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.