South Korean cult-horror series ‘Hellbound’ returns at BIFF

The highly anticipated second season of Netflix’s Korean cult-horror movie “Hellbound” made its world premiere at the Busan International Film Festival, highlighting the new cast members, especially Moon Geun-young, with powerful performances.

The first season of “Hellbound,” which was created by Yeon Sang-ho, who is best known for the zombie movie “Train to Busan,” was well received by critics and viewers alike for its depiction of a world in which people are suddenly visited by supernatural beings warning them of their impending death, and then they are dragged to hell by hideous creatures.

Yeon, whose early works included a dark animated film about a Korean cult organisation, elevates the dystopian thriller into a more philosophical realm in its second season, while still delivering the spectacle of creatures, violence, and collective religious hysteria.

“I believe that the concept of disaster in the work ‘Hellbound’ refers more to a mental or ideological catastrophe than to a physical disaster,” director Yeon said at a BIFF event late Friday.

Actor Yoo Ah-in, who portrayed a pivotal role in the first season, was fired by the show due to allegations of illicit drug use. After that, Yoo was declared guilty.

With a convincing portrayal of this complex figure, Kim Sung-cheol plays the charismatic head of a cult that emerged among the horrifying mysterious deaths that set off a social media frenzy.

However, Moon Geun-young, a well-liked former adolescent actress in South Korea, may have given the most compelling and heartbreaking performance of the second season. She plays a young wife who progressively turns into a psychotic cult fanatic.

Yeon said he decided to cast Moon after seeing her in a 2021 TV drama where she portrayed a tormented wife who succumbs to alcoholism while caring for her alcoholic husband.

Moon did not attend this year’s BIFF, but fellow cast member Kim Hyun-joo said: “Moon Geun-young made a tremendous contribution. I already knew (she was immensely talented), but I was pleasantly surprised and delighted by her performance.”