Into the Dark: Down (2019)

Director: Daniel Stamm

Notable Cast: Natalie Martinez, Matt Lauria, Arnie Pantoja, Christina Leone

After the release of The Last Exorcism I would have thought that Daniel Stamm would have been one of the big names on a short list to be horror’s next thing. However, sometimes that’s not how the industry works. It wasn’t until I was doing research for the latest episode of Hulu and Blumhouse’s Into the Dark series of films, Down, that his name popped up again. Looking through his IMDB credits shows that he’s been busy over the last few years working in a lot of horror television (something that I don’t nearly keep up with enough, truthfully) and so it’s somewhat fitting that Down would end up being the next film for him. Like most of the Into the Dark series, Down is incredibly fun and effective little low budget film. It maximizes its minimalist settings, plays on the viewers assumptions with some clever key moments, and keeps an impressive pacing as it goes. Once again, Stamm showcases he is quite the fantastic modern horror director and Down is just further evidence of such.

Into the Dark: New Year, New You (2018)

Director: Sophia Takal

Notable Cast: Suki Waterhouse, Carly Chaikin, Kirby Howell-Baptiste, Melissa Bergland, Michelle Haro, Isabella Acres, Bianca Lopez, Mia Ella Clyburn

Hulu and Blumhouse’s horror anthology series, Into the Dark, has already provided a handful of fantastic little indie/intimate horror films through the last few months, but their latest “episode” (their first of 2019 that was technically released prior to New Year’s Eve in 2018) might be one of the best thus far. New Year, New You leans into a couple of interesting directions, looking to balance out an old school style with modern messages, and the results are overly impressive. It’s not a stretch that some horror fans may find the old school and very meticulous approach to building the film is a bit of a drag and there are a few choices that may seem a tag heavy-handed, but for my money, director Sophia Takal brings her A-game to this film and delivers a memorable way to continue this series.

Into the Dark: Pooka! (2018)

Director: Nacho Vigalondo

Notable Cast: Nyasha Hatendi, Latarsha Rose, Jon Daly, Dale Dickey, Jonny Berryman

It’s another month and it’s time for another review for the next film in Hulu and Blumhouse’s Into the Dark series. This time, it’s the highly anticipated Pooka! from the cult director Nacho Vigalondo. To recap where things have gone since the beginning of the series in October, you can read our reviews for The Body [HERE] and Flesh & Blood [HERE]. Despite a bit of a dip in quality in November’s Thanksgiving set second film, this third one was ripe to embrace the Christmas holiday time frame setting by having such a challenging director handle a concept that’s…pretty entertaining. Pooka!, focusing on the story of an actor who starts to lose his grip on reality after becoming the sole person to don the Pooka! character costume for a line of intensely popular kids’ toys around Christmas, is just as oddball as one might expect. Granted, the film does take some narrative shifts that can be a tad predictable in the third act for more attentive viewers, the ride is a splendidly dark and humorous one that trips heavily into Twilight Zone territory.

Into the Dark: Flesh & Blood (2018)

Director: Patrick Lussier

Notable Cast: Diana Silvers, Dermot Mulroney Tembi Locke, Lavetta Cannon, Heidi Sulzman

After the resounding success (at least in terms of quality, in my opinion) of Into the Dark’s debut “episode,” The Body, I was eager to leap into their next film for Hulu, Flesh & Blood. As a reoccurring series on the streaming giant, these films have a lot to offer in terms of an outlet for fresh new voices in genre cinema or for chancier projects. The first film, The Body, proved this. It was a fun blend of genres and showcased a unique directorial voice. The second episode, not so much. That’s the thing about Flesh & Blood as a film. It’s pretty good, but it comes from director Patrick Lussier. Between his last two films, the blissfully entertaining duo of Drive Angry and the My Bloody Valentine remake, this one feels a bit tame. Often enough, it’s quite successful in its contained and tense story, but with a director like this at the helm, Flesh & Blood feels a bit too tame and formulaic for what it might have been.

Into the Dark: The Body (2018)

Director: Paul Davis

Notable Cast: Tom Bateman, Rebecca Rittenhouse, Aurora Perrineau, David Hull, Ray Santiago

With the recent boom of horror that has culminated over the last handful of years, reaching strange heights when the genre started winning Academy Awards last year, it was only a matter of time before the Masters of Horror format was revitalized. This latest series of films, under the moniker Into the Dark, has nothing to with the iconic Mick Garris series that premiered on Showtime, but the idea remains the same. Instead of Showtime, it's Hulu. Instead of Mick Garris, it's Blumhouse. Into the Dark will premiere a new horror film each mouth, partnering with the horror juggernaut Blumhouse, and each film will be coordinated with a holiday within the month that it is released. Honestly, that sounds like a pretty fuckin’ good deal to me.

The first film to be released within the Into the Dark series is The Body. Fittingly, the film features a hit man who is caught in a bad situation on Halloween night and he’s left dragging a body around in a desperate attempt to get it to its destination within four hours. Craziness ensues, a body count rises, and the hit man drops multiple dry humor monologues about his dark view point on life as a strange romantic interest blooms. The Body is an odd film, but, truthfully, it’s a fantastic film to release around Halloween and a great way to kick off the series.