Hellbound (TV series)

Hellbound (Korean: 지옥) is a South Korean supernatural dark fantasy thriller horror television series written and directed by Yeon Sang-ho with Choi Gyu-seok, based on their own webtoon of the same name. Set in the then future year of 2022, supernatural beings suddenly appear out of nowhere to condemn people to Hell. The series stars an ensemble cast including Yoo Ah-in, Kim Hyun-joo, Park Jeong-min, Won Jin-ah, Yang Ik-june, Kim Do-yoon, Kim Shin-rok, Ryu Kyung-soo, Lee Re, Kim Sung-cheol, Im Seong-jae, Lee Dong-hee, Hong Eui-jun, and Cho Dong-in The first season of Hellbound premiered at the 2021 Toronto International Film Festival in the "Primetime program of TV series" on September 9, 2021, and became the first Korean drama to make it to the festival. It was released on Netflix on November 19, 2021, and became the world's most-watched Netflix series the next day, surpassing Squid Game, released two months prior in Singapore. Critics were positive of the show, but also cognizant that it followed in the footsteps of Squid Game; nonetheless, they predicted it to be heavily discussed and to have a lasting impact. The second season was invited as one of the six drama series in the On Screen section at the 29th Busan International Film Festival. It was released on October 25, 2024.