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Successor to “Squid Game”?
The new horror series from South Korea: In “Hellbound” the path leads straight to hell
A sinner is waiting for her judgment on the Netflix series “Hellbound”
© Jung Jaegu / Netflix
“Hellbound” has replaced “Squid Game” as the currently most successful series on Netflix worldwide. The horror format from South Korea creates a world in which people live in constant fear of hell.
For 46 days, Squid Game was the most streamed Netflix series in the world. The run now came to an end: Another production from South Korea took over the lead. According to an evaluation by “Flix Patrol” the mystery horror series “Hellbound” the most successful series worldwide for the streaming provider. The fact that “Hellbound” also comes from Korea is not the only thing they have in common.
The drama is similarly bloodthirsty. This time it is not primarily people who brutally kill other people. An apocalyptic phenomenon has broken in: Eerie apparitions, so-called angels of death, announce to frightened people on what day and at what time they will die. And they have one more message: the person concerned will go to hell. At the announced time, three demons appear, who brutally prepare and murder the unfortunate ones. All that remains is a charred skeleton – and a human race in fear.
“Hellbound” on Netflix: People are punished for their sins
Sect leader Jung Jin-su recognizes God’s punishment for the sins of the damned people and builds a whole community of faith on it: the “New Truth”. At first his teachings are hardly taken seriously, but when one of the terrifying “demonstrations of power” is broadcast live on the Internet and on television, hardly anyone can deny the phenomenon. The “New Truth” takes on a leading role in society.
The torments of hell are put on public display, alleged sinners humiliated in front of everyone’s eyes, their families stigmatized. Those who oppose the “New Truth” will be persecuted and eliminated. The goal of the religious movement: a world in which people live in constant fear of mistakes and damnation – and therefore behave more correctly than ever before in history. But the teachings of the sect falter more and more, the more arbitrarily the cruel monsters strike. They even haunt children and fanatical believers.
Violence combined with social criticism – as in “Squid Game”
Director Yeon Sang-ho, known in South Korea for his extremely successful film “Train to Busan” (2016), shows with his series how a society – spurred on by fear and online campaigns – can develop into a kind of religious dictatorship. How a group that feels superior suppresses others and the varnish of tolerance and a sense of community is peeling off. The “New Truth” proceeds without scruples; in contrast to Christianity, there is also no place in its understanding for grace or forgiveness.
Similar to “Squid Game”, “Hellbound” combines violence with a socially critical message – with a large additional share of supernatural, enigmatic power. And the recipe for success seems to be working again, the K-Drama hype has only just begun. Qualitatively, however, “Hellbound” cannot inspire unconditionally. The first episodes in which the new eerie phenomenon is developed quickly cast a spell over the audience. In the second half of the series, however, the very similar alleged divine demonstrations of power quickly wear off. For the second season of “Hellbound”, which should certainly follow in view of the popularity, the makers have to come up with something new.