Yeah, you read that right, the recently released South Korean horror drama, ‘Hellbound‘ is fairing better than Netflix’s other original show, ‘Squid Game‘, according to the latest reports. Filmmaker Yeon Sang-ho who directed the cult classic Korean film, ‘Train To Busan’ is the mind behind this horror thriller series. While the show didn’t take over the world like how other Netflix series like ‘Money Heist’ or ‘Squid Game’ did, it has quietly become the world’s most-watched Netflix television series by 20th November 2021, ranking number one (in streaming numbers) in more than 80 countries within the first 24 hours. So why is the show so popular? How is it different from the other Netflix South Korean phenomenon, ‘Squid Game’? Well, here are three reasons why ‘Hellbound’ is better than ‘Squid Game’:
Less is Better
‘Squid Game’ is 9 episodes long while ‘Hellbound’ is only 6. However, the former among them seems to drag its feet while the latter feels a little too fast. The first show uses its 9 episodes to all about the things that happen over the span of a couple of weeks, while the second series shows us two different timelines and goes into detail over a lot of important things. While ‘Squid Game’ gets you invested in the characters, ‘Hellbound’ gets you invested in some brilliant world-building. Both shows have their flaws and strengths – the length of the series certainly highlighted them. But ‘Hellbound’s’ length definitely works in its favour.
Faith Vs. Capitalism
‘Squid Game’s’ main theme talks about the economic disparity and unequal wealth distribution between people while ‘Hellbound’ talks about the negative implications of blind faith. Both are very important themes around the world, but the latter hits a lot closer to home since faith has followers from all walks of life. ‘Hellbound’ also shows us various people who have different stances on faith, rather than the two polar opposites as shown in ‘Squid Game’.
Final Cliffhangers
With the way both series ended, it looks like we will likely see a second season drop for both shows. Both cliffhanger endings are intriguing, to say the least, however, the cliffhanger behind ‘Hellbound’ will likely make more impact on the show than the one shown in ‘Squid Game’. But for that, we will have to wait and see.
Check out both ‘Squid Game’ and ‘Hellbound’ on Netflix.
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