Into the Dark is a holiday-themed horror anthology from Blumhouse Productions and Hulu that focuses on the dark side of traditional holidays in 12 feature length films that release once per month.
Season two kicked off in October 2019, marking one year from the first season’s kick off in 2018. With its rotating directors, stories, and styles, Into the Dark has something for any audience to enjoy, though with anthology works of any kind, there are bound to be some installments that are stronger than others. Like the holidays themselves, some features are more well-known and have bigger, bolder traditions to outline while others are more cerebral conceptually and obscure.
Blumhouse is very much a driving force in the horror community, with major blockbusters and franchises under their purview. Into the Dark feels very much like a passion project that has picked up steam and gives horror fans a little bit of thrills with each element of the holiday season, allowing them to enjoy fresh films year-round. Here are the episodes of Into the Dark’s first season, ranked worst to best.
12. The Body (Halloween)
The Body centers around a professional hitman, Wilkes, (Tom Bateman) who ends up in the precarious position where he is forced to wrap the body of his latest victim in plastic wrap and drag it around with him after he gets caught up in the middle of a roaring Halloween party.
While the premise was interesting and the acting is good, the plot is thin and full of holes from the start. The overall reliance on general gore and violence doesn’t mix particularly well at its attempts at humor and leaves the entire thing rather flat. Sometimes The Body overstayed its welcome with the run-time, and in some aspects, it should have been about twenty minutes longer to flesh out the plot and round the edges.
11. Pure (Daughter’s Day)
Pure was the season one finale, and revolved around a group of virginal young girls who all attend a purity retreat and end up wrapped up in the middle of a secret ritual that ends up summoning a demon. Directed by Hannah Macpherson, this film revolves around Daughter’s Day, which is a newer holiday as of 2017, and explores the patriarchy and hypocritical male expectations of young women.
It’s an uncomfortable film due to the content, which revolves around “purity agreements” between fathers and daughters and puts virginity as a sacred highlight of focus. While there is plenty of room for political messaging in horror, Pure beats its audience over the head with its message without leaving any room for nuance or other interpretation regarding how to enjoy the film. Since it’s also one of the more obscure holidays chosen, it suffers by alienating the viewers who may not be completely familiar with its roots.
10. I’m Just F*cking With You (April Fool’s Day)
I’m Just F*cking With You explores the concept of a mysterious stranger who ends up becoming a real threat to a brother and sister duo when they stay at a motel together. Drawing inspiration from films like The Hitcher, the concept of ‘stranger danger’ works pretty well in horror films, but looped into this holiday setting ends up being more of a gaffe than an effective backdrop for a horror film.
At its root, the concept of “trolling” and pranking seems harmless, but the deadly spin on it where the audience is constantly confused about how to feel doesn’t bode well for a plot that already suffers from a murky message. No character is likable enough to care about their fate and the villain is hollow despite his caricature of a bartender who likes to mess with his patrons in a very unsavory way.
9. Down (Valentine’s Day)
Down seemed like it could be a strong addition to a long line of Valentine’s Day themed horror. Guy (Matt Lauria) and Jennifer (Natalie Martinez), who work in the same building, end up trapped in an elevator together on Valentine’s Day. After the two strike up a conversation, having nothing better to do with their time, they discover one is harboring a dark secret that is connected to the other.
Despite the strong premise, Down suffers an identity crisis and packs too many themes and tropes into one movie. It is equal parts love connection, dark comedy, and revenge thriller. If it would have simplified a bit, there were a lot of individual aspects that could have fueled an entire feature on their own; unfortunately, doing too much in too little time caused what could have been a great movie to downshift into predictable mediocrity. The acting was great, with both the leads giving strong performances, but that wasn’t enough to save it.
8. Flesh & Blood (Thanksgiving)
Flesh & Blood is a Thanksgiving tale about an agoraphobic young woman who lives with her father, Henry (Dermot Mulroney), and starts to notice that he may be not as he seems when young women start to go missing in their town. Kimberly (Diana Silvers) is being raised by her father after her mother’s death. At one point in the film, she blames him and accuses him of murder. It seems like it could be her paranoia creeping in, but as the film continues, more and more evidence starts to stack up against Henry.
Audiences and critics favored this film as a strong installment, which is mostly accurate. Mulroney and Silvers play off each other brilliantly, really driving the ‘is he or isn’t he’ tension that the film needs in order to be successful. This part of the film really does pay off, as the answer to the question isn’t revealed until the very end. However, it drags relentlessly at times and the slow-burn thriller aspects of it could have been tighter instead of seeming overly lengthy and redundant. Also, for a holiday-themed horror, the Thanksgiving element isn’t really present or explored in-depth, it’s more of a background and could be exchanged with many other holidays on the list since family woes are a staple of many celebrations.
7. Treehouse (International Women’s Day)
Fueled by International Women’s Day, Treehouse is a #MeToo tale that involves a celebrity chef (Jimmi Simpson) who has developed a negative reputation for his bad behavior with women. Peter retreats to his family’s property for a getaway, attempting to lay low until bad press dies down, but ends up being punished for his past transgressions by a coven of witches.
Treehouse got mixed reviews, and rightfully so, since it plays heavily to the subject matter and social climate for the movement, particularly given its penchant for celebrating and empowering women. On the negative side, it took every predictable route possible without deviating from the expected outcome or adding anything new to the vengeful witch trope or the sociopolitical message of the tale. It’s a generally satisfying cautionary tale for men, but seems a little weighted and occasionally preachy.
6. They Come Knocking (Father’s Day)
They Come Knocking centers around a family who are suffering the recent loss of their matriarch after she passes away from cancer. Nathan (Clayne Crawford) takes his daughters out to the desert for a family retreat to try to help them all deal with their collective grief. Out in the desert, the family has an encounter of the supernatural variety that propels the horror elements of this otherwise generic tale.
This film has a different sort of feel that’s more emotional than the other installments. The dichotomy of dealing with a mother’s passing in a Father’s Day story was an interesting take. It is suspenseful and delivers some effective jump scares, but relies on them a little heavily, as many supernatural tales. But the run time is tedious for the amount of material presented and, while there’s a lot to enjoy in They Come Knocking, it would have likely been better suited as a short film.
5. New Year, New You (New Year’s Eve)
New Year’s Eve and resolutions fuel New Year New You from director Sophia Takal, who is slated to direct the new Black Christmas remake in December 2020. A gathering of old friends who have known each other from high school decide to ring in the New Year together. One of the friends, Danielle (Carly Chaikin), has had a very successful career as an influencer, promoting a healthy lifestyle brand and “clean living.” While her charisma and success pulls the wool over some eyes, one woman in the friends’ group threatens to expose the dark secrets that have been festering since their youth.
An innocent game of “Never Have I Ever” turns deadly in a cat-and-mouse tale that pits female friends against one another and provides a very paranoid, claustrophobic environment for the viewer. While it’s never outright terrifying, it is unsettling and uncomfortable as the in-fighting reaches a head as the alcohol continues to flow. Takal knows how to weave a good story, which is probably New Year, New You’s strongest feature. It has enough twists and turns to satisfy even the most discerning viewer, but loses steam at the end and never really recovers or keeps the momentum of its early pace.
4. School Spirit (First Day of School)
School Spirit follows a group of outcasts who all end up getting tasked with cleaning the school during weekend detention. Their school has an urban legend that states it is haunted by a serial killer who stalks students in detention. A high school setting is the perfect backdrop for a bloody little slasher tale and has a swashbuckling serial killer that provides fun frights for a wide variety of audiences.
This film is most successful because of its simplicity. The plot is nothing new, but most slasher tales don’t deviate from formulas that work. The cast is a driving force behind the contrived plot and really sell the terror the students experience during their day at detention. School Spirit introduces a killer that may or may not be supernatural which adds a different sort of vibe to the overall theme; it’s a slight tweak to the norm, which amplifies the overall refreshing take for this back-to-school special.
3. Pooka! (Christmas)
Pooka! introduces one of the most iconic characters of 2018 horror in the creation of a creepy toy that has two sides: Naughty Pooka and Nice Pooka, just in time for the Christmas season. An unemployed actor, Wilson (Nyasha Hatendi), ends up being employed by a toy company and given the role of a mascot, Pooka, who serves as the center of their marketing campaign for new toys based around his likeness. Wilson ends up being influenced physically and psychologically by wearing the suit and begins his slow descent into madness.
This film may not be the traditional Christmas tale as it focuses more on capitalist greed and dangerous marketing schemes that exploit children’s desires in a way that could be harmful to their overall health. It’s effective because, in essence, it’s telling two stories simultaneously: one revolves around Wilson and his increasingly strange encounters with the Pooka suit and the other comments on the toy company’s general negligence when they learn there is a manufacturing error with their new toys. Pooka! itself is creepy enough, but the underlying messaging really sells this tale as a Christmas nightmare.
2. All That We Destroy (Mother’s Day)
All That We Destroy is a Mother’s Day tale about a mother, Dr. Victoria Harris (Samantha Mathis) who learns about her son Spencer’s (Israel Broussard) proclivities for murdering young women and decides to use her skills as a geneticist to help him control his urges. When Spencer seems to long for his independence after he meets a new girl and Ashley Prime (Aurora Perrineau) starts to become self-aware, Dr. Harris is stuck between her maternal attachments and her scientific ethics.
Director Chelsea Stardust delivers a harrowing tale of mother and son dynamics that are pushed to the absolute limit when their co-dependent relationship starts to corrode. Science plays an interesting backdrop in this sci-fi horror feature that revolves around the notion that just because something is possible doesn’t give scientists the right to do it. Having a budding serial killer in the mix is also intriguing because as Spencer develops a relationship with neighbor Marissa (Dora Madison), there’s a sense of underlying dread where the audience is stuck fearing for her life and also for the mother, who seems devoted to fixing his problem at all costs.
1. Culture Shock (Independence Day)
Culture Shock uses America’s Independence Day as a background for a tale about the Mexican border crisis and the notion of immigrations and makes audiences question whether or not the US truly is the “land of the free.” Marisol (Martha Higareda) is a Mexican woman who pays a unscrupulous man to lead her across the border into the US after she discovers she is pregnant and couldn’t make her first attempt to cross. She ends up in an idyllic, Stepfordian world where the strange inhabitants, which include horror fan favorite Barbara Crampton, may not be as wholesome nor as welcoming as they seem.
From director Gigi Saul Guerrero of Luchagore Productions, Culture Shock succeeds in telling a horror tale with strong sociopolitical underpinnings in a charged climate and does so with fearless and adept skill. The film, which starts in Spanish and transitions to English, really paints a harrowing tale of survival of the fittest and the notion that some people will sacrifice anything to be free when freedom should be a given.
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