The highly anticipated South Korean Netflix series Hellbound just hit Netflix on the 19th of November
From Train to Busan writer/director Yeon Sang-Ho, Hellbound is a new fantasy/horror series. It is based on Yeon Sang-Ho‘s own webtoon he created with Choi Kyu-Seok and Netflix give them free rein and what seems like a sh*t-load of cash to bring the webtoon to life.
What’s it about?
Unless you’ve been in hypersleep, I am pretty sure you know what Hellbound is about by now. Certain people are visited by an angel of death. They are told that they are bound for Hell, how long they have to live and the exact time and date that they will die. On the day of their death, the Executioners of Hell appear & beat 50 Shades of Sh*t into them. They die an excruciatingly painful death and are then dragged to the fiery pits of Hell for an eternity of pain and suffering. And with this vicious religious awakening, an extreme religious cult is born called The New Truth looking to brainwash the public into following their new way of life.
What’s it like?
In my head, I had already settled on a 15 certificate, and I was more than ok with that. All his work to date has been that rating so I thought Hellbound would be the same. I was wrong, it has an 18 certificate so that really got my blood pumping for the series.
We all know what these Executioners of Hell look like. I was a little worried because they looked like a black version of The Thing from Fantastic Four. It was not scary whatsoever. But in its defence, this is exactly what they look like in Sang-ho’s webtoon. So, all my worries were laid to rest within the first 3-minutes of the series. Yeah, these dudes are very CGI heavy but when I say they beat the absolute shite out of you, I mean it.
You’re going to Hell, but before so
we’re gonna smash your head open
break every bone in your body, then tear you apart
After that, that’s when you’re pain and suffering will commence
for eternity.
If that is the suffering inflicted on you even before you go to Hell, can you imagine what actual Hell would be like?. OUCH!!. It really makes Satan seem way more evil and sadistic.
Such an original concept for a horror series and brilliantly brought to life. I don’t think anyone could have done Hellbnound other than Yeon Sang-ho himself. We do have quite a lot of drama too but I thought the stories were well developed and important for the series.
My only complaint is that Hellbound is only 6-episodes long. It is over before we know it and you’re left feeling like you have been cheated of half of a series. This was the exact same buzz we got with the recently released Netflix series D.P. Still, the 6-episodes we got were all great and I will look forward to seeing more…because we will be seeing more.
As always, thanks for reading.
Review by GG
