4 reasons to watch Call of Hell, even if you didn't like The Squid Game

On November 19, Netflix released Call of Hell, directed by Yong Sang-ho, the author of one of the best zombie horror films Train to Busan. The project took very quicklyHellbound Beats Squid Game to Become Most Watched Show on Netflix Within 24 Hours / India first place in views in more than 80 countries, surpassing the recently exploded Squid Game and even displacing “Arcane».

Of course, the popularity of "Call of Hell" is partly due to the success of its South Korean predecessor, and indeed to the fashion for the cinema of this country, which was asked by "Parasites". But the show itself is really interesting. It combines elements of horror with social drama and makes you think about the modern world.

1. Many genres are intertwined in Call of Hell

In Korea, creepy supernatural beings called angels appear to people. They tell a person a specific time when he will die. At the appointed hour, messengers come - monsters who first beat the victim, and then incinerate it. Moreover, it is impossible to avoid punishment.

Several such cases are filmed, and panic breaks out in the country. Detective Jin Kyung-hoon (Yang Ik Joon) investigates supernatural crimes and contacts New Truth sect leader Jung Jin Soo (Yoo Ah In). He claims that angels come only to sinners and people themselves are to blame for what happened.

Already in The Train to Busan, Yeon Sang-ho proved his skill in mixing genres. On the one hand, the picture looked like a tense thriller, and sometimes an action movie. On the other hand, the plot was rather not about the war with zombie, but about the ambiguous actions of ordinary people in a stressful situation.

The director's new work of authorship is partly based on deception. Call of Hell begins as a horror movie. Then it develops into a traditional mystical detective story: there is a certain event that defies rational explanation, a police skeptic and a mysterious cult.

But it is quickly revealed that the show uses elements of mystery and horror to make the plot more immersive. It is based on realistic social drama. Most of the time, the viewer will be watching ordinary people who are trying to figure out their lives.

2. The series makes you think about important topics

Like “Squid game”, The new project is an important social statement for the people of South Korea. While Netflix's previous hit criticized capitalism, Call of Hell is about the sects that have flooded the country.

Faced with something that cannot be influenced, people begin to seek, if not salvation, then at least answers. All sorts of preachers immediately begin to use this. Moreover, the series interestingly shows that the leaders of sects can be completely different: some of them themselves sincerely believe into their own words, while others quickly turn into real managers with a bunch of assistants and a well-developed strategy.

More importantly, Call of Hell examines the behavior of ordinary people who not only easily believe self-appointed leaders, but also become cruel to each other themselves. Just hearing that angels are for sins, everyone rushes to look for shortcomings in their loved ones, only to confirm this theory. As a result, they start to say that you can get to hell even for spending money on a credit card and watching porn.

And in this regard, the plot very well reveals how society is manipulated through the media and social networks, where only information that certain people need gets there. Or how you can underestimate crime statistics by simply intimidating others so that they do not report violence.

However, in addition to social themes, "Call of Hell" makes you think about the personal. What would each of us do if we knew the date of our own death? Need to come to terms with the inevitable or fight to the end? Does everyone really get what they deserve - or do tragedies happen to good people too?

Many writers and directors discussed all this, for example, one can recall the dialogue between Woland and Berlioz from The Master and Margarita. The Korean drama only offers to raise perennial issues again and inscribes them into modern life.

3. Call of Hell is really scary

Some of the viewers may not be too happy with the visuals on the show. Spoiled by Hollywood blockbusters the public will find the messengers more amusing than scary. But, fortunately, the authors of the project do not rely precisely on the schedule. The monsters themselves appear once or twice per episode, and the emphasis is on the brutal beating of the victim.

At the same time, the Call of Hell is really creepy. They simply achieve this feeling by completely different means. In the series, people are scared. For example, a preacher who seems to hypnotize with his conviction and charisma. But the man's eternal tranquility is a terrible contrast to the obsession of his followers.

Or a hysterical streamer on a platform with a witty name TeenTok. In general, the story about media culture looks like the most relevant part of the project, recalling the first episode “Black mirror»: Execution on air is becoming the most popular program, for which all TV channels are fighting.

And the worst thing, of course, is the too easy and quick transformation of ordinary people into a crowd of vigilantes. After all, a universal obsession with righteousness does not at all make people better. Everyone is so afraid of going to hell that they arrange it right on earth.

4. The project is filled with completely unexpected twists and turns

It should be understood that the series is dedicated not so much to specific heroes as to the world itself, in which mysterious phenomena occur. Therefore, in the project, the main characters will even change several times: after three episodes, a different story will begin with a different atmosphere.

And besides that, "Call of Hell" will surprise you with unexpected turns several times. Each at least some important hero has his own secrets, and he will commit ambiguous actions.

Therefore, it is better to immediately try to remember the names that are still unusual for the Russian ear and closely follow the plot. Indeed, with the seeming slowness of the action in the series, there are a lot of important details that will play a role.

And we can immediately say that the season finale creates a reserve for the continuation. In which the rules will change again, and humanity will face a new problem.

Call of Hell is another unexpected and exciting project from South Korea. The series touches with elements of mysticism and horror, but in fact offers the viewer a social drama dedicated to activities sects and human cruelty. This combination of genres, together with a large-scale plot, makes the project understandable in any country.