how to use people: Through fear.
A common phrase one may hear in life in terms of when something horrific happens, is that, “No one can explain why God does what he does,” or, “We need to trust in what God does.” The New Truth embraces these types of statements to further enhance their power and sway public interest in their favor. Jinsu speaks about how man-made systems fail us, how governmental structures don’t take care of or protect people. But God will protect you; God always cares about you, and because he cares about you, he is using these monsters to teach something of value. As more and more people become brainwashed by The New Truth, the show’s dramatic aura takes on a grimmer tone. This is even more so when it comes to the mid-series twist – which I’m obviously not going to share here. Suffice to say, it’s major moment that the audience has to sit with, the particular moment emphasizing a specific existential horror.
The second half of the show flows with an even deeper insidiousness when it comes to The New Truth and Arrowheads. A new protagonist arrives with Bae Young-jae (Park Jeong-min). Speaking to Bae would unfortunately dip into spoilers, but his importance to the narrative is along the lines of Jin and Min, if not greater. It’s real tough to find faults in Hellbound. The last-minute twist in the last episode may throw some viewers off; only because, in its six episodes, Hellbound feels as if it has told a completed story. That last twist does allude to a second season (at this time, there is no official word on a second season), but in what the show has provided so far, Hellbound is nothing short of fascinating.
Yeon’s Hellbound is a brutal, haunting take on how institutions can use people. It’s a show about the dangers of fanatical systems and how people can lose themselves in trying to find meaning. This show stands among the likes of Midnight Mass and Ti West’s The Sacrament, making for one of the most haunting works of religious/cult horrors around.
Yet, for all the grim existential ideas the show prompts – towards its end – it offers a moment of light. For as much pain and misery that does exist in the world, there are also miracles and good.
