Train To Busan director delivers supernatural horror in Hellbound
Train To Busan director Yeon Sang-ho is back with another scarefest in Hellbound.
The Netflix original K-series is the live-action adaptation of Yeon’s own webtoon titled Hell, which he created with cartoonist Choi Gyu-seok. This latest work of the filmmaker also known for The King of Pigs, The Fake, Peninsula and The Cursed: Dead Man’s Prey, will premiere globally on Nov. 19.
During a virtual presscon with Asia-Pacific press on Tuesday, Yeon admitted that he has received early positive reviews describing Hellbound as his “best work” yet, following its screening in some international filmfests, namely Toronto International Film Festival, BFI London Film Festival and Busan International Film Festival.
But there was one review that stood out. “When we showed it at the Busan International Film Festival, I saw a teenager walking by and he said that he almost wet his pants (watching the series),” Yeon mused.
It wouldn’t be hard to imagine such a reaction as Hellbound tells of a world that becomes living hell. In the series that explores good and evil, sin and virtue, people receive a message notifying them of their end at an appointed time. When time runs out, otherworldly beasts, also called executors from hell, appear out of nowhere and send them to eternal condemnation by way of burning them to death.
These terrifying events lead to mayhem, but one religious organization The New Truth, under the leadership of the charismatic Jung Jinsu, increases in influence amid all the chaos.
As Jinsu leads a crusade, he preaches that only evildoers are hell-bound and that the supernatural happenings are the “will of the divine” to make human beings righteous. His group of blind followers, the Arrowhead, take matters into their own hands and punish those who disobey the divine will.
Some people, however, grow suspicious and question their activities, start investigating their possible involvement in the strange occurrences, and dare to fight against that chaos instigated by the New Truth.
Yeon collaborates anew with his webtoon co-creator Choi in writing the series. Asked what messages he wanted to convey in Hellbound, Yeon said, “There are various characters played by the wonderful cast. And I think all of them actually are people who we see in society, who exist in society, and they have different convictions and different emotions. And I think that viewers can resonate with their convictions and their feelings, depending on which they choose to believe.”
He added that he hoped the series would spark conversations. “I think it’s fun to watch the clash of these kinds of convictions. And it gives us an opportunity to think about our society and think about our convictions. I hope people can really talk about these questions after they watch Hellbound.”
Also during the presscon, Yeon discussed how he came up with the idea of the hellbeasts. “When I was thinking of them, they just came out of the blue.... long ago, and they could have existed in history. And I think the ones that we know of are formed from the images that people in history have imagined. So these are based on the imaginations of our predecessors.”
He continued, “I thought about how people came up with these images? What did they look at? What did they see? And how did they come up with these images of angels and angels in hell? That’s what I thought about when I was trying to come up with the image of executors and angels (in the series).”
Yeon said he wanted audiences to feel terror upon seeing these executors on screen. “I wanted people to feel extreme scare when looking at these executors and think about hell when looking at them. When we think about the word hell, there are images that come to our heads and I wanted to reflect that upon the executors so people will be triggered.”
Yeon was queried about why these creatures always appear as a “team of three.” “I wanted it to seem like a bunch of people beating up one person. I think that is what triggers fear in a lot of people.”
While on the subject of his source of imagination, the director shared that when he brainstorms for his projects, he doesn’t like the process to be complicated.
“When I start off with my projects, I want it to be as easy as breathing. I don’t try to be grand in my brainstorming and I hope my projects will be a piece of cake in terms of making. I don’t want to put much thought into it. I hope it becomes more natural and in that way, it could also be natural to the viewers.”
Meanwhile, leading the cast of Hellbound are Yoo Ah-in, Park Jeong-min, Kim Hyun-joo, Won Jin-ah and Yang Ik-june.
Yoo, who made a mark through his roles in Burning, The Throne, and Veteran, is Jinsu, the fascinating head of the New Truth church.
Park plays Bae Yeong-jae, a producer at a broadcasting outfit that probes into the activities of the New Truth church. Park has established his versatility through his work in Time to Hunt, Start-Up, and Svaha: The Sixth Finger.
Kim Hyun-joo, known for the Watcher and I Have a Lover, is Min Hye-jin, a lawyer who stands up to the New Truth Church and its extremist Arrowhead devotees.
Won Jin-ah, whose previous projects are The Age of Shadows and Steel Rain, will play Hong Ji-yeong, the wife of Bae Yeong-jae and a New Truth church member who “succumbs to unbearable pressure.”
Yang Ik-june of Breathless, Bad Guys: Vile City, It’s Okay, That’s Love, will portray Jin Gyeong-hun, a police detective who launches an investigation into the sudden appearance of the angels of death.
In a media release, the actors shared their thoughts on the series.
Yoo said, “Hellbound simply depicted the hell we now live in.” While for Park, “You can enjoy the suspense and then it suddenly strikes with a deep message.” Won, on the other hand, found the script immersive. “People who repeat irreversible mistakes, people who stick to their convictions, people who sacrifice themselves… The circumstances, stories and attitude of each of these people stand in stark contrast with one another, which can convey a number of different messages depending on the (person’s) perspective.”
It remains to be seen but hopes are high that Hellbound will be the next K-drama success after Squid Game.
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