Seeking out the truth
STAR director Yeon Sang-ho, who was behind global apocalyptic thriller Train To Busan (2016) and series Hellbound (2021), is expanding his dystopian fantasy world, widely known as “Yeoniverse,” with upcoming occult series Monstrous (to be available on Viu).
“It may sound unreal, but I was thinking of director Yeon the other day. And I received a message about his new project. I was screaming in my room with excitement and decided to star in the series without any hesitation,” actor Koo Kyo-hwan, who starred in Peninsula (2020) – the sequel to Train To Busan helmed by Yeon – said in an online press conference recently.
The 39-year-old actor, who plays the role of an archaeologist and occult channel YouTuber Jung Ki-hoon, said he was amazed by the unique storylines and Yeon’s interpretation of human nature in desperate situations.
Hospital Playlist star Shin Hyunbin, 36, shared her excitement for the role of fellow archaeologist Lee Soo-jin (Ki-hoon’s wife) in a dystopian fantasy series – her first.
“Starring in a disaster series and taking on the role of a mother is something that I have never experienced before. As I read the script, I wanted to know how this would turn out in a drama series. After hearing the names of the actors, director and screenwriters, I could not let Monstrous go,” Shin said.
The occult thriller revolves around the couple’s struggle to solve a supernatural phenomenon caused by a cursed statue, “Gwibul”, in a fictional town called Jinyang.
“The town name Jinyang first made its appearance in Train To Busan as a place where the zombie virus was found. Since that movie, I use Jinyang as the location for the origins of all evil,” Yeon said.
Helming the six-episode Monstrous as the creator and scriptwriter, Yeon said that his initial intention was to write a heartwarming romance.
“Because I have written many death-related, apocalyptic projects, I started to write about the love of a married couple.
“But as I worked on the script, I felt that the story was a little tedious. I decided to add a few occult characteristics, like a crow and I ended up with Monstrous,” the writer said, laughing.
Inspired by the story of Eou Yadam, written by Yu Mong-in in the Joseon era, Yeon has featured the cursed statue in his previous television series, The Cursed (2020), as well.
“According to Eou Yadam ,the statue had been sealed three times to break its curse. Gwibul made its appearance in The Cursed and is set to be presented in Monstrous. Perhaps another story about this statue is waiting to be written,” Yeon said.
“Different from the Western Christian worldview, where the distinction of good and evil is clear, Monstrous features many sides of the Buddhist worldview, shared by eastern countries, where such distinction is obscure. This might be one of the interesting points to think about when watching our upcoming series,” director Jang Kun-jae said. – The Korea Herald/ Asia News Network