[In-Depth Look] Dystopian Imagination of the Age of Hatred

'Hellbound,' released on the 19th of last month, is making headlines as it races to the number one spot among Netflix TV series worldwide. In fact, a certain level of success was anticipated. It attracted attention as director Yeon Sang-ho's first drama project, following his 2016 film 'Train to Busan,' which sparked the K-zombie syndrome. Additionally, episodes 1, 2, and 3, which were pre-released at the Toronto International Film Festival and the Busan International Film Festival, received favorable reviews.

Amazingly, the box office trend far exceeds these expectations. Within just three days of tracking, it climbed to the top of Netflix's weekly viewing rankings. It has maintained the number one spot globally for over a week. If this continues, it is expected to join the ranks of this year's biggest global hits, following 'Squid Game.' Foreign media evaluations of its artistic quality even surpass those of 'Squid Game.'

What is noteworthy is that 'Hellbound' belongs to a very unfamiliar genre. The storyline itself is bizarre. Suddenly, supernatural beings appear before humans and predict the time they will go to hell. Following this, monstrous entities appear and brutally take the lives of the humans who have been notified. People call the predicting beings 'angels' and the monsters 'messengers of hell.' No one knows where they come from or why they carry out these acts. It is a worldview of the 'cosmic horror' genre, which deals with an immense, unknowable cosmic terror.

Unlike the death game genre of 'Squid Game,' cosmic horror is such a niche genre that even director Yeon Sang-ho was concerned about its success. Considering the current public preference for clear and refreshing 'cider'-style developments, its non-mainstream nature stands out even more. Ironically, the sharp social awareness embedded in 'Hellbound' played a significant role in its better-than-expected success. In short, the entire series is deeply imbued with the fears and anxieties of the pandemic era.

The true tragedy in 'Hellbound' occurs after the angels' prophecy. The angels only notify humans of the time they will be sent to hell, without any explanation. From the moment they receive the notice, these individuals are branded as 'sinners' by society, and their families become targets of contempt. A new religious group that claims the hellbound notices are divine providence broadcasts the sinners' descent to hell live worldwide. The fanatic group 'Hwasalchok,' which follows their doctrine, monitors everyone and easily judges and condemns even minor actions. This overlaps with the shadows of the COVID-19 pandemic era, which spread hatred and discrimination not only against confirmed patients but also against specific regions and races, even inciting terrorism.

Director Yeon Sang-ho also showed a similar awareness of these issues in the tvN drama 'The Cursed' (2020), for which he wrote the script, set against a supernatural backdrop. In that work, evil spirits use dark magic to curse people, but the fundamental power behind this force stems from human hatred. The storyline, which stirs and amplifies hatred through an internet service called 'The Forest of Curses,' reflected the pathology of our society, which had been gradually losing empathy for others and spreading hatred like a virus even before the COVID-19 pandemic began. The dystopia depicted in 'Hellbound' starts from this painful recognition of the age of hatred.

Kim Sun-young, Popular Culture Critic