From the sinister minds that brought you The Purge, Happy Death Day and Paranormal Activity, comes the new Hulu original horror series Into the Dark, which turns every holiday into a complete nightmare.
The new horror anthology series will feature different actors in each episode, with a new episode being released each month focusing on a holiday from that month.
The first episode of the horrifying new series, which premieres in October, is titled “The Body” and it’s based on, you guessed it, Halloween. The episode focuses on a contract killer who uses the holiday to slip amongst partiers undetected, at least until everything goes horribly wrong.
Let me preface this review by explaining that I am not exactly a horror fan. Some of the more intense, super natural-focused films from Blumhouse have kept me up at night. With all of that being said, “The Body” didn’t cause me to lose a wink of sleep.
This episode plays more as a thriller/comedy than it does as horror. It puts characters in a uniquely terrifying situation and makes light of it with some comedic dialogue and a slapstick dynamic.
“The Body” is filled with captivating characters. Wilkes, the killer played by Tom Bateman, is dark and mysterious and somehow plays both the hero and the villain in this story. Maggie, played by Rebecca Rittenhouse, is a curious girl who will keep you guessing until the very end. The other three main characters, played by Aurora Perrineau, David Hull and Ray Santiago, more or less serve the purpose of providing tension-cutting comedic relief.
The story certainly kept me on the edge of my seat, as any classic slasher film does while you watch the killer stalk his potential victims. Despite this being an anthology series that won’t be returning to the events of “The Body,” it left me wanting more and wishing I got answers that weren’t delivered.
A word of warning regarding “The Body,” it is fairly gory at times. With gore being another aspect of horror films I am not a fan of, I was on edge as I watched. It lulled me into a false sense of security before a couple of moments in the final 15 minutes or so sufficiently grossed me out. Those couple of moments aside though, “The Body” was very enjoyable.
“The Body” premiere on Hulu on October 5, with subsequent episodes of Into the Dark coming each month for a full year. Be sure to check back for more reviews of this new Hulu original as I try to help you decide if each episode will cost you hours of sleep.